Posts Tagged ‘family history’

Dr. Samadi of Mt. Sinai Medical Center discusses lung cancer. it is the leading cause of death among men. The number of cases are decreasing because of smoking awareness programs but smoking is the #1 risk factor. Secondhand smoke is also critical. Exposure to radon is also a factor. It exists in water sources in basements. Air pollution and air chemicals, such as benzenes, asbestos and organic chemicals, are also dangerous. Certain pills or vitamins that contain beta-carotene may increase risk of lung cancer. Samadi advises people to quit smoking, avoid 2nd hand smoke, get radon level checked, manage exposure to chemicals, maintain a good diet with fruits and vegetables and reduce alcohol consumption. If there is a family history, get checked, as only 20% of lung cancer cases are detected early enough.

I have anemia because my blood doesn’t contain enough hemoglobin and lately I’ve been noticing a lot of weight loss. I lost ten pounds within a period of about five days. Is my anemia causing this or could it be something else?

I have a family history of heart problems and I personally have a lot of blood problems too. In addition to anemia, I have a low white blood cell count.

My mother had it and i’m wonder if i have it too. The other thing that I could have is maladaptive daydreaming, which i think, is much better. I’m starting to think i def have something sadly. Maladaptive daydreaming seems to be a friggen perfect match but because of family history I just wanna know what the signs are of schizophrenia at the very beginning.

I want to start by saying "I will be going to the Dr. I’m just doing a bit of research b4 I go in" Here’s my problem so far; I’m having pain in Between my breasts, centered in the upper middle. It hurts to talk or move certain ways at times also. I am also feeling pain in my middle to upper back along with being very tired. I feel as if I have not slept for days. My heart is NOT beating weird or anything like that, my Pulse it about 80 per min. which is right for me. I am 100 pounds and 5’4" tall. I eat good, even though i’m a small girl. I do smoke, I don’t drink nor do I do drugs. My family history is not to good when it comes to heart disease. My dad has angina (not sure how that’s spelled, but its a heart disease) and has had a couple heart attacks. My Mom has had a massive stroke also. More of the heart problems accor on my dad’s side of the family. Well, this is all I can think of for now and I hope that you can give me some kind of insight on what it might be. Thank you.
I also wanted to add that its nothing like heart burn or acid reflex, gerd, its not like those types of feelings. Also the pain is not on the outside, its more like the inside I feel it.

What is Huntington’s Disease?
Huntington’s disease (HD) results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene. If a child does not inherit the HD gene, he or she will not develop the disease and cannot pass it to subsequent generations. A person who inherits the HD gene will sooner or later develop the disease. Whether one child inherits the gene has no bearing on whether others will or will not inherit the gene. Some early symptoms of HD are mood swings, depression, irritability or trouble driving, learning new things, remembering a fact, or making a decision. As the disease progresses, concentration on intellectual tasks becomes increasingly difficult and the patient may have difficulty feeding himself or herself and swallowing. The rate of disease progression and the age of onset vary from person to person. A genetic test, coupled with a complete medical history and neurological and laboratory tests, helps physicians diagnose HD. Presymptomic testing is available for individuals who are at risk for carrying the HD gene. In 1 to 3 percent of individuals with HD, no family history of HD can be found.

Is there any treatment?
Physicians prescribe a number of medications to help control emotional and movement problems associated with HD. Most drugs used to treat the symptoms of HD have side effects such as fatigue, restlessness, or hyperexcitability. It is extremely important for people with HD to maintain physical fitness as much as possible, as individuals who exercise and keep active tend to do better than those who do not.

What is the prognosis?
At this time, there is no way to stop or reverse the course of HD. Now that the HD gene has been located, investigators are continuing to study the HD gene with an eye toward understanding how it cause disease in the human body.