The urinary tract is the body's filtering system for removal of liquid wastes.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract.
The kidneys can also be infected which can be a more serious problem. Kidney infections usually require an antibiotic for a longer period of time and are sometimes treated in the hospital.
Because of a shorter urinary tract, women are especially susceptible to bacteria than men. The bacteria may invade the urinary tract easily and multiply, as the bacteria have shorter distance to travel. Although most UTIs are not serious, they can be a painful nuisance. Many women may have several infections throughout their lifetime. Fortunately, these infections are easily treated with antibiotics. Some women are more prone to recurrent UTIs than others and for them it can be a frustrating battle.
Treatment and Prevention Of Recurrent UTI
What Causes Urinary Tract Infections?
The most common cause of UTIs are bacteria from the bowel that live on the skin near the rectum or in the vagina, which can spread and enter the urinary tract through the urethra. Once these bacteria enter the urethra, they travel upward, causing infection in the urinary tract.
The female anatomy can make women more prone to urinary tract infections in sexual intercourse. During sexual activity, bacteria in the vaginal area are sometimes massaged into the urethra.
Another cause of bladder infections or UTI is WAITING TOO LONG TO URINATE. The bladder is a muscle that stretches to hold urine and contracts when the urine is released. Waiting too long past the time you first feel the need to urinate can cause the bladder to stretch beyond its capacity. Over time, this can weaken the bladder muscle. When the bladder is weakened, it may not empty completely and some urine is left in the bladder. This may increase the risk of urinary tract infections or bladder infections as the urine becomes NUTRIENT essential for the growth of the bacteria.
Other factors that also may increase a woman's risk of developing UTI include pregnancy, having urinary tract infections or bladder infections as a child, menopause, or diabetes.
What Are the Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections?
Symptoms of UTI or bladder infection are not easy to miss and include a strong urge to urinate that cannot be delayed, which is followed by a sharp pain or burning sensation in the urethra when the urine is released. Most often very little urine is released and the urine that is released may be tinged with blood. The urge to urinate recurs quickly and soreness may occur in the lower abdomen, back, or sides.
This cycle may repeat itself frequently during the day or night--most people urinate about six times a day, when the need to urinate occurs more often a bladder infection should be suspected.
When bacteria enter the ureters and spread to the kidneys, symptoms such as back pain, chills, fever, nausea, and vomiting may occur, as well as the previous symptoms of lower urinary tract infection.
Important Facts to note.
* Urinary tract infections are much more common in adults than in children, but about 1%-2% of children do get urinary tract infections. Urinary tract infections in children are more likely to be serious than those in adults and should not be ignored.
* Urinary tract infection is the most common urinary tract problem in children besides bedwetting.
* Urinary tract infection is second only to respiratory infection as the most common type of infection.
* These infections are much more common in girls and women than in boys and men younger than 50 years of age. The reason for this is not well understood, but anatomic differences between the genders (a shorter urethra in women) might be partially responsible.
* About 40% of women and 12% of men have a urinary tract infection at some time in their life.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Food Supplements
Food supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet. They are marketed 'in dose' form i.e. as pills, tablets, capsules, liquids in measured doses etc.
There are several main groups of food supplements which can be considered:
* Vitamins and co-vitamins
* Essential minerals
* Essential fatty acids
* Essential amino acids
* Glyconutrients
* Phytonutrients
Several ranges of food supplements are known:
* additives which repair a deficit to "normal" levels
* additives which appear to enhance a food
* supplements taken in addition to the normal diet
Many physicians today disagree with the premise that foodstuffs need supplementation, but accept that - for example - added calcium may provide benefit, or that adding folic acid may correct a nutritional deficiency especially in pregnant women.
Foods and food supplements can be used to achieve a defined health goal. A common example of this use of food supplements is the extent to which body builders will use amino acid mixtures, vitamins and phytochemicals to enhance natural hormone production, increase muscle and reduce fat.
