NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY RELATED DISORDERS

What Is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a thought disorder characterized by psychotic symptoms and inappropriate and bizarre behavior. Schizophrenia involves dysfunction in any of these areas: Cognition which are thinking skills that include intellect, language, mathematical ability, memory, perception, reasoning, judgment, ...

What Is Riboflavin? Riboflavin, also called vitamin B2, is fundamentally required for the breakdown of carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats in metabolism, enables oxygen to be used by cells, and acts as a component of more than a dozen enzymes involved ...

What Is Prurigo Nodularis (Hyde’s Prurigo)? Prurigo nodularis is a chronic dermatitis characterized by hard, dry, deep seated, intensely itchy papules (small bumps like pimples) and/or nodules (large bumps) that erupt most commonly on the arms, legs, and back. Papules ...

What Is Prolonged Prothrombin Time? Prolonged prothrombin time (PT) is a laboratory blood test result showing that blood clots too slowly which makes the patient subject to abnormal bleeding. Q: What does the prothrombin time (PT) test measure? A: The ...

What Is Progressive Myoclonic Ataxia? Progressive myoclonic ataxia is a movement disorder characterized by defective muscular coordination of a muscle group with its origin in the brain. The pathology is in the cerebellum.1 Myoclonus in a context of progressive ataxia ...

What Is Elevated Bone Alkaline Phosphatase? Elevated bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) is a laboratory result that indicates an abnormal blood level of this bone enzyme. A bone alkaline phosphatase blood level is one of the most frequently used biochemical markers of ...

What Is Angina Pectoris? Angina pectoris, or simply angina, is a coronary syndrome characterized by an oppressive substernal pain (pain under breastbone) or pressure brought on by exertion and relieved by rest that results from failure of coronary arteries to ...

What Is Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anemia? Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is a megaloblastic anemia that is characterized by defective DNA synthesis of red blood cells due to a lack of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is essential for normal blood cell formation. ...

What Is Secondary Hyperparathyroidism? Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a parathyroid disorder resulting from hypocalcemia (low blood calcium level) that is characterized by excessive production of parathyroid hormone in the attempt to normalize the low blood calcium by releasing calcium from bone. ...

What Is Hypokalemia? Hypokalemia means the level of potassium in the bloodstream is too low to meet metabolic needs of the body for this mineral and is characterized by metabolic acidosis, altered nerve conduction and muscle contraction. Rapid potassium loss can ...

What Is Delayed Puberty in Boys? Delayed puberty in boys is characterized by lack of growth and functional activity of the male gonads, called testes or testicals, to produce testosterone by age 14 and failure to grow pubic hair by age 15. ...

What Is Antiphospholipid Syndrome? Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease and a blood clotting disorder characterized by these clinical and laboratory criteria: Clinical criteria – recurrent vascular thrombosis (clots in veins/arteries) from hypercoagulability (abnormal excessive clotting) and/or recurrent complications of ...

What Is Plummer-Vinson Syndrome Affecting the Esophagus? Plummer-Vinson syndrome is a manifestation of severe, long-term, iron deficiency anemia that is characterized by post-cricoid esophageal webs and dysphagia. Q: What are esophageal webs? A: Esophageal webs are one or more thin ...

What Is Enteropathic Arthritis? Enteropathic arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by peripheral joint disease that also involves the attachments sites for tendons at joints, called entheses, and is characterized by joint stiffness, swelling and loss of motion. Q: ...

What Is Abscess Formation Causing Lung Cavities? Abscess formation and subsequent lung cavities that develop from necrosis (death) of affected lung tissue constitute severe life-threatening respiratory disease  of the lung. Q: What is the difference between lung abscess and lung ...