Author: fitness-expert

Graves-Basedow disease is a form of thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder that stimulates the thyroid gland, being the most common cause of hyperthyroidism (overactivity of the thyroid). Also known in the English-speaking world simply as Graves’ disease, it occurs most frequently in women (8:1 compared to men) of middle age. Symptoms include fatigue, weight loss and rapid heart beat. Because similar antibodies to those stimulating the thyroid also affect the eye, eye symptoms are also commonly reported. Treatment is with medication that reduces the production of thyroid hormone (thyroxin), or with radioactive iodine if refractory. Signs and symptoms Graves-Basedow disease is…

Goodpasture’s syndrome (also known as Goodpasture’s disease and anti-glomerular basement membrane disease or anti-GBM disease) was first described by Ernest Goodpasture in 1919. It is an rare condition characterised by rapid destruction of the kidneys and haemorrhaging of the lungs. Although many diseases can present with these symptoms, the name Goodpasture’s syndrome is usually reserved for the autoimmune disease produced when the patient’s immune system attacks cells presenting the Goodpasture antigen, which are found in the kidney and lung, causing damage to these organs. Signs and symptoms Most patients present with both lung and kidney disease, however, some patients present…

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract and it can involve any part of it – from the mouth to the anus. It typically affects the terminal ileum as well as demarcated areas of large bowel, with other areas of the bowel being relatively unaffected. It is often associated with auto-immune disorders outside the bowel, such as aphthous stomatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Crohn’s disease should not be confused with a non-progressive and non-degenerative digestive disorder called irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is not an autoimmune disease. Ulcerative colitis is a sibling autoimmune disease to Crohn’s but only…

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an immune mediated disease of brain. It usually occurs following a viral infection or vaccination, but it may also appear spontaneously. There are multiple inflammatory cell deposits in the brain, particularly in the section called white matter. Although it occurs in all ages, most reported cases are in children and young adults. It has an abrupt onset and a monophasic course. Symptoms usually begins 1-3 weeks after infection or vaccination. Major symptoms are fever, headache, drowsiness, seizures and coma. Although initially the symptoms are usually mild, later in the course of the disease patients may…

Australia has one of the highest rates of childhood diabetes in the world, according to a study that finds the incidence of the disease has grown about 3 per cent every year over the past 12 years. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease that begins in childhood. It destroys the body’s ability to manufacture insulin, meaning patients have to inject it up to six times a day. There are more than 140,000 children and adults in Australia with the condition and the incidence in growing. Maria Craig from the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney says the study aimed…

Cancer is a group of diseases in which abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, invade nearby tissues, and can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. It develops when DNA (genetic material) becomes damaged due to genetic predisposition, environmental factors, or lifestyle influences, leading to disrupted cell growth regulation. What is Cancer? Cell growth and division (proliferation) are natural processes that occur in the body to replace damaged or dead cells. In healthy tissues, this process is tightly controlled. However, when mutations occur in DNA, the balance between cell growth and cell death is disrupted, potentially leading to cancer. There are…