There are several main groups of food supplements which can be considered:
* Vitamins and co-vitamins
* Essential minerals
* Essential fatty acids
* Essential amino acids
* Glyconutrients
* Phytonutrients
Several ranges of food supplements are known:
* additives which repair a deficit to "normal" levels
* additives which appear to enhance a food
* supplements taken in addition to the normal diet
Many physicians today disagree with the premise that foodstuffs need supplementation, but accept that - for example - added calcium may provide benefit, or that adding folic acid may correct a nutritional deficiency especially in pregnant women.
Foods and food supplements can be used to achieve a defined health goal. A common example of this use of food supplements is the extent to which body builders will use amino acid mixtures, vitamins and phytochemicals to enhance natural hormone production, increase muscle and reduce fat.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
How to handle obesity.
OBESITY
This is an unhealthy medical condition where an individual has excessive accumulated body fat. To know if one is really overweight or obese, measuring body mass index (BMI) is necessary.
BMI is the ratio of the a person’s weight in kilogram to that person’s height in meters squared (kg/m2). If the person, for instance, weighs 84kg with a height of 1.82 meters, his BMI is 84/1.822 = 25.36. Adult BMI ranges are shown below:
· Acceptable range 18.5 – 24.9
· Overweight 25.0 – 29.9
· Obese 30.0 – 39.9
· Morbidly obese greater than or equal to 40.
Obesity can be classified as
1. Hyperplastic: The increase I body fat as a consequence of increase in the number of fat cells.
2. Hypertrophic: Body fat increase due to enlargement of fat cells with little change in the number of fat cells.
It can also be classified as follows:
a. According to body fat: central, peripheral
b. According to the age of onset: early childhood, gestational, middle-aged, etc.
c. According to its pathogenetic mechanism: regulatory, metabolic.
d. According to its cause: genetic, hypothalamic, physical inactivity, dietary, endocrine disorders.
Risk Factors
· Imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.
· Leptin, produced in men by adipose tissues and in women by the placenta, has been found to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure by interacting with hypothalamus receptors. Obesity is associated with high serum leptin concentrations which suggests that it is leptin resistance, rather than deficiency, that causes obesity.
· Heredity
· Psychological factors, like anxiety or depression especially in women, cause people to over eat.
· Endocrine and metabolic factors
· Age: Although it can occur at any age, obesity is common in middle-age life.
· Occupation: cooks, barmen, directors of companies and all those whose jobs are mainly sedentary are easily predisposed to obesity.
· Hormonal changes: in pregnancy, during puberty and menopause
· Brain damage i.e. of the hypothalamus may cause obesity.
· Drugs like steroids, tricyclic antidepressants, sulphonylureas and other steroidal contraceptive can cause obesity because they are appetite stimulants.
Behavioral changes
· High-fat diets do not easily quench appetite. Fat also induces very little energy expenditure as most of it is stored. Obesity has been shown to be prevalent in those eating foods with high fat.
· Eating snacks without regular food eating pattern reduces the conscious recognition of foods eaten.
· Alcohol encourages weight gain in that it stimulates appetite and loosens restraint.
· Decreased physical activity ultimately leads to obesity o a long term.
Signs and Symptoms
· Evidenced increase in body weight and body fat.
· Increased sweating
· Metabolic disorders like insulin resistance resulting to mild diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance and hyperglycemia.
· Increased sleeping tendencies
· Cardiovascular problems which includes hypertension and increase in cardiac output.
· Orthopaedic problems which includes osteoarthritis, low back pain and flat heel.
· Abdominal and diaphragmatic hernia, varicose vein, and mild to moderate oedema of the feet and ankles.
Treatment
The best way of treatment is to reduce calorie intake or increase energy expenditure or do both. This treatment mode may be difficult in less motivated patients. Dieting is necessary. Prescribed weight-reducing diet must contain adequate nutrients including minerals and vitamins. Alcohol and sugar containing drinks should be, if possibly, avoided.
The consumption of appetite-suppressant drugs like amphetamine may be beneficial to some , not all, patients though long term use can be addictive.
This is an unhealthy medical condition where an individual has excessive accumulated body fat. To know if one is really overweight or obese, measuring body mass index (BMI) is necessary.
