Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A block disorders

A Block post your disorders here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Peter, Tiger, Alex

Name: Pneumonia
System is affects: Respiratory System
Symptoms: A bad Cough (and in many cases coughing up mucus), chest pain, diarrhea, fever, headache, chills, shortness of breath, feeling weak and/or tired.

Short Summary:
Pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by ingestion or contact with bacteria. It causes the alveoli in your lungs (the small balloons in your lungs that allow oxygen into the bloodstream) to become congested, and in doing so their function is impaired. “Most infections occur in the autumn or winter”. People with a cold or the flu are more susceptible to getting pneumonia, because their immune systems are weakened. There are many different kinds of pneumonia, ranging from mild to deadly. Annually, 60,000 people in America die of pneumonia. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection, unless it is an antibiotic-resistant strain. The antibiotics kill the bacteria in the lungs, and stop the infection from growing. A quarter of those diagnosed with pneumonia need to be hospitalized. Pneumonia is a serious condition and can have a great effect on the body.

Who it affects:
Pneumonia can affect anybody, but infants and seniors are generally most vulnerable to infection.

Picture:
Bacteria:
http://respiratory-research.com/content/9/1/24/figure/F4?highres=y

X-Ray:
http://student.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=89483&articleTypeId=0

Citations:
http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/Topics/Respiratory_Conditions.htm
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/pneumonia-topic-overview
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pneumonia/ds00135
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/Pneumonia.html

Cezzy and Mary said...

Mary and Cezanne
Ms. Saxe
A Block
Disorder Information

The name of the disease/disorder: Leukemia
The system it affects: Immune System
Symptoms:
Anemia
Fever
Bleeding
Wwelling of lymph nodes
Weakness
Fatigue
Hemorrhages into the skin
Nosebleeds
Gum bleeding

A summary of the disease:
Leukemia refers to white blood cells called (leukocytes) or (WBCs) that are produced in an abnormal amount and interfere with the bone marrow and the bloodstream. This interferes with the body’s normal blood cells and prevents them from fighting off disease. Overtime, the disease can interfere with other types of blood cells as well.
The type of leukemia is determined by how severe the disease is and what type of white blood cells the patient has within their marrow.
Leukemias are acute or chronic and eithermylegenous or lymphocytic. The four types of leukemia are acute myelogenous, acute lymphocytic, chronic myelogenous, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This disease can result in death.

Who it affects:
No one knows the cause of this disease. However, some people are at greater risk of having this disease. People who have been exposed to high levels of radiation, certain drugs, chemicals, or children with Down syndrome are more susceptible. It can affect both children and adults however acute lymphocytic leukemia is more common in children and chronic leukemias appear more frequently in adults.

Treatments:
Treatments vary depending on the type of leukemia. Therefore, it is important to recognize the type of leukemia. The drugs that patients take injure both the healthy bone marrow cells and the leukemia cells. This treatment process is called chemotherapy and the goal is remission, which is there are no more cancer cells within the patient’s body. The drugs are meant to stop the leukemia cells from dividing and therefore mess with the process of mitosis. Some patients receive blood transfusions. In some cases patients may need to receive a bone marrow transplant.

A link to a picture for the disease:
http://search.eb.com/eb/art-56761/Scanning-electron-microscope-of-leukemia-cells-shown-in-comparison-with

Citations for 3 sources for where you got your information:

1."blood disease." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 7 Apr. 2009 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-256873.
2. “leukemia." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 7 Apr. 2009 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9047946.
3. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/cancer_leukemia

Julian and Ivar said...

Asthma affects the immune system and respiratory system

Early symptoms of Asthma:
• Feeling tired
• Itchy throat
• Runny nose
• Headache
• Chest tightness
• Change in the color, amount, or thickness of mucus
Symptoms of Asthma Attack:
• Wheezing
• Chronic Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Tightness in the chest
Symptoms of fatal Asthma attack:
• Trouble focusing or talking
• Trouble catching your breath
• Nasal flaring, which means that your nostril size increases with each breath, a sign that you're working harder to take each breath
• Cyanosis, which is the medical term for a gray or bluish tint to your skin, beginning around the mouth
Overview:
Asthma is a chronic disease which obstructs airflow (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). It is caused by the permanent inflammation of airways, which creates sensitivity to various allergens or irritants. This results in the airways becoming and remaining “twitchy” (Bronchial Hyperactivity).

