What Are Autoimmune Disorders? Autoimmune disorders refer to those conditions that involve an abnormal attack on the body’s own tissues perpetuated by the production of autoantibodies directed against self. Q: What happens when autoantibodies attack the body’s own tissues? A: ...
Read More »Allergic Rhinitis
What Is Allergic Rhinitis? Allergic rhinitis is an immune disorder characterized by inflammation of the nasal mucosa by an IgE antibody reaction to an allergen. An allergen is something that triggers an allergic immune response. Q: What is the immune ...
Read More »Cancer, Parathyroid
What Is Parathyroid Carcinoma? Parathyroid carcinoma is a slow growing rare malignancy involving overactive parathyroid glands and is characterized by profound hypercalcemia (elevated blood calcium level), parathyroid hormone levels of more than 3 times upper normal limits, and palpable neck mass.1 ...
Read More »Hypoparathyroidism, Idiopathic
What Is Idiopathic Hypoparathyroidism? Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism is a metabolic condition that results from reduced secretion or impaired action of parathyroid hormone (PTH) which results in a combination of low calcium and elevated phosphorus levels in the body. Calcium and phosphorus are ...
Read More »Primary Hyperparathyroidism
What Is Primary Hyperparathyroidism? Primary hyperparathyroidism is a parathyroid disorder characterized by excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone by one or more parathyroid glands for more than 6 months. In primary hyperparathyroidism, blood calcium levels are high while phosphorus levels are ...
Read More »Steatorrhea
What Is Steatorrhea? Steatorrhea is a condition of abnormal stool composition and consistency that is due to high fat content because fat from food is not digested and absorbed into the body but rather passes out with stool.1 Q: How ...
Read More »Pancreatic Insufficiency
What Is Pancreatic Insufficiency? Pancreatic insufficiency is a disorder characterized by insufficient exocrine production of pancreatic enzymes for normal digestion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates that results in maldigestion of these foodstuffs. Pancreatic insufficiency also causes malabsorption of the fat-soluble ...
Read More »Gastrointestinal Complications Of Type I Diabetes Mellitus
What Are Gastro-Intestinal Complications Of Type 1 Diabetes? Gastrointestinal complications of type I diabetes mellitus are functional or organic changes that result from diabetes affecting every organ of the gastrointestinal tract. Q: How do gastrointestinal tract complications affect diabetes? A: Impaired ...
Read More »Diabetic Instability
What Is Diabetic Instability? Diabetic instability, also called brittle diabetes, is poor control of blood sugar characterized by frequent rise (hyperglycemia) and fall (hypoglycemia). These fluctuations can be life-threatening and cause unnecessary complications. Q: What are complications in diabetes? A: Complications ...
Read More »Diabetes Mellitus, Type I
What Is Type I Diabetes Mellitus? Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), also termed type 1A, is an inherited autoimmune disorder in which anti-islet autoantibodies destroy the islet cells of the pancreas that secrete insulin hormone. Type 1 diabetes mellitus was formerly ...
Read More »Liver or Hepatic Granulomatous Disease
What Is Hepatic Granulomatous Disease? Hepatic granulomatous disease is an infiltrative chronic liver disorder characterized by growth of small granulomas. Rather than being a final diagnosis, the presence of hepatic granulomas entails the need for further investigations towards identifying the ...
Read More »Autoimmune Hepatitis
What Is Autoimmune Hepatitis? Autoimmune hepatitis is an autoimmune attack against liver cells that is characterized by inflammation and results in chronic liver disease which includes low blood albumin and cirrhosis. Autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed by detection of autoantibodies ...
Read More »Bleeding, Occult Gastrointestinal
What Is Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding? Occult gastrointestinal bleeding is characterized by unseen or minute quantities of blood in stool. The origin of bleeding is from mucosa that lines the inside of the digestive tract at a site that must be ...
Read More »Constipation Alternating with Diarrhea
What Is Chronic Constipation Alternating With Diarrhea? Chronic constipation alternating with diarrhea is an intestinal motility disorder, or irregularity, characterized by alteration in stool formation, consistency, and evacuation which results in a bowel movement that consists of some hard or balled ...
Read More »Volvulus
What Is Volvulus? Volvulus is twisting of a loop(s) of bowel onto itself which effectively closes it thus preventing digested matter from passing and causing engorgement of the closed loop with gas and fluid. Q: How does the bowel get ...
Read More »