BMI is the ratio of the a person’s weight in kilogram to that person’s height in meters squared (kg/m2). If the person, for instance, weighs 84kg with a height of 1.82 meters, his BMI is 84/1.822 = 25.36. Adult BMI ranges are shown below:
· Acceptable range 18.5 – 24.9
· Overweight 25.0 – 29.9
· Obese 30.0 – 39.9
· Morbidly obese greater than or equal to 40.
Obesity can be classified as
1. Hyperplastic: The increase I body fat as a consequence of increase in the number of fat cells.
2. Hypertrophic: Body fat increase due to enlargement of fat cells with little change in the number of fat cells.
It can also be classified as follows:
a. According to body fat: central, peripheral
b. According to the age of onset: early childhood, gestational, middle-aged, etc.
c. According to its pathogenetic mechanism: regulatory, metabolic.
d. According to its cause: genetic, hypothalamic, physical inactivity, dietary, endocrine disorders.
Risk Factors
· Imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.
· Leptin, produced in men by adipose tissues and in women by the placenta, has been found to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure by interacting with hypothalamus receptors. Obesity is associated with high serum leptin concentrations which suggests that it is leptin resistance, rather than deficiency, that causes obesity.
· Heredity
· Psychological factors, like anxiety or depression especially in women, cause people to over eat.
· Endocrine and metabolic factors
· Age: Although it can occur at any age, obesity is common in middle-age life.
· Occupation: cooks, barmen, directors of companies and all those whose jobs are mainly sedentary are easily predisposed to obesity.
· Hormonal changes: in pregnancy, during puberty and menopause
· Brain damage i.e. of the hypothalamus may cause obesity.
· Drugs like steroids, tricyclic antidepressants, sulphonylureas and other steroidal contraceptive can cause obesity because they are appetite stimulants.
Behavioral changes
· High-fat diets do not easily quench appetite. Fat also induces very little energy expenditure as most of it is stored. Obesity has been shown to be prevalent in those eating foods with high fat.
· Eating snacks without regular food eating pattern reduces the conscious recognition of foods eaten.
· Alcohol encourages weight gain in that it stimulates appetite and loosens restraint.
· Decreased physical activity ultimately leads to obesity o a long term.
Signs and Symptoms
· Evidenced increase in body weight and body fat.
· Increased sweating
· Metabolic disorders like insulin resistance resulting to mild diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance and hyperglycemia.
· Increased sleeping tendencies
· Cardiovascular problems which includes hypertension and increase in cardiac output.
· Orthopaedic problems which includes osteoarthritis, low back pain and flat heel.
· Abdominal and diaphragmatic hernia, varicose vein, and mild to moderate oedema of the feet and ankles.
Treatment
The best way of treatment is to reduce calorie intake or increase energy expenditure or do both. This treatment mode may be difficult in less motivated patients. Dieting is necessary. Prescribed weight-reducing diet must contain adequate nutrients including minerals and vitamins. Alcohol and sugar containing drinks should be, if possibly, avoided.
The consumption of appetite-suppressant drugs like amphetamine may be beneficial to some , not all, patients though long term use can be addictive.
OBESITY
This is an unhealthy medical condition where an individual has excessive accumulated body fat. To know if one is really overweight or obese, measuring body mass index (BMI) is necessary.
BMI is the ratio of the a person’s weight in kilogram to that person’s height in meters squared (kg/m2). If the person, for instance, weighs 84kg with a height of 1.82 meters, his BMI is 84/1.822 = 25.36. Adult BMI ranges are shown below:
· Acceptable range 18.5 – 24.9
· Overweight 25.0 – 29.9
· Obese 30.0 – 39.9
· Morbidly obese greater than or equal to 40.
Obesity can be classified as
1. Hyperplastic: The increase I body fat as a consequence of increase in the number of fat cells.
2. Hypertrophic: Body fat increase due to enlargement of fat cells with little change in the number of fat cells.
It can also be classified as follows:
a. According to body fat: central, peripheral
b. According to the age of onset: early childhood, gestational, middle-aged, etc.
c. According to its pathogenetic mechanism: regulatory, metabolic.
d. According to its cause: genetic, hypothalamic, physical inactivity, dietary, endocrine disorders.
Risk Factors
· Imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.
