Health Topics, Diseases and Conditions, Treatment and Prevention

Health Topics

We present information on conditions and diseases, as well as resources for their
treatment and prevention, for the topics covered by this site.

Health Topics covered by DrugInfo

Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a repeated inability to get or keep an erection. Usually it refers to the inability to get or keep an adequate erection enough for satisfactory sexual intercourse.

Pain Relief

The acute pain is a normal sensation, mostly transitory. The chronic pain usually persists, and is described as pain with duration of more than few moths. Common chronic pain complaints include headache, low back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain, migraine pain etc.

Depression

Depression is a serious disturbance of mood that is different from fluctuations of the mood at everyday life. The depressed mood is the major symptom of depression, but it is generally accompanied by other mental and somatic symptoms. Depression is more common in women.

Anxiety

Anxiety is characterized by persistent feelings of tension, uneasiness, and apprehension. Anxiety disorders usually occur along with other mental or physical conditions, which may hide anxiety symptoms or worsen them. Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms as tachycardia, rise in breathing rate, tremor, sweating.

Hair Loss

Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. Most common type is pattern baldness. Baldness commonly refers to excessive hair loss from the scalp and can result from heredity, medications or an underlying medical condition. It is mostly permanent and can be attributed to heredity.

Weight Loss

Obesity is defined as an excessive amount of body fat or adipose tissue. Overweight refers to an excessive amount of body weight which includes muscle, bone, fat tissue, and water. Overweight and obesity are determined by calculation of the body mass index (BMI).

Cholesterol

Hypercholesterolemia is a condition associated with high cholesterol levels in the blood. Accumulation of cholesterol in the blood vessels walls causes atherosclerosis. High blood cholesterol is a major risk factors for heart disease and stroke, due to the decreased blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart and brain.

Allergy

Allergies represents an inappropriate response of the immune system to a foreign substance. Substances that cause allergies are defined as allergens. Most common allergic diseases are: seasonal allergic rhinitis, allergic skin reactions, urticaria asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic reactions to food and medications, etc.

Peptic Ulcer

Pepric ulcer is a sore erosion in the gastrointestinal tract, usually in the stomach or the duodenum. Most common cause of the ulcer is the infection with Helicobacter pylori bacterium. Another cause could be the long-lasting use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Stress and piquant foods do not usually cause ulcers, but can worsen them.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism in which insulin is diminished or absent due to impaired secretion or diminished insulin activity. Most common form of diabetes (in about 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes) is type 2 (non-insulin-dependent). This form is mostly associated with older age, overweight and family history of diabetes.

Muscle Spasms

Muscle spasm is a painful contraction of a muscle. Muscle cramp is a sudden and involuntary contraction of muscle, it can cause severe pain. Muscle cramps can occur after excessive exercise or at night with duration of few seconds to several minutes. They can temporarily immobilize affected muscles.

Herpes

Herpes is an infection caused by herpes simplex virus. Herpes simplex virus can cause oral herpes and genital herpes. Oral herpes causes blisters and sores on the mouth or face. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease and affects the genitals and anal area. Herpes zoster is caused by the chickenpox vrus.

Cardiovascular Disease

There are many different forms of cardiovascular disease. Hypertension could accelerate the development of atherosclerosis and increase the risk of other cardiovascular problems. Angina is a symptom of the coronary artery disease, and is demonstrated usually by chest pain and pressing feeling in the chest.

Contraception

Contraception (birth control) is intended to prevent pregnancy. There are different methods of birth control, Oral contraceptives are a reliable method of birth control. They have a failure rate of less than 1% per year when taken properly. Contraceptives have also other applications such as treatment of menstrual-related problems and acne.

Fungal Infections

Fungal infections are invasion of body tissues by species of fungi. They could be localized skin conditions or deep tissue infections leading to systemic diseases. Many medications with different pharmacological actions are available for the treatment of fungal infections.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, which is also called the "silent disease," is a common bone disease that causes bones to become thin and more porous, and makes them weak, fragile, and prone to fractures. Osteoporosis affects both men and women over the age of 50.

Quit smoking

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