SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES
Published July 28, 2024 | 
WHAT IS IT?
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections spread through sex. More than 56 million Americans have an STD, and a quarter of all Americans will get one at some time in their lives.
There are more than 20 STDs; we discuss 6 of the most common here. While a few STDs are only minor problems, many are harmful. Some can leave you unable to have children or increase your risk for certain cancers, while others Continue reading
SCABIES
Published July 28, 2024 | WHAT IS IT?
Scabies is a skin disease caused by a tiny mite, a distant cousin of the spider. These mites live only on humans and get under your skin anywhere on your body, but most often in the folds of the skin.
Scabies is not serious, but the itching it brings can be severe. The discomfort is worse at night when you’re resting and more likely to notice the itching, which can make it hard to sleep. If you scratch and break the skin, you may get other skin diseases that are harder to get rid of than scabies. Continue reading
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
Published July 28, 2024 | WHAT IS IT?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection in the organs that enable a woman to have children: the cervix, uterus (womb), fallopian tubes, and ovaries. More than a million women every year, many of them teenagers, have attacks of PID.
It is sometimes called a silent illness because you may have it with no symptoms. Most often, though, it causes a fever and pain low in the abdomen, which may worsen during sex. Continue reading
MONONUCLEOSIS
Published July 28, 2024 | WHAT IS IT?
Just about everyone has heard of “mono.” Mononucleosis is also called the “kissing disease” because we carry the virus that causes it in our saliva. The real name of the disease is infectious mononucleosis. Mono causes fever, chills, sore throat, swollen glands, and headache, much as the flu does. Its hallmark symptom, though, is tiredness-sometimes extreme-that can last for weeks or even months. Continue reading
LICE
Published July 28, 2024 | WHAT IS IT?
Lice-or “cooties,” as children call them-are tiny wingless insects that live on humans and animals (their hosts) and suck their blood. Adult lice, about the size of sesame seeds, range in color from gray to brown. You can see them clearly with a magnifying glass.
Three types infest people: head lice, body lice, and pubic lice (crabs). Each bites your skin, causing extreme itching, and is usually otherwise harmless. But if you scratch, you can break the skin and get other skin infections. In rare cases, lice can pass along typhus, a serious bacterial infection. Continue reading
Blastomycosis
Published April 24, 2024 | Blastomycosis is a chronic infection characterized by a granulomatous and suppurative lesion. It is caused by a single fungal species, blastomyces dermatitidis, which is a thick walled spherical yeast that usually produces single buds. The bud and parent yeast have a characteristically wide base of attachment. The infection is initiated by inhalation of the dimorphic fungus. Dissemination may occur to any organ from the lung, but preferentially to the skin and bones. Continue reading
Malaria
Published April 24, 2024 | Malaria, caused by sporozoa of the genus Plasmodium, has been known since antiquity. Hippocrates, who studied in Egypt, unmistakably described the various forms. At present there are 4 recognized species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale. Malaria infects an estimated 100 - 150 million individuals throughout the world and accounts for just under 1 million deaths annually. Continue reading
PSOAS ABSCESS
Published April 24, 2024 | Psoas abscess in children is uncommon but must be considered in the work- up of the child who presents with a limp
Prior to modern antituberculous therapy, psoas abscesses occurred in up to 20% of patients with spinal tuberculosis. Now psoas abscess in children is uncommon but must be considered in the work- up of the child who presents with a limp, especially if the hip aspiration is nondiagnostic. The psoas is associated closely with all of the major abdominal and pelvic structures. Thus, the psoas is subject to any infectious processes in this region and can provide a pathway for progression into the posterior mediastinum or the anterior thigh. Continue reading