· Leptin, produced in men by adipose tissues and in women by the placenta, has been found to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure by interacting with hypothalamus receptors. Obesity is associated with high serum leptin concentrations which suggests that it is leptin resistance, rather than deficiency, that causes obesity.
· Heredity
· Psychological factors, like anxiety or depression especially in women, cause people to over eat.
· Endocrine and metabolic factors
· Age: Although it can occur at any age, obesity is common in middle-age life.
· Occupation: cooks, barmen, directors of companies and all those whose jobs are mainly sedentary are easily predisposed to obesity.
· Hormonal changes: in pregnancy, during puberty and menopause
· Brain damage i.e. of the hypothalamus may cause obesity.
· Drugs like steroids, tricyclic antidepressants, sulphonylureas and other steroidal contraceptive can cause obesity because they are appetite stimulants.
Behavioral changes
· High-fat diets do not easily quench appetite. Fat also induces very little energy expenditure as most of it is stored. Obesity has been shown to be prevalent in those eating foods with high fat.
· Eating snacks without regular food eating pattern reduces the conscious recognition of foods eaten.
· Alcohol encourages weight gain in that it stimulates appetite and loosens restraint.
· Decreased physical activity ultimately leads to obesity o a long term.
Signs and Symptoms
· Evidenced increase in body weight and body fat.
· Increased sweating
· Metabolic disorders like insulin resistance resulting to mild diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance and hyperglycemia.
· Increased sleeping tendencies
· Cardiovascular problems which includes hypertension and increase in cardiac output.
· Orthopaedic problems which includes osteoarthritis, low back pain and flat heel.
· Abdominal and diaphragmatic hernia, varicose vein, and mild to moderate oedema of the feet and ankles.
Treatment
The best way of treatment is to reduce calorie intake or increase energy expenditure or do both. This treatment mode may be difficult in less motivated patients. Dieting is necessary. Prescribed weight-reducing diet must contain adequate nutrients including minerals and vitamins. Alcohol and sugar containing drinks should be, if possibly, avoided.
The consumption of appetite-suppressant drugs like amphetamine may be beneficial to some , not all, patients though long term use can be addictive.
This is an unhealthy medical condition where an individual has excessive accumulated body fat. To know if one is really overweight or obese, measuring body mass index (BMI) is necessary.
BMI is the ratio of the a person’s weight in kilogram to that person’s height in meters squared (kg/m2). If the person, for instance, weighs 84kg with a height of 1.82 meters, his BMI is 84/1.822 = 25.36. Adult BMI ranges are shown below:
· Acceptable range 18.5 – 24.9
· Overweight 25.0 – 29.9
· Obese 30.0 – 39.9
· Morbidly obese greater than or equal to 40.
Obesity can be classified as
1. Hyperplastic: The increase I body fat as a consequence of increase in the number of fat cells.
2. Hypertrophic: Body fat increase due to enlargement of fat cells with little change in the number of fat cells.
It can also be classified as follows:
a. According to body fat: central, peripheral
b. According to the age of onset: early childhood, gestational, middle-aged, etc.
c. According to its pathogenetic mechanism: regulatory, metabolic.
d. According to its cause: genetic, hypothalamic, physical inactivity, dietary, endocrine disorders.
Risk Factors
· Imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.
· Leptin, produced in men by adipose tissues and in women by the placenta, has been found to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure by interacting with hypothalamus receptors. Obesity is associated with high serum leptin concentrations which suggests that it is leptin resistance, rather than deficiency, that causes obesity.
· Heredity
· Psychological factors, like anxiety or depression especially in women, cause people to over eat.
· Endocrine and metabolic factors
· Age: Although it can occur at any age, obesity is common in middle-age life.
· Occupation: cooks, barmen, directors of companies and all those whose jobs are mainly sedentary are easily predisposed to obesity.
· Hormonal changes: in pregnancy, during puberty and menopause
· Brain damage i.e. of the hypothalamus may cause obesity.
· Drugs like steroids, tricyclic antidepressants, sulphonylureas and other steroidal contraceptive can cause obesity because they are appetite stimulants.
Behavioral changes
· High-fat diets do not easily quench appetite. Fat also induces very little energy expenditure as most of it is stored. Obesity has been shown to be prevalent in those eating foods with high fat.
