What is a yeast infection? What is a urinary tract infection (UTI)? Share Your Story Yeast infections and UTIs both cause painful urination. A yeast infection is an infection with any type of yeast, but people commonly use the term to refer to vaginal yeast infections in women. A yeast known as Candida albicans typically …
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What is a yeast infection? What is bacterial vaginosis? A yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis both cause vaginal discharge. A yeast infection is an infection with any type of yeast. In women, vaginal yeast infections are common. This article will focus on the similarities and differences between vaginal yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis (BV), another condition of the vagina that …
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Urinary incontinence (UI) in women facts Weakness of the pelvic floor muscles and tissues that support the bladder and urethra causes stress incontinence. *Urinary incontinence (UI) in women facts medical author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD The definition of urinary incontinence in women is the unintentional loss of urine. Urinary incontinence occurs more often in women than in men. Pregnancy, childbirth, …
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What are ticks? What are bedbugs? Share Your Story Tick bites can transmit disease. Ticks are arthropods (tick members are mainly hard [Ixodidae] or soft [Argasidae] ticks) that are obligate blood suckers that can, through bites, transmit diseases to humans and many animals. Bedbugs (Cimex genus only) are insects that are blood-sucking parasites of some animals and birds that can …
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What are steroids? Readers Comments 5 Share Your Story A syringe and an assortment of steroid pills; photo by iStock Steroids (short for corticosteroids) are synthetic drugs that closely resemble cortisol, a hormone that your body produces naturally. Steroids work by decreasing inflammation and reducing the activity of the immune system. They are used to treat a variety of inflammatory …
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Roseola facts Picture of the roseola rash; SOURCE: Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. Klaus Wolff, Lowell A. Goldsmith, Stephen I. Katz, Barbara A. Gilchrest, Amy S. Paller, David J. Leffell. Seventh Edition. Copyright 2008, 2005, 2001, 1997, 1993 by The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Roseola is a mild viral illness most commonly of young children. Roseola is a common …
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Whooping cough (pertussis) facts Is Whooping Cough Highly Contagious? Whooping cough (pertussis) is an acute, highly contagious bacterial infection. The bacterium Bordetella pertussis causes this respiratory infection. Whooping cough commonly affects infants and young children, but immunization with the pertussis vaccine can prevent the infection. Young infants are at greatest risk for complications and even death from this respiratory disease. …
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Tetanus facts Picture of Clostridium tetani, with spore formation (oval forms at end of rods). Source: CDC/Dr. Holdeman Tetanus is frequently a fatal infectious disease. Tetanus is caused by a type of bacteria (Clostridium tetani). The tetanus bacteria often enter the body through a puncture wound, which can be caused by nails, splinters, insect bites, burns, any skin break, and …
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Heat-related illness (hyperthermia) definition and facts What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration? Hyperthermia is overheating of the body. Heat-related illness occurs as a result of heat exposure. Heat-related illnesses include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), and heat rash. Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat-related illness, and requires immediate medical attention. Certain …
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What is MS (multiple sclerosis)? Share Your Story Over half of people with MS experience some kind of short- or long-term pain. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes demyelination, or disruption of the substance that coats and protects nerve cells, in the spinal nerve and brain cells. The specific symptoms and severity of the disease are related to …
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