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. ...
Read More »Antiphospholipid Syndrome
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 ...
Read More »Coronary Artery Disease
What Is Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)? Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called ischemic heart disease, is a gradual narrowing of medium and large arteries of the heart by fatty buildups, called atherosclerotic plaques. It is characterized by slowly developing interference with blood flow to heart ...
Read More »Impotence
What Is Impotence? Impotence is an erectile dysfunction disorder in males characterized by the distressing inability to achieve or maintain an erection satisfactory for coitus. What Is Impotence In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Read More »Dysgeusia (Impaired Taste)
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, ...
Read More »Brain Blood Flow Abnormalities
What Are Brain Blood Flow Abnormalities? Brain blood flow abnormalities, or cerebral perfusion abnormalities, such as spasm of blood vessels causing inadequate blood flow to the brain, are characterized by impaired brain function and thinking. Q: What is cerebral perfusion? A: ...
Read More »Brain Atrophy
What Is Brain Atrophy? Brain atrophy is a degenerative condition of the brain characterized by loss of brain tissue, causing the brain to shrink. Q: How does loss of brain tissue affect the body? A: Loss of brain tissue will ...
Read More »Ataxia, Gait
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 ...
Read More »Nails, Rounded With Curved Ends
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 ...
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 »Oral Mucosal Lesions, Chronic (Mouth Soreness)
What Are Chronic Oral Mucosal Lesions? Chronic lesions of the oral mucosa are disorders of the mouth that are characterized by soreness and sores of the soft mucosal lining of the mouth. What Are Chronic Oral Mucosal Lesions In Celiac ...
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 »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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