Category: Uncategorized

Strictly speaking attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is neither a mental illness nor disability. Attention problems include daydreaming, difficulty focusing and being easily distracted. Hyperactivity refers to fidgeting or restlessness. A person with the disorder may be disruptive or impulsive, may have trouble in relationships and may be accident-prone. Hyperactivity and impulsiveness often improve as a person matures, but attention problems tend to last into adulthood. Children with ADHD are more likely to have learning issues.

Dysesthesia refers to an altered or unexpected feeling in one or more parts of the body. It may be present all the time or the dysesthesia may only happen when the affected area is touched. The sensation may be felt as a burning, numbness, tingling or itching. Dysesthesias happen most often when nerves are irritated, pinched or damaged.

The most common cause of upper abdominal distention is retained gas within the stomach or intestines. Eating excessive gas forming foods, lactose or other food intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, decreased stomach or bowel motility, or an intestinal obstruction could be the underlying problem. Fluid accumulation in the area between the abdominal organs, known as ascites, would usually cause distention throughout the belly, not just in the upper part of the abdomen.

Among the most common causes of calf pain are:

•    muscle strain or tear
•    tendinitis
•    trauma
•    muscle cramps
•    vascular disease (especially atherosclerosis)
•    blood clot in a vein near the calf

In most cases, there is no single, curative treatment for neuropathy of the feet.

For the most common neuropathies affecting the feet, typical treatments include:

• treating any contributing condition – For example

o diabetic neuropathy – good control of blood sugar can reduce the chance it will worsen (though tight blood sugar control will not necessarily improve symptoms once neuropathy is present)

o inflammatory or autoimmune neuropathy – treatment targeting the immune system and anti-inflammatory medications can improve symptoms or even eliminate them in people with conditions such as Guillain-Barré syndrome or neuropathy due to vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation)

o vitamin deficiency – treatment with supplemental vitamin B12 deficiency can halt progression or even reverse symptoms of related neuropathy

o thyroid deficiency – treatment with supplemental thyroid hormone usually eliminates related neuropathy symptoms

• Treatments to reduce pain or other symptoms, such as

o gabapentin or pregabalin

o amitriptyline or other tricyclic antidepressants

o duloxetine

o many others (including carbamazepine, tramadol and baclofen)

• Treatments to reduce the impact or complications of neuropathy, including:

o Physical therapy

o Bracing, splints, assistive devices, shoe inserts

o Proper foot care

In most people with neuropathy involving the feet, a combination of 2 or more of these approaches is most helpful.

Trismus refers to very tight jaw muscles that stop a person from opening their mouth. It can happen without an underlying cause. However, new onset trismus needs prompt medical evaluation. Underlying causes include a severe throat infection, tetanus, temporal mandibular joint disorders, and inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. 

Pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs indicate nervous system abnormalities.  Pyramidal signs can be identified on neurological exam and can include weakness, hyperreflexia, and the Babinski reflex.  Extrapyramidal signs are involuntary muscle movements such as muscle contractions, muscle stiffness, facial contortions, an inability to sit still, and tremors.

The whooshing sound in one ear is known as pulsatile tinnitus. Some people describe it as a thumbing in the ear. Usually pulsatile tinnitus is not a cause for concern, especially if it lasts just a short time. However, you should contact your doctor. High blood pressure, ear problems, severe anemia and an overactive thyroid gland can cause pulsatile tinnitus. On rare occasions, pulsatile tinnitus can be a symptom of an abnormality of the carotid artery or other blood vessel close to the affected ear.

There are many causes of low back pain and in many cases, the cause is unknown even after full evaluation. When a cause can be identified, some of the most common are:

 

• trauma – injuries to bones can lead to fracture; muscle injury, strain and tears are also common and may lead to muscle spasm

• disc disease – one or more discs may bulge out of its normal location between spinal bones; this is also called a herniated disc or “slipped disc”

• osteoarthritis (also called degenerative joint disease)

• scoliosis

• spinal stenosis – this is a narrowing of the spinal canal, where the spinal cord is located

• nerve compression or irritation – this may complicate any of the conditions above)

Dangerous conditions, such as infection or tumor, are much rarer causes of back pain.

In many cases, low back pain is not caused by a single cause; instead, 2 or more of the conditions noted above contribute to symptoms.

The term "neuropathy" means nerve disease. Polyneuropathy means that multiple nerves in the body are affected. Peripheral neuropathy is a subtype of polyneuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is nerve disease involving branches of nerves that are farthest away from their origins in the spinal cord. For example, peripheral neuropathy most commonly affects the hands or feet. It causes burning, tingling, or numbness.