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- Parkinson's Disease.
- Periodontal Disease.
- Pneumonia.
- Polio.
- Psoriasis.
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease is a debilitating disease that affects a person's voluntary control over body movements.
Tremors in hands and head or shaking in the body are characteristic of the disease. Swallowing becomes difficult
to control and there is a decreased ability to move parts of the body.
This disease develops slowly and may not be detected until several months have passed. The symptoms worsens
with time and as more parts of the body become affected.
Parkinson's disease is the result of insufficient production of dopamine, a chemical produced by a certain part of the brain,
and which is needed for the proper function of the nervous system. It usually affects the elderly, the average age of onset
is 61 years.
Symptoms:
- Tremors in hands.
- Shuffling feet, small arm swinging motion and stooped posture when walking.
- Decreased facial expressions and blinking of eyes.
- Monotonous speech.
- Voluntary movements are slow. For example, when starting to walk from a stationary mode or changing positions in bed..
- Difficulty getting up from a sitting position.
- Feeling unsteady when standing.
- Abnormal stiffness in the body and limbs.
- Swallowing problems in later stages.
Treatment:
Unfortunately, all drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease have side effects and may cause the patient to have a dry mouth, constipation,
urine retention and blurred vision to mention a few. The drugs can temporarily alleviate symptoms but none of them have been proven to
slow down the development of the disease.
The medication most commonly used is Levodopa or L-dopa, (Sinemet) a drug that is converted to dopamine in the brain.
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Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is a series of infections that attack the gums, jaw bone, muscles, and ligaments - all the supports for your teeth.
In the early stage, one experiences gingivitis, a gum inflammation that does not affect the bone and usually disappears with improved
brushing and flossing.
The more advanced stage - periodontitis - includes bone and tooth loss. As periodontal disease is virtually painless, the symptoms
are not obvious until serious damage has occurred.
This disorder is uncommon in childhood but increases during adolescence. It accounts for much of the tooth loss in adults,
particularly those over the age of 35.
How do I protect myself against periodontal disease?
Prevention is less painful than cure - brush and floss your teeth regularly, and visit your dentist at least once a year.
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Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by many different organisms and can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening illness.
The lungs become congested with fluids and breathing becomes difficult.
There are different categories of pneumonia:
- Lobar Pneumonia is when only one lobe of one lung is inflamed.
- Bronchopneumonia is when the inflammation spreads from the bronchi to other parts of the lung.
Pneumonia usually lasts about two weeks, but the feeling of fatigue or weakness will linger on for a month or so.
Symptoms - Viral Pneumonia:
- Low-grade fever and chills.
- Sore throat, coughing.
- Muscle aches.
- Chest pain.
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
- Bacterial Pneumonia.
- High fever.
- Coughing, with thick yellow-green sputum sometimes with blood.
- Shortness of breath.
- Sharp chest pain especially when breathing deeply.
- Abdominal pain.
- Severe fatigue.
Symptoms - Aspiration Pneumonia:
- Fever.
- Coughing, sputum.
- Vomiting.
- Loss of appetite and weight.
Children suffering from pneumonia may experience a sudden onset of fever, coughing, laboured and rapid breathing
(more than 45 breaths a minute), wheezing, bluish skin, lips or fingertips.
Treatment:
The goal of treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics. If the pneumonia is caused by a virus, antibiotics
will not be effective. Supportive therapy includes oxygen and respiratory treatments to remove secretions, if indicated.
Plenty of bed rest and coughing up phlegm and other fluid from the lungs helps.
For mild cases of viral pneumonia, paracetamol (Panadol) is used to lower fever and reduce pain. Drink lots of fluids and eat lightly.
For bacterial pneumonia, an antibiotic such as penicillin or erythromycin is prescribed. If the lungs are severely congested, hospital
stay may be required. The patient may require oxygen or be put on a respirator until symptoms improve.
Prevention:
Pneumonia is usually triggered when a patient's defense system is weakened e.g. a simple viral upper respiratory tract infection or a case of influenza.
People over the age of 65, people whose spleen has been damaged or removed, or those suffering from chronic lung disease, heart disease, sickle cell anaemia,
AIDS and other immune deficiency diseases, should be vaccinated for pneumonia. Flu vaccine, pneumococcal and haemophilus influenza vaccine may be helpful
in preventing some types of pneumonia.
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Polio
Polio is an acute contagious viral illness caused by the poliovirus. Itaffects the muscles and nerves throughout the body
and may cause permanent paralysis or even lead to death.
The polio virus is transmitted by contact with secretions from the nose, mouth or faeces of an infected person. The virus enters
through the nose and mouth, multiplies in the nose and intestinal tract and is then absorbed and spread through the blood and
lymphatic system. The incubation period (the time from being infected to the appearance of symptoms) is 7 to 14 days.
There are 3 patterns of polio infection; subclinical, paralytic and non-paralytic. 95% are subclinical infections which go unnoticed.
Since the development and the use of vaccines against polio, the disease has become far less common.
What are the symptoms of Polio?
Sufferers of polio have the following symptoms:
- In mild cases - headache, slight fever, nausea and vomiting for up to 3 days.
- In slightly more severe cases - moderate fever, muscle pain, stiff neck and back and fatigue.
- In even more severe cases - fever, muscle pain or spasms, muscle weakness, stiffness, constipation,
tremor and difficulty with swallowing.
Symptoms post-polio:
- Onset of progressive muscular weakness in muscles affected during the original infection. However,
other muscles that seem not to be affected during the original infection may also be affected.
- Joint pain and fatigue.
- Memory and concentration levels may be adversely affected.
- In fewer incidences, muscles may become smaller (atrophy).
- Difficulty with swallowing and extended periods of fatigue.
Is there any treatment for Polio?
There is no cure for polio - it can only be prevented by vaccination. Treatment of symptoms is all that can
be done for the polio sufferer. For instance, antibiotics are used to treat urinary tract infections. Bethanechol
is used to reduce urine retention. Analgesics are used to reduce headaches and muscle pain. Assistance with breathing
may be required in severe cases.
How can Polio be prevented?
Immunisation against polio is recommended for all children from 3 to 18 months of age. Three booster doses
should be given to all children up to 12 years of age.
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Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a disorder of the skin which typically consists of red patches covered by silvery-white scales especially
around the trunk, elbows, knees and scalp.
Its exact cause is unknown but the result is skin which grows about seven times more quickly and thicker than usual.
It is thought to be due, at least in part, to an abnormal immune reaction against some component of the skin. Genetic
factors play a part. About half those affected know of someone else in the family with it.
The rash often seems to start after some sort of trigger. This may be emotional stress, skin injury (cuts and scratches for example),
a streptococcal sore throat, hormones (it often occurs at puberty), or rarely, certain medications. Psoriasis is not contagious.
Symptoms:
- Itchy, raised patches of dark pink skin.
- White scales on the scalp, knees, elbows and upper body.
- Pitting, discolouring and thickening of the fingernails and toenails.
- Red, scaly and cracked skin on the palms of the hands or on the soles of the feet.
There may be fluid oozing out of the cracks and movement may become very painful.
Treatment:
- Topical medications (such as steroid and tar lotions, ointments, creams, and shampoo).
- Phototherapy (either ultraviolet B, or UVB, radiation or psoralen with ultraviolet A, or PUVA, radiation).
- Systemic therapy (oral drugs that affect the whole body system, not just the skin e.g. cyclosporins, methotrexate).
Combinations are often used. These treatments are often given in the order described -- from least to most potent - as necessary,
although the physician may choose a more powerful therapy or use combinations first if the patient's initial condition is severe.
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