Archive for 2011
Effective therapies for ulcerative colitis control
What do the latest research on ulcerative colitis and proctitis? Is there no cure yet?
Response from Dr. David Bruining, Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA:
While ulcerative colitis currently has no medical cure, there are many effective therapies to control symptoms. The causes, diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases are issues that are investigated extensively. The results of these studies may help scientists discover new ways to better control the ulcerative colitis.
Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the colon. When only involves the rectum, the condition is called ulcerative proctitis. The signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis vary, depending on the extent and severity of the disease. The signs and symptoms are rectal bleeding, pain, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In some cases, ulcerative colitis may also cause inflammation in other organs, such as joints, eyes and skin. Read the rest of this entry »
Clinical depression causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms
What is the difference between feeling sad and being depressed or unhappy to the point of need medication? How long after you start taking an antidepressant known if it works or not and for how long to take it?
Response from Dr. Ravid Mrazek, Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA:
Depression goes beyond feeling sad for a few days and it is a much more serious problem that can be identified by a variety of symptoms. Antidepressants may help people diagnosed with depression, but it takes several weeks to start working and what is usually wise to take them at least one year after symptoms are resolved.
Depression, also called clinical depression, major depression and major depressive disorder is a disease that can cause a range of emotional and physical symptoms. The diagnosis of depression is based on the presence of certain symptoms. Read the rest of this entry »
Treatment of Malaria
Duration
With proper treatment, the symptoms of malaria usually disappear quickly if treated within two weeks. With proper treatment, the symptoms of malaria usually disappear quickly if it heals within two weeks. After repeated exposure, patients will become partially immune and develop a mild illness.
Treatment
Malaria is treated with antimalarial drugs and measures to control symptoms, including medications to control fever, anticonvulsant medication when it is necessary to take, fluids and electrolytes. The probability of developing cirrhosis depends on the severity of the disease and response to treatment. The most commonly used drugs are chloroquine, quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinaglute Dura-Tabs, Quinidex Extentabs, Quin-Release), the atovaquone (Mepron), proguanil (sold as a generic), mefloquine, clindamycin (Cleocin) and doxycycline. Read the rest of this entry »
Antimalarial Drugs
The four most commonly prescribed antimalarial drugs in the U.S. when a person travels abroad include:
Chloroquine (Aralen): This is the most commonly prescribed antimalarial drug in countries where there is no antibiotic-resistant strains (Haiti, Dominican Republic, parts of Central America, Egypt and some Middle Eastern countries). This medicine is taken once a week for one to two weeks before travel and continue to take the four weeks after we returned from the trip. Most people tolerate the drug well this decision and only a few patients have nausea, itching, blurred vision and headaches. You can minimize these symptoms if you take this medicine after meals. Read the rest of this entry »
Prevention of Malaria
Researchers are working to create a vaccine against malaria. He discovered a vaccine that is partially effective because it decreases the likelihood of developing symptoms of malaria in children in Mozambique. This vaccine has some side effects and is not used en masse, however, other vaccines are being studied. Vaccination is expected to become an important tool to prevent malaria in the near future.
One way to prevent malaria is to avoid being bitten by a mosquito, according to the following strategies: Read the rest of this entry »
Malaria: Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms
The symptoms of malaria begin six to eight days after the bite of an infected mosquito. These include:
- high fever (up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit [40.5 degrees Celsius]) with severe chills
- heavy sweating when the fever goes down
- fatigue
- headache
- muscle aches
- abdominal discomfort
- nausea and vomiting
- lightheadedness when standing or sitting Read the rest of this entry »
What is Malaria?
Malaria is a parasitic infection caused by a single cell that enter the bloodstream through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. These parasites, called Plasmodium, are at least five species. Most human infections are caused by Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax. Several parts of Plasmodium parasites remain inside the human body for most of their life cycles, while another part remains in the mosquito.
During the period of the life cycle passing within humans, Plasmodium parasites infect and multiply within cells of the liver and blood cells. Some infected red blood cells burst due to the large number of parasites within them. Many other infected cells are destroyed by the spleen and liver that filter and remove from circulation the old or damaged red blood cells. The Plasmodium parasites in the bloodstream, and together with the irritants that are released from red blood cells cause the symptoms of malaria. Read the rest of this entry »
Meckel’s Diverticulum: Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis
A Meckel’s diverticulum may be difficult to diagnose because it is not observed in the common tests to detect intestinal bleeding or obstruction. Symptoms of Meckel’s diverticulum can mimic other conditions such as appendicitis or gallbladder problems.
One of the best ways to confirm the presence of a Meckel’s diverticulum through a scan by injecting a small dose of radioactive dye into the bloodstream. This dye stays in the stomach tissue, and thus appears diverticulum scintigraphy if stomach tissue. X-rays show if the bowel is blocked, however, fail to identify whether the diverticulum is the cause.
Duration
Meckel’s diverticulum does not disappear unless surgically removed. Read the rest of this entry »
Meckel’s Diverticulum
Meckel’s diverticulum is a pouch located on the wall of the lower small intestine. The bag is a congenital (present at birth) that affects approximately 2% of the population. This pouch, or diverticulum, remaining tissue appears to be a development of the digestive system. This tissue is usually reabsorbed before birth and when it contains gastric tissue (stomach) is likely to cause hemorrhage (bleeding).
Symptoms
Most people with Meckel’s diverticulum experience no symptoms. Only if the symptoms are bleeding diverticula, become infected or cause obstruction. These symptoms usually occur during the first years of life, but may not appear until adulthood. Bleeding, even when severe, causes no pain. An infection or blockage itself can cause abdominal pain and discomfort from mild to severe. Read the rest of this entry »
New Diagnostic Imaging Technology Improves Bowel Disease
Mayo Clinic study examined capsule endoscopy and other forms hopeful
Patients with bowel disorders such as gastrointestinal bleeding, tumors, Crohn’s disease or celiac disease, can now take advantage of the great technological progress that allows doctors to better diagnose and treat these conditions.
Those are the findings of Mayo Clinic in Arizona who examined the latest diagnostic modalities such as capsule endoscopy, enteroscopy with one or two balloons and spiral enteroscopy. The above devices have facilitated the visualization and inspection of the small intestine.
“In many cases, this technology eliminates the need for invasive surgical procedures,” says Dr. Jonathan Leighton, chairman of the Division of Gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and author of an article published in the Journal of Gastroenterology, American Journal of Gastroenterology. “The physical constraints of the prior art which did not help either gastroenterologists to examine the small intestine for signs of bleeding, tumors, inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease have virtually disappeared,” he adds. Read the rest of this entry »