· Eating snacks without regular food eating pattern reduces the conscious recognition of foods eaten.
· Alcohol encourages weight gain in that it stimulates appetite and loosens restraint.
· Decreased physical activity ultimately leads to obesity o a long term.
Signs and Symptoms
· Evidenced increase in body weight and body fat.
· Increased sweating
· Metabolic disorders like insulin resistance resulting to mild diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance and hyperglycemia.
· Increased sleeping tendencies
· Cardiovascular problems which includes hypertension and increase in cardiac output.
· Orthopaedic problems which includes osteoarthritis, low back pain and flat heel.
· Abdominal and diaphragmatic hernia, varicose vein, and mild to moderate oedema of the feet and ankles.
Treatment
The best way of treatment is to reduce calorie intake or increase energy expenditure or do both. This treatment mode may be difficult in less motivated patients. Dieting is necessary. Prescribed weight-reducing diet must contain adequate nutrients including minerals and vitamins. Alcohol and sugar containing drinks should be, if possibly, avoided.
The consumption of appetite-suppressant drugs like amphetamine may be beneficial to some , not all, patients though long term use can be addictive.
You can manage Diabetes.
DIABETES
When the blood sugar level is higher or lower than normal, it poses a great risk to health. Diabetes is a clinical condition characterized by high sugar (above 120mg/dl) in the blood. There are basically two types of diabetes viz Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus.
Diabetes Mellitus
This disease is caused by absolute or relative deficiency in insulin and/or its effectiveness. This condition is associated with abnormal increase in blood sugar level. The exact cause is not known but has been suspected to relate to genetic and environmental factors.
Types
· Type I also called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). The patients lack insulin and therefore can not use up sugar in the blood. Further accumulation of sugar (especially from carbohydrates) results in type I diabetes mellitus.
· Type II also called Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM). This is common in patients suffering with obesity. They have high insulin levels but are insulin resistant. Loss of weight may return blood-sugar level to normal.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea: too much urine
Polydipsea: too much thirst
Polyphegia: increased appetite
Weight loss (typical with IDDM)
Longer than necessary time for ulcer to heal
Dehydration
Possible coma.
Diagnoses
1. Urine: Glycosuria (blood sugar greater than 180mg/dl present in urine) patient is suffering with obesity.
2. Blood: Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed if :
-- random blood sugar exceeds 250mg/dl
-- fasting blood sugar is greater than or equal to 120mg/dl.
Treatment
1. Diet: Dietary treatment is designed o provide the patient’s need of calorie and correct weight of obese patient.
2. Exercise: The body takes up more sugar from the blood during exercise thereby reducing blood-sugar level.
3. Education: Knowledge is power. Getting further information on how to handle diabetes mellitus will be helpful.
4. Drugs: Basically, insulin is orally ministered.
Diabetes Insipidus
This is as a result of lack of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) or lack of kidney response to ADH. They, therefore, can be classified as ADH-sensitive diabetes insipidus and ADH-resistant diabetes insipidus respectively.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea
Polydipsia
Dehydration.
Diagnoses
Urine: In diabetes insipidus, urine is dilute and of low specific gravity.
Treatment
Patients are mainly treated by hormone replacement therapy.
When the blood sugar level is higher or lower than normal, it poses a great risk to health. Diabetes is a clinical condition characterized by high sugar (above 120mg/dl) in the blood. There are basically two types of diabetes viz Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus.
Diabetes Mellitus
This disease is caused by absolute or relative deficiency in insulin and/or its effectiveness. This condition is associated with abnormal increase in blood sugar level. The exact cause is not known but has been suspected to relate to genetic and environmental factors.
Types
· Type I also called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). The patients lack insulin and therefore can not use up sugar in the blood. Further accumulation of sugar (especially from carbohydrates) results in type I diabetes mellitus.
· Type II also called Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM). This is common in patients suffering with obesity. They have high insulin levels but are insulin resistant. Loss of weight may return blood-sugar level to normal.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea: too much urine
Polydipsea: too much thirst
Polyphegia: increased appetite
Weight loss (typical with IDDM)
Longer than necessary time for ulcer to heal
Dehydration
Possible coma.
