h4. INTRODUCTION AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases ...

h4. Health care use h4. Hospice care # Number of current patients with Alzheimer's as primary diagnosis: 7,900 # Percent of current patients with Alzheimer's as primary diagnosis: 7.5 _Source: 2000 National Home and Hospice Care Survey, table 12_ h4. Nursing home care # Number of residents with Alzheimer's: 231,900 # Percent of residents with Alzheimer's: 14 # Average length of ...

h4. Introduction Serious forgetfulness, mood swings, and other behavioral changes are not a normal part of aging. They may be caused by poor diet, lack of sleep, or too many medicines, for example. Feelings of loneliness, boredom, or depression also can cause forgetfulness. These problems are serious and should be treated. Often they can be reversed. Sometimes, however, mental changes are ...

h4. Introduction Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the more they learn about AD, the more they become aware of the important function genes* play in the development of this devastating disease. h4. Genes All living things are made up of basic units called cells, which are so tiny that you can only see them ...

h4. Introduction Until recently, most neuroscientists thought we were born with all the neurons we were ever going to have. As children we might produce some new neurons to help build the pathways - called neural circuits - that act as information highways between different areas of the brain. But scientists believed that once a neural circuit was in place, adding ...

h4. Question: I have heard that aluminum may be involved in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. Does use of aluminum cookware and drinking from aluminum beverage cans place me at greater risk for developing this disease. Answer: Aluminum is one of the most abundant elements found in the environment. Therefore, human exposure to this metal is common and unavoidable. However, intake ...

Five prescription drugs currently are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Treating the symptoms of AD can provide patients with comfort, dignity, and independence for a longer period of time and can encourage and assist their caregivers as well. It is important to understand that none of these ...

Introduction Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which initially involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Although scientists are learning more every day, right now they still do not know what causes AD, ...

_allergen_: substance that causes an allergic reaction _allergenic_: describes a substance which produces an allergic reaction _antibody_:molecule tailor-made by the immune system to lock onto and destroy specific germs _basophils_:white blood cells that contribute to inflammatory reactions _conjunctivitis_: inflammation of the lining of the eyelid, causing red-rimmed, swollen eyes, and crusting of the eyelids _genes_: units of genetic material that carry ...

Research on allergies is focused on understanding what happens to the human body during the allergic process, the sequence of events leading to the allergic response and the factors responsible for allergic diseases. Scientists supported by NIAID found that, during the first years of their lives, children raised in a house with two or more dogs or cats may be less ...

h4. Medicines If you cannot adequately avoid airborne allergens, your symptoms often can be controlled by medicines. You can buy medicines without a prescription that can relieve allergy symptoms. If, however, they don’t give you relief or they cause unwanted side effects such as sleepiness, your health care provider can prescribe antihistamines and topical nasal steroids. You can use either medicine ...

h4. Avoidance h4. Pollen and Molds Complete avoidance of allergenic pollen or mold means moving to a place where the offending substance does not grow and where it is not present in the air. Even this extreme solution may offer only temporary relief because a person sensitive to a specific pollen or mold may develop allergies to new allergens after repeated ...

People with allergy symptoms, such as the runny nose of allergic rhinitis, may at first suspect they have a cold, but the “cold” lingers on. Testing for allergies is the best way to find out if a person is allergic. h4. Skin tests Allergists (doctors who specialize in allergic diseases) use skin tests to determine whether a person has IgE antibodies ...

Household pets are the most common source of allergic reactions to animals. Many people think that pet allergy is provoked by the fur of cats and dogs. Researchers have found, however, that the major allergens are proteins in the saliva. These proteins stick to the fur when the animal licks itself. Urine is also a source of allergy-causing proteins, as is ...

Dust mite allergy is an allergy to a microscopic organism that lives in the dust found in all dwellings and workplaces. House dust, as well as some house furnishings, contains microscopic mites. Dust mites are perhaps the most common cause of perennial allergic rhinitis. House dust mite allergy usually produces symptoms similar to pollen allergy and also can produce symptoms of ...

h4. What is mold? There are thousands of types of molds and yeasts in the fungus family. Yeasts are single cells that divide to form clusters. Molds are made of many cells that grow as branching threads called hyphae. Although both can probably cause allergic reactions, only a small number of molds are widely recognized offenders. The seeds or reproductive pieces ...

Each spring, summer, and fall, tiny pollen grains are released from trees, weeds, and grasses. These grains hitch rides on currents of air. Although the mission of pollen is to fertilize parts of other plants, many never reach their targets. Instead, pollen enters human noses and throats, triggering a type of seasonal allergic rhinitis called pollen allergy. Many people know this ...

h4. Introduction Despite efforts made in 1962 and 1988 to better define the clinical parameters of migraine, concepts of the basic pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the disease have remained essentially unchanged until the last decade. Therapeutic efforts concentrated on countering the vasodilatory status of the cerebral circulation to which was attributed the clinical manifestations of migraine. During the past decade, however, ...

h4. Introduction While there have been sporadic reports of adverse reactions to latex products since the 1920's, there has been an unprecedented increase in the prevalence of latex allergies since the late 1980's. After the first North American reports of allergic reactions to latex in 1989, an alarming number of cases were reported to the Food & Drug Administration, including 15 ...

h4. What is hematuria? Hematuria is the presence of red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine. In microscopic hematuria, the urine appears normal to the naked eye, but examination with a microscope shows a high number of RBCs. Gross hematuria can be seen with the naked eye�the urine is red or the color of cola. h4. What causes hematuria? Several conditions ...