Pertussis - Infants

Pertussis is more commonly known as whooping cough, and many people in the United States are protected due to the vaccine. Pertussis is very similar to the common cold as far as its initial symptoms which include everything from a runny nose, diarrhea and a slight fever to vomiting and loss of consciousness. It is important to be aware of when vomiting occurs from coughing because it may cause choking. 

The most at-risk age group is infants and young children who have not been administered the vaccine. The best way to avoid young children from contracting pertussis is to make sure that all who can have the vaccine have been administered it. By protecting yourself you are in turn protecting others from getting the disease. It is very hard for care providers to distinguish pertussis from pneumonia in young infants. If a young infant is diagnosed with pertussis it is important that they are constantly watched for their breathing patterns. It is very important to keep fluid levels up when anyone has pertussis. There are long term side effects from contracting pertussis which are located on this site that goes into depth about pertussis complications.

There are several ways that doctors treat pertussis. In many cases pertussis is discovered too late making the antibiotics that doctors would use to treat this disease. For many young children sedatives are prescribed and young infants are hospitalized and given fluids through veins. There are several items that aid the fight against the common cold that should not be used for whooping cough, such items include cough medicine, cough suppressants, and cough expectorants. While older children have a better outlook than younger children. If you suppect your child to have whooping cough it is important to seek medical attention immediately. This site has all that parents that need to better understand pertussis in infants. This site Kid's Health includes everything from symptoms to what whooping cough sounds like in infants.

Arthritis

Many young people do not have the issue of having Arthritis which occurs in many older Americans in more than just one point on the body. Arthritis is the inflamation of one or more of the joints on the body, which is where the bones meet, with over 100 different types of arthritis many people might have more than one form of the disease. This might occur due to several different reasons.
1. an autoimmune disease
2. broken bone
3. general wear and tear of the joints
4. infection, usually by bacteria or virus

The most common forms of arthritis include everything from rheumatoid arthritis (older adults), psoriatic arthritis, scleroderma, gout, and systemic lupus erythematosus.The video to the left goes into detail about osteoarthritis.











In all forms of arthritis have various symptoms which can include everything from joint pain and swelling to the reduced ability to move the joint along with redness and stiffness around the joint. It is important to note that most symptoms occur over time and do not occur suddenly. There are several tests that your health care provider will do when you take your physical exam, these exams will determine if there is any fluid around joint, if the joint is warm or tender and if there is any reduced range of motion in the joint. While there is treatment available the symptoms of arthritis there is no way to reverse cause of arthritis.

There are several places that arthritis can occur in the body such places include: the hip, spine, hand, foot, and knee. While these are the most common places to have arthritis arthritis can occur in any of the joints in the body. To the right is the most common locations that rheumatoid arthritis can occur.

Anemia

Anemia is a condition where there is not enough red blood cells in a person's blood, this can happen to anyone anywhere. Approximately 3.5 million people in the United States have some form of anemia. When there is not enough red blood cells in the blood oxygen can not get to the brain and other vital organs to allow for proper function. There are over 400 different types of anemia that are all broken down into the following three categories, anemia caused by blood loss, anemia caused by decreased red blood cell production, and anemia caused by the destruction of red blood cells.

1.Blood loss anemia is not from a major injury that you might get by hurting yourself such as a car accident but instead it is caused by gastrointestinal problems as well as due to heavy periods in women.
2.Decreased red blood cell production is caused by there not being the proper nutrience to develop the red blood cells or even having sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is when the red blood cells are cresant shaped and break down easily not allowing for oxygen to reach the organs this is mainly found in people of African descent. Another reason that someone might have a decreased red blood cell count might be from bone marrow problems.
3. Destruction of red blood cells can be from just moving around the pulmonary system. Hemolytic anemia is also a possibility similar to sickle cell anemia it is passed down from one generation to the next but instead of causing the blood cell to not be able to carry the nutrience it needs it is destroyed before it can reach its destination.

This site goes into detail about the specific areas of the three types of anemia. It talks about the ways that anemia affects the body and how different factors impact your risk of getting/having a form of anemia. To the right is a picture highlighting all of the possible side effects that one might run into when anemic those in red are due to severe anemia. If you are weak along with several of these symptoms you might have anemia if you are experiencing one of the red symptoms it is important to seek medical attention immediately.







The chart beside is what is the average hemoglobin levels for various age groups. Men are more likely to have a higher amount of hemoglobin than women and children while babies have the highest levels. If you believe that you might have anemia your doctor will have you get blood work done to see your hemoglobin level. If it is low you are more likely to be anemic.

Anemia weakens a person as well, I for one am iron deficient due to my diet but by taking iron supplements every day I can better control my anemia. When a person has anemia they do not realize how much energy they are missing until they become no longer anemic.