Diagnoses
1. Urine: Glycosuria (blood sugar greater than 180mg/dl present in urine) patient is suffering with obesity.
2. Blood: Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed if :
-- random blood sugar exceeds 250mg/dl
-- fasting blood sugar is greater than or equal to 120mg/dl.
Treatment
1. Diet: Dietary treatment is designed o provide the patient’s need of calorie and correct weight of obese patient.
2. Exercise: The body takes up more sugar from the blood during exercise thereby reducing blood-sugar level.
3. Education: Knowledge is power. Getting further information on how to handle diabetes mellitus will be helpful.
4. Drugs: Basically, insulin is orally ministered.
Diabetes Insipidus
This is as a result of lack of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) or lack of kidney response to ADH. They, therefore, can be classified as ADH-sensitive diabetes insipidus and ADH-resistant diabetes insipidus respectively.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea
Polydipsia
Dehydration.
Diagnoses
Urine: In diabetes insipidus, urine is dilute and of low specific gravity.
Treatment
Patients are mainly treated by hormone replacement therapy.
DIABETES
When the blood sugar level is higher or lower than normal, it poses a great risk to health. Diabetes is a clinical condition characterized by high sugar (above 120mg/dl) in the blood. There are basically two types of diabetes viz Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus.
Diabetes Mellitus
This disease is caused by absolute or relative deficiency in insulin and/or its effectiveness. This condition is associated with abnormal increase in blood sugar level. The exact cause is not known but has been suspected to relate to genetic and environmental factors.
Types
· Type I also called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). The patients lack insulin and therefore can not use up sugar in the blood. Further accumulation of sugar (especially from carbohydrates) results in type I diabetes mellitus.
· Type II also called Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM). This is common in patients suffering with obesity. They have high insulin levels but are insulin resistant. Loss of weight may return blood-sugar level to normal.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea: too much urine
Polydipsea: too much thirst
Polyphegia: increased appetite
Weight loss (typical with IDDM)
Longer than necessary time for ulcer to heal
Dehydration
Possible coma.
Diagnoses
1. Urine: Glycosuria (blood sugar greater than 180mg/dl present in urine) patient is suffering with obesity.
2. Blood: Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed if :
-- random blood sugar exceeds 250mg/dl
-- fasting blood sugar is greater than or equal to 120mg/dl.
Treatment
1. Diet: Dietary treatment is designed o provide the patient’s need of calorie and correct weight of obese patient.
2. Exercise: The body takes up more sugar from the blood during exercise thereby reducing blood-sugar level.
3. Education: Knowledge is power. Getting further information on how to handle diabetes mellitus will be helpful.
4. Drugs: Basically, insulin is orally ministered.
Diabetes Insipidus
This is as a result of lack of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) or lack of kidney response to ADH. They, therefore, can be classified as ADH-sensitive diabetes insipidus and ADH-resistant diabetes insipidus respectively.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea
Polydipsia
Dehydration.
Diagnoses
Urine: In diabetes insipidus, urine is dilute and of low specific gravity.
Treatment
Patients are mainly treated by hormone replacement therapy.
When the blood sugar level is higher or lower than normal, it poses a great risk to health. Diabetes is a clinical condition characterized by high sugar (above 120mg/dl) in the blood. There are basically two types of diabetes viz Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus.
Diabetes Mellitus
This disease is caused by absolute or relative deficiency in insulin and/or its effectiveness. This condition is associated with abnormal increase in blood sugar level. The exact cause is not known but has been suspected to relate to genetic and environmental factors.
Types
· Type I also called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). The patients lack insulin and therefore can not use up sugar in the blood. Further accumulation of sugar (especially from carbohydrates) results in type I diabetes mellitus.
· Type II also called Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM). This is common in patients suffering with obesity. They have high insulin levels but are insulin resistant. Loss of weight may return blood-sugar level to normal.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea: too much urine
Polydipsea: too much thirst
Polyphegia: increased appetite
Weight loss (typical with IDDM)
Longer than necessary time for ulcer to heal
Dehydration
Possible coma.
