Minerals

What Is Osteomalacia? Osteomalacia is a metabolic bone disorder that causes abnormal skeletal changes characterized by generalized reduction in bone density (bone softening) in adults and pseudofractures (apparant on x-ray) with muscular weakness and bone tenderness. Bones have the normal amount of ...

What Is Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica? Osteitis fibrosa cystica is a metabolic bone disease characterized by decalcification and softening of bones with bone cyst formation and bone tumors developing from effects of chronic vitamin D deficiency causing hyperparathyroidism and parathyroid adenoma ...

What Is Bone Pain? Bone pain is pain or tenderness in bone tissue. Bone pain intensity and location depend on the causative disorder. Q: What are causative disorders of bone pain? A: Bone pain is a feature of various disorders ...

What Is Dysgeusia? Dysgeusia is impaired or altered sense of taste characterized by the inability to distinguish the flavor of a substance. Q: What causes loss of the ability to taste? A: Some causes of impaired taste include these health conditions: malnutrition, hypothyroidism, ...

What Is Ocular Myopathy? Ocular myopathy is an impairment of musculature of the eyeball that is characterized by abnormalities of eye movement that make initiating and maintaining eye movement and eye contact difficult. What Is Ocular Myopathy In Celiac Disease ...

What Is Irritability? Irritability is a mental state characterized by negativity and excessive response to annoyance. Irritability can be a feature of many diseases, malnutrition, and side effects of certain prescribed medications and over the counter drugs. What Is Irritability In Celiac Disease ...

What Is Migraine? Migraine is a neurologic disorder characterized by reduced cerebral blood flow that causes a severe headache. The pain is usually on one side of the head, pulsates, and is aggravated by bodily exertion that increases blood pressure. ...

What Is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is a dysfunctional disorder of the brain characterized by recurring seizures also called convulsions. Q: What happens in a seizure? A: During a seizure  abnormal electrical discharges occur within the brain. Not all seizures have the same intensity ...

What Is Gait Ataxia? Gait ataxia is a cerebellar (lower brain) disorder characterized by defective muscular coordination of skeletal muscles used for locomotion (walking). Q: What is defective muscle coordination for walking? A: The cerebellum does not initiate movements but ...

What Is Hypokalemic Rhabdomyolysis? Hypokalemic rhabdomyolysis is an acute and sometimes fatal disease due to its rapid progression of muscle destruction when untreated. It is characterized by the accumulation of by-products of skeletal muscle destruction in the renal (kidney) tubules ...

What Are Extraintestinal Lymphomas? Extraintestinal lymphomas (non-Hodgkin’s) are malignancies that arise in peripheral lymphatic tissue outside the intestinal tract from B-cell and T-cell lymphocytes. Q: What is peripheral lymphatic tissue? A: Peripheral lymphatic tissue includes lymph vessels, lymph, lymph nodes, and ...

What Is Refractory Celiac Disease? Refractory celiac disease, formerly called refractory sprue, is a severe complication characterized by persistence of symptoms and intestinal inflammation despite gluten free diet after 12 months.1 Refractory celiac disease appears in two forms, ulcerative jejunitis (RCD ...

What Is B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma? Bcell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a malignant, monoclonal (arising from a single cell) proliferation of lymphocytes that is preceded by lymphadenopathy and characterized by varying, less predictable spread than Hodgkin’s disease. Lymphadenopathy is enlargement of lymph ...

What Is Melanoma? Melanoma is a cutaneous malignancy with rapid invasion and metastasis to other parts of the body. Melanoma is characterized by growth from melanocytes appearing as a new mole or enlarging from an exisiting mole, changing shape, size ...

What Is Acquired Ichthyosis? Acquired ichthyosis is an uncommon, nonhereditary cutaneous disorder characterized by dry, rough skin with prominent symmetrical scaling that involves significant portions of the body. Most microscopic studies of acquired ichthyosis exhibit hyperkeratosis (thickened skin) with a ...