Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bites of infected sand flies. It is found in nearly 88 countries, from rainforests in Central and South America to deserts in the Middle East and west Asia. Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that can infect both men and women. Caused by the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium, gonorrhea can cause infections in the genitals, rectum, and throat. Although treatable, drug-resistant forms of gonorrhea are increasing.
Amenorrhea is a medical term for when a woman does not have menstrual periods. Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes of airway narrowing and obstruction, causing wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Mayo Clinic’s departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery are highly rated for their patient outcomes and research achievements.
In many cases, terms such as disease, disorder, morbidity, sickness, and illness are used interchangeably; however, there are situations when specific terms are considered preferable. MedTerms medical dictionary is the medical terminology for MedicineNet.com. Our doctors define difficult medical language in easy-to-understand explanations of over 19,000 medical terms. MedTerms online medical dictionary provides quick access to hard-to-spell and often misspelled medical definitions through an extensive alphabetical listing. Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is a disease that affects humans and other mammals.
A person who responds to a dreaded disease, such as cancer, in a culturally acceptable fashion may be publicly and privately honored with higher social status. In return for these benefits, the sick person is obligated to seek treatment and work to become well once more. As a comparison, consider pregnancy, which is not interpreted as a disease or sickness, even if the mother and baby may both benefit from medical care. Find doctor-approved information about symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common diseases and conditions From asthma to ulcers, this section is loaded with articles about diseases and conditions that can affect teens. Look here for health information and resources for yourself or someone you care about.
Brain tumor, breast cancer, colon cancer, congenital heart disease, heart arrhythmia. Lepers were people who were historically shunned because they had an infectious disease, and the term “leper” still evokes social stigma. Fear of disease can still be a widespread social phenomenon, though not all diseases evoke extreme social stigma. The identification of a condition as a disease, rather than as simply a variation of human structure or function, can have significant social or economic implications.
For example, one whose life would be endangered by fasting on Yom Kippur or during Ramadan is exempted from the requirement, or even forbidden from participating. For example, ill health is the only socially acceptable reason for an American to refuse an invitation to the White House. When a disease is caused by a pathogenic organism (e.g., when malaria is caused by Plasmodium), one should not confuse the pathogen with the disease itself.
Only some diseases such as influenza are contagious and commonly believed infectious. The microorganisms that cause these diseases are known as pathogens and include varieties of bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. Infectious diseases can be transmitted, e.g. by hand-to-mouth contact with infectious material on surfaces, by bites of insects or other carriers of the disease, and from contaminated water or food, etc. In some cases, microorganisms that are not readily spread from person to person play a role, while other diseases can be prevented or ameliorated with appropriate nutrition or other lifestyle changes. Noncommunicable diseases that arise from inherited genetic abnormalities often leave an individual ill-equipped to survive without some form of treatment. Examples of inherited diseases include cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, and inborn errors of metabolism, which are present at birth.
Find Oregon injury and fatality data, which is used to identify prevention strategies, plan interventions and evaluate outcomes. Humans, other animals, and plants are all susceptible to diseases of some sort. However, that which disrupts the normal functioning of one type of organism may have no effect on the other types. Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.
The misuse of basic definitions in epidemiology is frequent in scientific publications. Classical classification of human disease derives from the observational correlation between pathological analysis and clinical syndromes. Today it is preferred to classify them by their cause if it is known.
