Library: Health by Credo Reference: Diseases and Treatments

Non-infectious Diseases

Allergy: Topic Page
Allergy is an inflammatory disorder of hyperreactivity of the immune system against common environmental exposures.
Alzheimer's Disease: Topic Page
Common manifestation of dementia , thought to afflict 1 in 20 people over 65.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); Topic Page
A motor neuron disease, sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, degenerative disease that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, preventing them from sending impulses to the muscles.
Anemia: Topic Page
Condition in which the concentration of hemoglobin in the circulating blood is below normal.
Anemia: Topic Page
Condition in which the concentration of hemoglobin in the circulating blood is below normal.
Appendicitis; Topic Page
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a small, fingerlike tube that hangs from the lower right side of the large intestine.
Arteriosclerosis: Topic Page
General term for a condition characterized by thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of the blood vessels.
Asthma: Topic Page
Chronic condition characterized by difficulty in breathing due to spasm of the bronchi (air passages) in the lungs.
Cancer: Topic Page
Group of diseases characterized by abnormal proliferation of cells.
Cirrhosis: Topic Page
Degeneration of tissue in an organ resulting in fibrosis, with nodule and scar formation.
Diabetes: Topic Page
Diabetes mellitus, often referred to simply as diabetes, is not a single disease but a group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose) resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. It is a major public health problem in the United States, affecting 24.1 million individuals, of whom an
Diverticulitis and Diverticulosis: Topic Page
In diverticulosis, small pouches develop and bulge out through weak spots in the walls of the colon, typically in the part of the colon called the sigmoid colon on the left side of the abdomen. These small, balloonlike pouches are called diverticula.
Epilepsy: Topic Page
A chronic disorder of cerebral function characterized by periodic convulsive seizures. There are many conditions that have epileptic seizures.
Gout: Topic Page
Gout is a broad term used for the problems with uric acid metabolism in the body.
Heart Disease: Topic Page
Any of several abnormalities of the heart and its function in maintaining blood circulation.
Hemophilia: Topic Page
Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot normally. Following an injury or even a simple cut, the person may bleed profusely.
IBS: Topic Page
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that causes a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation, bloating, gassiness, and cramping.
Lead Poisoning: Topic Page
Intoxication of the system by organic compounds containing lead.
Malnutrition: Topic Page
Condition resulting from a defective diet where certain important food nutrients (such as proteins, vitamins, or carbohydrates) are absent.
Multiple Sclerosis: Topic Page
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system characterized by recurring episodes of neurological disturbance.
Muscular Dystrophy; Topic Page
Any of several inherited diseases characterized by progressive wasting of the skeletal muscles.
Obesity: Topic Page
Condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body.
Osteoporosis: Topic Page
A disease, most commonly of post-menopausal women, in which the bones become porous, brittle and liable to fracture, owing to the loss of calcium from the bone substance.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Topic Page
A form of arthritis, particularly common in women, that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and deformity of the joints, especially of the fingers, wrists, ankles, feet or hips.

Related Concepts

Bacteria: Topic Page
Microscopic single-celled organisms lacking a membrane-bound nucleus. Bacteria, like archaea, certain fungi, and viruses, are micro-organisms - organisms that are so small they can only be seen using a microscope.
Disease: Topic Page
Impairment of the normal state or functioning of the body as a whole or of any of its parts.
Fever: Topic Page
Elevation of body temperature above the normal level, which in humans is about 98 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) when measured orally.
Health: Topic Page
Term to define state of well-being or absence of illness.
Health Insurance: Topic Page
Prepayment plan providing services or cash indemnities for medical care needed in times of illness or disability.
Virus: Topic Page
Parasite with a noncellular structure composed mainly of nucleic acid within a protein coat.
Vitamins: Topic Page
A group of organic substances that are required in the diet of humans and animals for normal growth, maintenance of life, and normal reproduction.

Infectious Diseases

AIDS: Topic Page
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a chronic, life-threatening disease that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Cholera: Topic Page
Disease caused by infection with various strains of the bacillus Vibrio cholerae, transmitted in contaminated water and characterized by violent diarrhoea and vomiting. It is prevalent in many tropical areas.
Ebola: Topic Page
A member of a family (Filovidae) of RNA viruses that cause hemorrhagic fevers.
Hepatitis: Topic Page
Inflammation of the liver. There are many types of hepatitis. Causes include viruses, toxic chemicals, alcohol consumption, parasites and bacteria, and certain drugs.
Influenza (Flu): Topic Page
Acute, highly contagious disease caused by a RNA virus (family Orthomyxoviridae); formerly known as the grippe.
Leprosy: Topic Page
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is a chronic infection caused by the slow growing bacillus Mycobacterium leprae.
Malaria: Topic Page
A parasitic disease caused by four species of Plasmodium. It causes recurrent episodes of high fever, sometimes associated with rigor; enlargement of the spleen is common
Parasitic Diseases: Topic Page
Parasites can be defined as organisms that live in or on another organism called a host.
Poliomyelitis: Topic Page
Polio, or infantile paralysis, acute viral infection, mainly of children but also affecting older persons.
Rabies: Topic Page
Viral disease of the central nervous system that can afflict all warm-blooded creatures. It is caused by a lyssavirus.
Smallpox: Topic Page
Acute, highly contagious disease causing a high fever and successive stages of severe skin eruptions. The disease dates from the time of ancient Egypt or before.
Tuberculosis: Topic Page
Tuberculosis results form infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The lungs are the site most often affected, but most organs in the body can be involved in tuberculosis.
Viral Diseases; Topic Page
There are more than 400 different viruses that are capable of infecting humans.
West Nile Virus: Topic Page
Microorganism and the infection resulting from it, which typically produces no symptoms or a flulike condition.

Treatments and Therapies

Chemotherapy: Topic Page
Chemotherapy (also called chemo) is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs to destroy cancer cells.
CPR: Topic Page
Emergency procedure used to treat victims of cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Dialysis: Topic Page
Artificial kidney machines have been developed that make use of dialysis to purify the blood of persons whose kidneys have ceased to function.
Emergency Medical Services: Topic Page
Emergency medical care is typically defined as medical services provided by pre-hospital care providers such as first responders, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics.
First Aid: Topic Page
Immediate and temporary treatment of a victim of sudden illness or injury while awaiting the arrival of medical aid.
Gene Therapy: Topic Page
Medical technique that alters genes inside the body's cells to treat or prevent disease.
Medicine: Topic Page
Modern medicine emerged in the nineteenth century, when the development of the germ theory of disease, the discovery of anesthesia to control the pain of surgery, and improved sanitation began to curb the horrors of infectious diseases.
Pharmacology: Topic Page
A branch of medical science which studies the actions, uses, and undesirable side-effects of drugs. The first descriptions of remedies from plant sources were made by the ancient Greeks and Chinese.
Physical Therapy: Topic Page
Physical Therapy (PT) is a field that helps patients recover from, and adapt to, disease and injury.
Surgery: Topic Page
A branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and the excision and repair of pathological conditions by means of operative procedures (see also anesthesia; medicine; radiology).
Vaccination; Topic Page
A means of producing immunity against pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, by the introduction of live, killed, or altered antigens that stimulate the body to produce antibodies against more dangerous forms.