Affects people:
- With chronic airway inflammation
- With the gene coding for the tendency for asthma
- Living in Dusty/Air polluted environment

Affects: Steve Allen

http://www.aaaai.org/patients/topicofthemonth/1105/images/asthma.jpg

Bib.: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/asthma/page2_em.htm#
http://asthma.about.com/od/signssymptomsofasthma/p/managesymptoms.htm
http://asthma.about.com/od/signssymptomsofasthma/p/managesymptoms.htm

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Michelle Lee and Eliana Kim

Cerebral Palsy

System: Central Nervous System

Symptoms

There are a wide variety of signs and symptoms for cerebral palsy. Some of these include a lack of muscle coordination, overly stiff or floppy muscles, tremors, and difficulty with performing precise motions (e.g. writing).

It is noteworthy that symptoms of cerebral palsy do not change with time, since the brain injury caused by cerebral palsy does not worsen.

A summary of the disease

The literal meaning of cerebral palsy is “brain weakness.” It is a neurological disorder that is caused by abnormalities in the brain that controls muscle movements and coordination. The definition is of cerebral palsy is a muscle disorder that appears in infancy or early childhood that does not worsen with time. It is a disease that affects 2 to 4 children out of 1000 births each year in Europe and United States. There are three types of cerebral palsy: athetoid, axatic, and spastic. Athetoid cerebral palsy affects the ability to control the legs and arms, and axatic cerebral palsy affects balance and muscle coordination. Spastic cerebral palsy, which is the most common type, causes stiff muscles. Causes of cerebral palsy include infection, strokes, and lack of oxygen.

Who it affects

Although most children afflicted with cerebral palsy do not have problems during gestation and birth, a child is more likely to have cerebral palsy if he is born prematurely, born with low birth weight, or born feet-first. Other risk factors include the mother’s health and exposure to toxins (such as mercury) during pregnancy. When more than one baby share the uterus (i.e. multiple babies), the risk of cerebral palsy also increases.

Treatments

There are no cures for cerebral palsy; however, there are treatments that can improve a child’s muscle coordination. Earlier treatment gives children a better chance of enjoying a near-normal adulthood. Possible treatment include physical therapy, speech therapy, drugs that control seizures and relax muscles spasms, surgery, muscle braces, wheelchairs or rolling walkers, and communication aids (voice synthesizers).

A link to a picture for the disease

Samuel: http://www.rochester.edu/news/photos/hi_res/hi243.JPG

Citations for 3 sources for where you got your information.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cerebral-palsy/DS00302 http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_palsy/cerebral_palsy.htm
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_

Steph and Nate said...

Coronary Heart Disease
The system it affects: Circulatory System
Symptoms: Symptoms of this disease include angina pectoralis (chest pain), myocardial infarcation (heart attacks), or ventricular fibrillation (heart failure).
A summary of the disease: Coronary Heart disease occurs when the blood vessels leading to the heart are clogged with “fatty plaques” (Britannica); this condition is also known as atherosclerosis. These plaques can be made from fats, calcium, or even salts. An increase in blood pressure can also indicate atherosclerosis. Blockage in the blood vessels causes a shortage of blood with oxygen flowing to the heart, which can lead to death.
Who it affects:
The disease predominantly effects people in their 60’s, especially men, and people with a history of heart disease in their families. Smokers, the obese, and people who get little exercise are also particularly at risk of this disease.
Treatments:
Treatments include healthier diet, exercise, cessation of smoking, and blood thinners such as aspirin. Surgery is also popular, including bypass surgery, which diverts the blood around the blockage using a vein from a different part of the body, or balloon angioplasty, which entails the use of a small balloon to crack the lining in the artery.
A link to a picture for the disease:
http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9026381
Citations:
“coronary heart disease." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 7 Apr. 2009 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9026381.
William H. Gaasch, Ferdinand J. Venditti, Jr., "Heart disorders", in AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, http://www.accessscience.com, DOI 10.1036/1097-8542.310000
“atherosclerosis." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 7 Apr. 2009 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9010075