Itchy skin, or pruritus, can occur with a wide variety of medical conditions and can be very distressing. Liver diseases with bile obstruction commonly have itching as a symptom, but the reason for itching is not clearly understood.
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Inflammation is one of your body’s primary defenses against trauma or foreign invasion. Swelling, redness and other signs of inflammation represent part of an automatic reaction to a wide variety of insults, ranging from a minor scratch to a life-threatening infection.
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Birth control pills come in multiple forms consisting of different mixtures of reproductive hormones. Although birth control pills are widely used and effective, like all medications there are risks and benefits associated with their use.
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Lipomas are fatty lumps that usually appear just beneath your skin. Several different medical conditions have been linked to the development of these common tumors, without any specific cause identified as of July 2011.
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Sodium is one of the major electrolytes, carefully maintained within a narrow normal range and necessary for proper functioning of your body’s systems. Low sodium levels, or hyponatremia, occur in a wide variety of medical disorders including cancer.
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Zinc is a mineral essential to your good health. It is required for the normal function of nearly 100 different enzymes, healthy immune function, and normal growth and development. ZInc is also needed for cellular manufacture of proteins and genetic material, wound healing and the perception of taste and smell.
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The male breast is composed of a mixture of tissue types, any of which may give rise to a mass or swelling. Cancerous breast tumors in men are rare but do occur. Men can also develop noncancerous breast disorders, causing breast lumps.
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Lipitor -- generically called atorvastatin calcium -- is a medication in the class of drugs called statins widely used in the United States for the treatment of high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
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Your kidneys continuously filter your blood, excreting waste products while holding back proteins and other important molecules. Healthy kidneys normally allow almost no protein to be lost in the urine.
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You can sprain your big toe while playing sports, dancing or simply stubbing it. Known as “turf toe” among professional athletes who play on artificial turf, such a sprain can occur on all types of surfaces and in a wide variety of situations.
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Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme necessary for normal phosphate metabolism found in several different tissues in your body. Circulating blood levels of the enzyme change with age as well as a variety of medical conditions.
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Recognizing that you’re anemic can be challenging. Symptoms are often subtle or vary with the underlying cause. At the same time, your body is capable of adjusting amazingly well to slowly developing anemia to further mask its signs.
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Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal blood clotting and bone strength. It is unlikely that you would become deficient in vitamin K because, in addition to dietary sources, bacteria in your colon produce the vitamin. Fruit, green vegetables and vegetable oils are good sources of vitamin K.
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Potassium is one of the major electrolytes that your body carefully controls for proper heart and neuromuscular activity. A high potassium blood level, or hyperkalemia, is seen in a variety of medical conditions, including cancer and cancer treatment.
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