What Is Spina Bifida? Spina bifida is a congenital defect of neural tube closure and among the commonest and most severe disorders of the fetus and newborn.1 Spina bifida is a defect in the walls of the spinal canal in ...
Read More »Congenital Anomalies
What Are Congenital Anomalies? Congenital anomalies are malformations present in the infant at birth. Q: What anomalies are present at birth? A: Some anomalies are inherited while others are caused by a harmful environmental factor during pregnancy such as diet, ...
Read More »Infertility In Males
What Is Infertility in Males? Infertility in males is characterized by inability to either produce sperm or to produce viable sperm or mobile sperm resulting in prohibiting fertilization of the female ovum (egg). To the left is a false-colour scanning ...
Read More »Inflammatory Vaginitis
What Is Inflammatory Vaginitis? Inflammatory vaginitis, also called desquamative inflammatory vaginitis, is a female genital disorder characterized by non-infectious tissue inflammation of the vagina (birth canal). Inflammatory vaginitis presents in females of any age including girls with a history of discomfort, ...
Read More »Occipital Lobe Epilepsy With Cerebral Calcifications
What Is Occipital Lobe Epilepsy With Cerebral Calcifications? Occipital lobe epilepsy with cerebral calcifications is a seizure disorder that develops from calcium deposits in the brain. This condition is characterized by repetitive abnormal electrical discharges within the brain that may ...
Read More »Epilepsy (Convulsions)
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 ...
Read More »Cortical Calcifying Angiomatosis
What Is Cortical Calcifying Angiomatosis? Cortical calcifying angiomatosis is a cortical vascular (brain blood vessel) abnormality that is characterized by calcification of blood vessels and is usually present in the parietal or occipital cortical and subcortical regions of the brain.1 ...
Read More »Ichthyosis, Acquired
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 ...
Read More »Hangnail
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 ...
Read More »Abdominal Pain, Chronic or Recurrent
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 ...
Read More »Cheilosis (Cracks in corners of mouth)
What Is Cheilosis? Cheilosis is a painful feature of nutritional deficiencies, especially riboflavin and/or pyridoxine deficiency, and less frequently, from vitamin B12, folic acid, and iron. It is characterized by redness of the lips with cracking and weeping in the ...
Read More »Aphthous Ulcers (Canker Sores)
What Are Aphthous Ulcers? Aphthous ulcers, also called canker sores, are a chronic disorder of soft mouth tissue characterized by small, painful purpuric, papular, or erosive lesions that are often surrounded by erythematous (red) margins.1 Q: What soft mouth tissues develop ...
Read More »Atherosclerosis
What Is Atherosclerosis? Atherosclerosis is a disease of arteries involving the buildup of fatty material called plaque along the walls of medium and large arteries characterized by patchy subintimal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of blood vessels. The intima is the ...
Read More »Neutropenia
What Is Neutropenia? Neutropenia is a blood disorder characterized by presence of an abnormally low number of neutrophils. Neutrophils are white blood cells (leukocytes) that serves as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria in the blood. Specfically, neutrophils are ...
Read More »Macrocytosis
What Is Macrocytosis? Macrocytosis is a blood cell disorder characterized by altered blood cell formation that results in abnormally large erythrocytes (red blood cells) circulating in the bloodstream. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV), which is a measure of the size of ...
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