Black diarrhea is often the sign of blood in the digestive tract that can have multiple causes depending on where the bleeding is coming from. Locations can range from anywhere from the nose or mouth to the colon, though bleeding lower in the GI tract tends to present as blood in the stool more than as black diarrhea.
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Lifestyle, medical and interventional treatments for coronary artery disease with calcification can relieve symptoms and prolong life.
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Burning pain in the chest and back can be a symptom of a serious medical condition and requires evaluation by a doctor. The chest contains a number of different organs, so pain in the chest and back can be indicative of disorders in several possible organs, including the heart, aorta, lungs and esophagus.
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Although headaches may occur for no obvious reason, they are sometimes a symptom of a health problem. Headaches over just one eye -- either the right or the left -- may be due to an infection in the eye or surrounding area, such as the sinuses.
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The liver has many functions in the body, including filtering the blood, processing food, drugs and toxins, adding proteins to the blood and making bile to help digest food. Cancer can damage liver function, for example, by infiltrating normal liver tissues with cancerous tissues.
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Lithium carbonate is a medication used frequently as a first line treatment for bipolar disorder. It is toxic in high doses. Toxic levels are more likely with kidney or heart disease, dehydration, or use of diuretic drugs or ACE inhibitors, a class of drugs often used for high blood pressure.
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Red blood cells are the most abundant type of blood cell. They carry oxygen through the body from the lungs to the tissues. A low red blood cell count is called anemia. There are several ways to classify anemia. One way is by the size of individual red blood cells.
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According to the Mayo Clinic, asthma is a disease characterized by constricting airways, swelling and mucus production in response to environmental triggers. The National Institutes of Health classifies asthma based on four stages created to help health-care practitioners treat asthma.
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Bilateral leg edema is swelling of the soft tissues of the legs. The condition can be merely a daily nuisance, or signal a serious underlying condition. A physician should be consulted to determine the cause and begin appropriate treatment. It has a number of causes, both anatomic and systemic.
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Erectile dysfunction, or impotence, is a common disorder in men that has several causes. Vascular disease, which is dysfunction of the blood vessels as in atherosclerosis, is one common cause. Another potential cause is the side effects of particular medications.
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A cell is the basic structure of the body. Organelle means tiny organs and these structures within a cell perform specialized functions. For example, the nucleus contains all the DNA and directs the synthesis of proteins and the process of cell replication.
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Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The earliest symptoms are related to movement and including a tremor, rigidity, slow movements and difficulty walking. Later symptoms can include thinking, sleep, emotional and behavioral problems including dementia.
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Surgery is accompanied by large fluid shifts. Blood can be lost from the operation, and water is lost through urine, evaporation out of the body and respiration. Fluids are given during surgery to counter the loss of fluid during the operation.
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Shortness of breath on exertion has many possible causes. Most commonly it is due to problems with the lungs, airways or heart. Other problems may cause shortness of breath on exertion as well.
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Unilateral upper limb edema refers to the swelling of the soft tissues of either the right or left arm or hand. Edema is more common in the legs and feet. If it occurs in the upper extremity, it is usually due to problems with drainage of the blood or lymph from the arm.
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Brain swelling, known in medical terminology as cerebral edema, is a manifestation of various brain injuries such as cancer or trauma, and is dangerous because it raises the pressure inside the skull. The skull is a thick chamber that is not compliant, which means it does not stretch.
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Different parts of the lungs have different functions. The airways are responsible for transmitting gases between the lungs and the environment. The alveoli are millions of tiny sacs in the lungs that exchange gases between the lungs and the blood. The interstitium includes the tissues between the alveoli and airways.
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Electrical or chemical cautery is generally the first line treatment for continuous nosebleeds that do not respond to simple compression of the nose. It results in coagulating the blood and tissues to stop bleeding.
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Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme found throughout the body. However, it tends to be most concentrated in the liver, the bile ducts, bones and placenta.
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The DOT 5 panel drug screen is a screen for five classes of drugs. The test is mandated by the Department of Transportation to be given to employees of commercial driving companies.
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