Diagnoses
1. Urine: Glycosuria (blood sugar greater than 180mg/dl present in urine) patient is suffering with obesity.
2. Blood: Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed if :
-- random blood sugar exceeds 250mg/dl
-- fasting blood sugar is greater than or equal to 120mg/dl.
Treatment
1. Diet: Dietary treatment is designed o provide the patient’s need of calorie and correct weight of obese patient.
2. Exercise: The body takes up more sugar from the blood during exercise thereby reducing blood-sugar level.
3. Education: Knowledge is power. Getting further information on how to handle diabetes mellitus will be helpful.
4. Drugs: Basically, insulin is orally ministered.
Diabetes Insipidus
This is as a result of lack of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) or lack of kidney response to ADH. They, therefore, can be classified as ADH-sensitive diabetes insipidus and ADH-resistant diabetes insipidus respectively.
Signs and Symptoms
Polyurea
Polydipsia
Dehydration.
Diagnoses
Urine: In diabetes insipidus, urine is dilute and of low specific gravity.
Treatment
Patients are mainly treated by hormone replacement therapy.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Health Issues.
COMMON HEALTH CHALLENGES.
Health, according to W.H.O., is not just the absence of disease but a complete state of physical and spiritual well-being.
Hypertension, like diabetes and obessity are the most common non-communicable diseases around.
Hypertension
It is regarded normally as a silent killer. Early diagnosis and good cure averts death. Hypertension is an increase in the pressure with which blood flow through the veins and arteries. This increase in pressure is as a result of the force generated by the contraction of the cardiac muscles. Increased pressure could be as a result of fatty deposits on the walls of the capillaries, reducing space for blood flow.
Blood Pressure (BP) differ with age, racial background and profession. For children under 12 years, the normal BP is 120/80 mmHg; adults: less than 40 years, 130/85 mmHg; less than 50 years, 140/90 mmHg and above 60 years, 160/90 mmHg (systolic BP is the figure above and it is the pressure conferred on the blood during the contraction of the cardiac muscles and the capillaries. The figure below is the diastolic BP and it is the pressure on the blood when the cardiac muscles and capillaries relax).
Generally, blacks have a lower BP than whites. Athletes have far more lower BP than non-athletes. The normal BP for athletes is 90/60 mmHg.
Types
There are basically two types viz: Primary or Essential Hypertension and Secondary Hypertension.
Primary hypertension accounts for about 90% of hypertensive cases. It has no discernable cause, its origin is unknown and it's familial most of the times.
Risk Factors or Primary Hypertension
1. Heredity
2. Race: Blacks are more susceptible to hypertension.
3. Age: Women past the age of menopause are more prone to hypertension because they no longer secrete oestrogen. Men of older age are faced with societal and economic pressure which risk them to hypertension.
4. Sex: Males are more exposed to hypertension because they do not secrete oestrogen.
5. Obessity.
6. Lifestyle: Too much alcohol intake, smoking, high salt intake. cholesterol and triglyceride diet intake.
Secondary hypertension has medical background as it is as a result of an underlined medicalcondition or consequence of a specific disease leading to sodium ion retention and subsequent potassium ion excretion.
Risk Factors of Secondary Hypertension
1. Kidney dysfunction
2. Endocrine diseases
3. Diabetes
4.Narrowing of the aorta (coarctation)
5. Uterine fibroid
6. Use of oral contraceptives, anabolic steroids and alcohol.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
The most common sign is an increase in the normal BP except in complications. There are no symptoms but patients could report or be diagnosed of oedeme, cough, easy fatigue, blurred vision, repeated cough when lying on the back, tingling sensation at the tips of the fingers and toes (because the nerve endings are supplied with less blood).
Diagnoses
The diagnosis is performed as a routine investigations carried out on all patients viz:
1. Haematocrit
2. Electrolyte, Urea, Creatinine
3. Blood sugar level
4. Cholesterol level
5. Uric acid level
6. Urine analysis
7. Chest x-ray.
Treatment
The aim of treatment is to reduce risk and increase chances of survival. The summary of treatment is D - E - E - D.
*Drug: Treatment of primary hypertension with drugs consists the use of anti-hypertensive drugs and it is a life long procedure. For secondary hypertension, the treatment of the underlying medical cause is the basic drug treatment.
