Vitamins

What Is Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris? Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is a chronic generalized exfoliative dermatitis (sloughing skin) characterized by erythema (redness), scaling, dilated plugged hair follicles, and keratoderma (thickened skin) of the hands and feet that is often associated with ...

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 ...

What Is Hangnail? Hangnail is a broken strip of epidermis (piece of skin) at root or lateral (side) edge of fingernail or toenail that causes sharp pain. A hangnail develops because the skin around the nail is unhealthy due to ...

What Is Follicular Hyperkeratosis? Follicular hyperkeratosis is an abnormal skin condition characterized by disordered overgrowth of the horny layer of the epidermis with horny plugs filling the openings of hair follicles. The plugs look like bumps in hair follicles. Follicular ...

What Is Edema? Edema is an abnormal swollen condition of the skin characterized by excess extracellular fluid volume, meaning there is an increase of the fluid that normally surrounds cells. Edema may be hardly noticeable or it can become extensive. ...

What Is Acquired Cutis Laxa? Acquired cutis laxa is an uncommon skin disorder characterized by abnormal reduction and degeneration of elastic fibers of the skin that can appear simply as thick, saggy skin with loose folds to severe involvement showing ...

What Are Rounded Nails With Curved Ends? Rounded, curved, dark and dry nails are a well known feature of vitamin B12 deficiency. Q: How does vitamin B12 deficiency cause the nails to grow this way? A: Vitamin B12 deficiency affects ...

What Is Common Variable Immunodeficiency? Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary antibody deficiency disease characterized by the onset of recurrent bacterial infections resulting from markedly decreased immunoglobulin antibody production and antibody levels. Q: What causes common variable immunodeficiency? A: Common variable ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

What Is Acute Diarrhea? Acute diarrhea is a small intestinal motility disorder characterized by excessively rapid movement of intestinal contents through the small intestine with excessive loss of fluid and electrolytes that leads rapidly to a life threatening hypokalemia (low ...

What Is Chronic Or Recurrent Abdominal Pain? Abdominal pain is characterized by pain anywhere in the abdominal cavity between the chest and groin. This region is often referred to as the belly. Abdominal pain, or bellyache, indicates that something is ...

What Is Chronic Abdominal Distention? Abdominal distention, or bloating, is characterized by enlargement in normal size of abdomen not due to fatty tissue. Q: Why does the abdomen enlarge? A: The abdomen enlarges because the bowel is dysfunctional. Loops of ...