Brain Hemorrhages (Stroke)

Brain hemorrhages are better known as a type of stroke (13% of all strokes) which causes bleeding in the brain which causes the damage of brain cells. There are several ways that brain hemorrhages can occur to a person.
1. Head Trauma - most common cause for those under the age of fifty
2. High Blood Pressure - left untreated is a large contributer for hemorrhages
3. Aneurysm - a weakening blood vessel that swells and can burst, there are no signs for an aneurysm
4. Abnormal Blood Vessels - weakness in the blood vessels
5. Amyloid Angiopathy - an abnormality in the blood vessel which may have smaller bleeds before a large one
6. Blood Disorders - hemophilia and sickle cell anemia
7. Liver Disease
8. Brain Tumors

In the video above it goes into detail about what the signs of a stroke are and how to react when a loved one might be having a stroke. Remember time is of the essencience.







               










Symptoms of a brain hemorrhage are very similar to a concussion. Such symptoms include a sudden headache, seizures, nausea/vomiting, changes in vision/speech/understanding, and loss of coordination or balance. It is important that if you have any of those symptoms it is important to see a doctor immediately due to the fact that this is a life threatening condition.


Many music fans might remember Brett Micheals brain hemorrhage a few years ago. Dr. Michael Yochelson goes into detail about his specific type of brain hemorrhage saying that it is all about the location for the specific name of the hemorrhage.

If you have undergone a brain hemorrhage you can visit this site to talk with others who have been through what you are going through to get support and share your own experiences.

Heart Disease

Known as coronary heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States each year, this is due to the build up of plaque in the arteries which supply both oxygen and blood to the heart.

There are several uncontrollable risk factors which come from this site:

• age-risk increases with age
• gender-men are at a higher risk than women
• genes-relatives with heart disease increases your likelihood
• race-some races have a higher risk factor, African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Hawaiians, and Asian Americans

In this video Dr. Dahlman explains the symptoms of heart disease. The chart illustrates how cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of people in the US followed by malignant neoplasms also known as cancer. It is important to take care of your health so if you have heart issues it is important to talk with your doctor, and even if you do not have heart problems it is still important to talk to your doctor before beginning any sort of exercise routine.

If you would like to support those with heart disease please visit this site where you can purchase a heart disease awareness bracelet.  

Smoking

There are many ways that people talk about when they are discussing the topic of smoking. Smoking is something that is known to cause lung cancer and heart disease. Cigaretts can be addictive after just one and many children who grow up with parents or other role models who smoke may develop the same health issues as those who smoke. This site goes into detail about how second hand smoke can harm children http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/Second-Hand-Smoke-and-Children.cfm. By making sure that certtain areas are smoke free you can make sure that your children are away from harming smoke inhilation. Such steps include: do not allow smoking in your car, make sure your child's day-care is smoke free, and quit smoking.

Many people would love to kick the habit of smoking this website gives some great tips on how to stop smoking. On the site it mentions designing your individual plan to better your success and gives questions that you can ask yourself while you are trying to quit smoking. This site also goes over the S.T.A.R.T. method. Set a quit date, tell family and friends, anticipate and plan for challenges, remove cigarettes and tobacco from the home, talk with your doctor. By following these steps you can be sure that you will be able to be in the best possible position to quit smoking for good.

There are inspiring videos on youtube.com and other sites that might give you the motivation that you need to begin this process.This video claims to be the one video that will want to make you stop smoking. It gives a more indepth look at the possible side effects, while the video below gives information in a way that is more upbeat and better for younger people. These two videos discuss what might happen if a person continues their destructive pattern of smoking. 

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a disease that one in every eight woman will experience at one point in their lives. There are many ways that people raise awareness for this disease such as walks and bake sales. This site offers a comprehensive look at breast cancer and is the leading site for the disease, http://www.breastcancer.org/, this shows a better way of understanding all of the possible symptoms that one can experience if they develop the disease.The universal color for this disease is pink and a pink ribbon is the most common symbol for awareness of this disease.

Every race has a different rate of breast cancer incidents. This chart illustrates that white and black women are more likely to contract the disease than those who are Hispanic. The death rate also does change based on ethnicity and race, while white women are slightly more likely to contract the disease black women are more likely to die from breast cancer. This chart shows the amount of women who have and die from breast cancer per 100,000 people. According to the chart 120 out of every 100,000 people contract breast cancer in their lives.


This video goes over the stages of breast cancer that can occur. Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 and Stage 4. With a much more in depth look of how different stages of breast cancer look and how each stage has various sub-stages and criteria. When a person is told that they have the disease they are also told what stage they have as well and knowing the stage is just as important as knowing the disease it self. It is important to do a monthly self evaluation of your breasts, see a doctor if there are any changes, and get a mammogram at least once a year after you reach age forty. Another video, linked here, will talk about how to better evaluate your breasts yourself and what changes to lookout for if you are concerned about your risk. It is best to contact your doctor if you believe that anything could possibly be wrong and to keep up the monthly self exams.