*Exercise: Regular exercise has been proven to improve body fitness and reduce BP. However, treatment by exercise should not wholly replace anti-hypertensive drug treatment.
*Education: Reading more about hypertension expands one's knowledge about the disease and how to handle it.
*Diet: Reducing alcohol consumption and correcting obessity are good treatment measures. Avoid foods
- with high salt content
- with high cholesterol and triglyceride content
- with very high sodium content.
Consumption of diets high in proteins and vitamins is encouraged.
Health, according to W.H.O., is not just the absence of disease but a complete state of physical and spiritual well-being.
Hypertension, like diabetes and obessity are the most common non-communicable diseases around.
Hypertension
It is regarded normally as a silent killer. Early diagnosis and good cure averts death. Hypertension is an increase in the pressure with which blood flow through the veins and arteries. This increase in pressure is as a result of the force generated by the contraction of the cardiac muscles. Increased pressure could be as a result of fatty deposits on the walls of the capillaries, reducing space for blood flow.
Blood Pressure (BP) differ with age, racial background and profession. For children under 12 years, the normal BP is 120/80 mmHg; adults: less than 40 years, 130/85 mmHg; less than 50 years, 140/90 mmHg and above 60 years, 160/90 mmHg (systolic BP is the figure above and it is the pressure conferred on the blood during the contraction of the cardiac muscles and the capillaries. The figure below is the diastolic BP and it is the pressure on the blood when the cardiac muscles and capillaries relax).
Generally, blacks have a lower BP than whites. Athletes have far more lower BP than non-athletes. The normal BP for athletes is 90/60 mmHg.
Types
There are basically two types viz: Primary or Essential Hypertension and Secondary Hypertension.
Primary hypertension accounts for about 90% of hypertensive cases. It has no discernable cause, its origin is unknown and it's familial most of the times.
Risk Factors or Primary Hypertension
1. Heredity
2. Race: Blacks are more susceptible to hypertension.
3. Age: Women past the age of menopause are more prone to hypertension because they no longer secrete oestrogen. Men of older age are faced with societal and economic pressure which risk them to hypertension.
4. Sex: Males are more exposed to hypertension because they do not secrete oestrogen.
5. Obessity.
6. Lifestyle: Too much alcohol intake, smoking, high salt intake. cholesterol and triglyceride diet intake.
Secondary hypertension has medical background as it is as a result of an underlined medicalcondition or consequence of a specific disease leading to sodium ion retention and subsequent potassium ion excretion.
Risk Factors of Secondary Hypertension
1. Kidney dysfunction
2. Endocrine diseases
3. Diabetes
4.Narrowing of the aorta (coarctation)
5. Uterine fibroid
6. Use of oral contraceptives, anabolic steroids and alcohol.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
The most common sign is an increase in the normal BP except in complications. There are no symptoms but patients could report or be diagnosed of oedeme, cough, easy fatigue, blurred vision, repeated cough when lying on the back, tingling sensation at the tips of the fingers and toes (because the nerve endings are supplied with less blood).
Diagnoses
The diagnosis is performed as a routine investigations carried out on all patients viz:
1. Haematocrit
2. Electrolyte, Urea, Creatinine
3. Blood sugar level
4. Cholesterol level
5. Uric acid level
6. Urine analysis
7. Chest x-ray.
Treatment
The aim of treatment is to reduce risk and increase chances of survival. The summary of treatment is D - E - E - D.
*Drug: Treatment of primary hypertension with drugs consists the use of anti-hypertensive drugs and it is a life long procedure. For secondary hypertension, the treatment of the underlying medical cause is the basic drug treatment.
*Exercise: Regular exercise has been proven to improve body fitness and reduce BP. However, treatment by exercise should not wholly replace anti-hypertensive drug treatment.
*Education: Reading more about hypertension expands one's knowledge about the disease and how to handle it.
*Diet: Reducing alcohol consumption and correcting obessity are good treatment measures. Avoid foods
- with high salt content
- with high cholesterol and triglyceride content
- with very high sodium content.
Consumption of diets high in proteins and vitamins is encouraged.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)