Health Care

What is this condition? Pulmonary hypertension occurs when pulmonary artery pressure rises above normal, but is not caused by aging or altitude. Primary (idiopathic) pulmonary hypertension is rare, occurring most often in women between ages 20 and 40; pregnant women have the highest mortality. Secondary pulmonary hypertension is caused by existing cardiac or pulmonary disease. The prognosis depends on the severity of the underlying disorder. What causes it? Pulmonary hypertension Casues include altered immune mechanisms. Secondary pulmonary hypertension is caused by oxygen deprivation from an underlying disease. What are its symptoms? Most people complain of increasing shortness of breath on exertion, weakness, dizziness, and fatigue. Many also show signs of right-sided heart failure, including peripheral edema, ascites, neck vein distention, and liver enlargement. Other clinical effects vary according to the underlying disorder. How is it diagnosed? Diagnostic tests f

Introduction The chief characteristic of anorexia nervosa is a refusal to maintain a minimally normal weight for age and height. Refusal to eat is the hallmark of the disease, regardless of whether other practices, such as binge-purge cycles, occur. Although specific causes of anorexia have not been identified, a combination of biological, social, and psychological factors contribute to the disorder. Support for an organic influence has centered on the hypothalamus (the portion of the brain reputed to house the appetite center) and the pituitary gland (the master gland of the body). Sociocultural theories focus on the compulsion of adolescent girls to become and remain lean. This exaggerated goal manifests itself at a time when girls are naturally depositing fat. Warning signs of Anorexioa Disorder Warning signs of Anorexia includes weight loss, amenorrhea (absence of a menstrual period), and a variety of psychological disorders culminating in an obsessive preoccupation with the

Vomiting in infants and children is very common since it may be associated with numerous conditions. Among the most frequent causes are allergy, car sickness, infections, cutting of teeth, gastrointestinal infections or upsets, pylorospasm, pyloric stenoses, poisons, intussusception and other intestinal obstructions, psychogenic causes, pressure on the brain, and lack of normal amount of sugar in the blood. Vomiting is not to be confused with regurgitation, which is simply the spitting up of food after eating. This is usually caused by a bubble of air in the stomach. As a rule it is of no significance. It is very common in the newborn and young infant. Regurgitation of this type usually subsides and disappears before a child is six months of age. In a few instances it may continue as long as a year. The time-honored method of preventing regurgitation due to air-swallowing is “burping the baby” - holding the infant upright over the shoulder and patting him gently on the back until

Antithyroid Drugs In young people with diffuse goiter of moderate size, there is much in favor of a long-term trial of antithyroid drug therapy. If successful, normal health and normal thyroid function may be restored. About 50 per cent may expect a long-lasting remission. If the response is satisfactory the treatment should be adequate and long enough, from one to two years or longer. A favorable response may be indicated in most instances by reduced pulse rate, increase in weight, and return of well­being feelings. Treatment should be stopped in those patients who experience adverse reactions to antithyroid drugs, such as skin wheals, (urticaria), loss of head hair (alopecia), or marked drop in the white blood cell count (agranulocytosis). Blood counts should be performed regularly at monthly intervals and a drop to less than 50 per cent of the initial white blood cell count should serve as a warning. Only a few patients are adversely sensitive to propylthiouracil or methima

The only direct means to measure the fat content of the human body is by chemical analysis of cadavers. The information obtained from cadaver studies has been used to develop indirect methods for estimating fat content. Because these estimates are indirect, they contain some degree of measurement error and should be interpreted accordingly. These indirect methods are commonly used in exercise physiology laboratories and fitness and wellness centers. Methods For Measuring Body-Weight Status Height/Weight Tables Optimal body weight is not necessarily reflective of optimal body composition. This was illustrated by a comparison of young and middle-aged men who were within 5% of their ideal weight as determined by height, weight, and frame-size charts. Although both groups were within the ideal range, the middle­aged subjects had twice the amount of fat as the young subjects. Height/weight tables and scales are not indicators of body composition, nor are they reliable reference point

Hydrostatic Weighing Hydrostatic weighing, one of the most accurate of the measurement techniques, involves weighing subjects while they are completely submerged in water. Subjects may contribute to optimcal accuracy if they can exhale the maximum amount of air possible from the lungs and can sit still for 6 to 10 seconds while completely submerged. Accuracy is further enhanced if the technician has the equip ­ ment to measure residual air (the amount of air remaining in the lungs after a maximum exhalation). The equipment required for hydrostatic weighing includes an autopsy scale with a capacity of approximately 8 kg. The scale is suspended over a tank of water that is at least 3 feet deep. The subject sits suspended chin-deep, exhales completely, and bends forward from the waist until entirely submerged. This position is maintained for 6 to 10 seconds to allow the scale to stabilize. From 5 to 10 trials are required, and the underwater weight is attained by averaging the three

Body composition can be divided into two compartments: fat mass and fat-free mass. Body composition is the ratio of fat to fat-free mass. Fat-free weight includes all tissues-muscle, bone, blood, organs, fluids-exclusive of fat. Fat, which composes the other compartment, is found in the organs (for example, brain, heart, liver, lungs) and adipose cells. A dipose cells are fat cells that are located subcutaneously (beneath the skin) and surrounding various body organs. They are an insulator against heat loss and a protection for the internal organs against trauma. The majority of body fat is found in adipose cells where it acts as a vast storage depot for energy. A certain amount of fat is required for normal biological functions. This is referred to as essential fat. Essential fat is located in the bone marrow, organs, muscles, and intestines; it is a component of cell ­membrane structure, as well as brain and heart tissue. The amount of essential fat in the male and female bodies dif