Childhood Brain Tumors

Brain tumors are growths inside your skull. They are among the most common types of childhood cancers. Some are benign tumors, which aren't cancer. They can still be serious. Malignant tumors are cancerous.
Symptoms of a brain tumor might include
Headache
Vomiting and nausea
Personality changes
Depression
Trouble controlling muscles
Seizures
Vision or speech problems
Treatment for children is sometimes different than for an adult. Long-term side effects are an important issue. The options also depend on the type of tumor and where it is. Removal of the tumor is often possible. If not, radiation, chemotherapy or both may be used.

Also called: Colon polyps

Also called: Colon polyps
A polyp is an extra piece of tissue that grows inside your body. Colonic polyps grow in the large intestine, or colon. Most polyps are not dangerous. However, some polyps may turn into cancer or already be cancer. To be safe, doctors remove polyps and test them. Polyps can be removed when a doctor examines the inside of the large intestine during a colonoscopy.
Anyone can get polyps, but certain people are more likely than others. You may have a greater chance of getting polyps if you
Are over age 50
Have had polyps before
Have a family member with polyps
Have a family history of colon cancer
Most colon polyps do not cause symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include blood on your underwear or on toilet paper after a bowel movement, blood in your stool, or constipation or diarrhea lasting more than a week.

Eye Cancer

Cancer of the eye is uncommon. It can affect the outer parts of the eye, such as the eyelid, which are made up of muscles, skin and nerves. If the cancer starts inside the eyeball it's called intraocular cancer. The most common intraocular cancers in adults are melanoma and lymphoma. The most common eye cancer in children is retinoblastoma, which starts in the cells of the retina. Cancer can also spread to the eye from other parts of the body.
Treatment for eye cancer varies by the type and by how advanced it is. It may include surgery, radiation therapy, freezing or heat therapy, or laser therapy.

Gallbladder Cancer

Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ under your liver. It stores bile, a fluid made by your liver to digest fat. As your stomach and intestines digest food, your gallbladder releases bile through a tube called the common bile duct. The duct connects your gallbladder and liver to your small intestine.
Cancer of the gallbladder is rare. It is more common in women and Native Americans. Symptoms include
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
Pain above the stomach
Fever
Nausea and vomiting
Bloating
Lumps in the abdomen
It is hard to diagnose gallbladder cancer in its early stages. Sometimes doctors find it when they remove the gallbladder for another reason. But people with gallstones rarely have gallbladder cancer. Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat gallbladder cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

Also called: Gastric cancer

Also called: Gastric cancer
Stomach cancer mostly affects older people – two-thirds of people who have it are over age 65. Your risk of getting it is also higher if you
Have had a Helicobacter pylori infection
Have had stomach inflammation
Are a man
Eat lots of salted, smoked, or pickled foods
Smoke cigarettes
Have a family history of stomach cancer
It is hard to diagnose stomach cancer in its early stages. Indigestion and stomach discomfort can be symptoms of early cancer, but other problems can cause the same symptoms. In advanced cases, there may be blood in your stool, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, jaundice or trouble swallowing.
Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat stomach cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

Intestinal Cancer

Also called: Duodenal cancer, Ileal cancer, Jejunal cancer, Small intestine cancer
Your small intestine is part of your digestive system. It is a long tube that connects your stomach to your large intestine. Intestinal cancer is rare, but eating a high-fat diet or having Crohn's disease, celiac disease, or a history of colonic polyps can increase your risk.
Abdominal pain or lumps, weight loss for no reason or blood in the stool can be symptoms. Imaging tests that create pictures of the small intestine and the area around it can help diagnose intestinal cancer and show whether it has spread.
Surgery is the most common treatment. Additional options include chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

Also called: Glioma, Meningioma

Also called: Glioma, Meningioma
There are two main types of brain cancer. Primary brain cancer starts in the brain. Metastatic brain cancer starts somewhere else in the body and moves to the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow quickly.
Brain tumors can cause many symptoms. Some of the most common are
Headaches, usually worse in the morning
Nausea and vomiting
Changes in your ability to talk, hear or see
Problems with balance or walking
Problems with thinking or memory
Muscle jerking or twitching
Numbness or tingling in arms or legs
No one knows the exact causes of brain tumors. Doctors can seldom explain why one person develops a brain tumor and another does not.

Liver Cancer

Also called: Hepatocellular carcinoma
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It filters harmful substances from the blood, digests fats from food and stores the sugar that your body uses for energy. Primary liver cancer starts in the liver. Metastatic liver cancer starts somewhere else and spreads to your liver.
Risk factors for primary liver cancer include
Having hepatitis
Having cirrhosis, or scarring of liver
Being male
Low weight at birth
Symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms and the cancer may not be found until it is advanced. This makes it harder to treat. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or liver transplantation.

Kidney Cancer

Also called: Hypernephroma, Renal cancer
You have two kidneys. They are fist-sized organs on either side of your backbone above your waist. The tubes inside filter and clean your blood, taking out waste products and making urine. Kidney cancer forms in the lining of tiny tubes inside your kidneys. It happens most often in people over 40. Risk factors include smoking, having certain genetic conditions and misusing pain medicines for a long time.
Often, kidney cancer doesn't have early symptoms. However, see your health care provider if you notice
Blood in your urine
A lump in your abdomen
Unexplained weight loss
Pain in your side
Loss of appetite
Treatment depends on your age, your overall health and how advanced the cancer is. It might include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or biologic therapy. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer.

Leukemia, Adult Chronic

Also called: CLL, CML
Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells. White blood cells help your body fight infection. Your blood cells form in your bone marrow. In leukemia, however, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells. These cells crowd out the healthy blood cells, making it hard for blood to do its work.
Leukemia can develop quickly or slowly. Acute leukemia develops quickly. Chronic leukemia develops slowly. It usually occurs during or after middle age. At first, the abnormal cells still function. Eventually, however, the disease gets worse. It might cause
Infections
Fever
Weight loss
Swollen lymph nodes
Tiredness
You can often control chronic leukemia, but it is hard to cure. You might not need immediate treatment if you don't have symptoms. Treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy, surgery or stem cell transplantation.

AIDS

Also called: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, HIV, Human immunodeficiency virus
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the most advanced stages of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is a virus that kills or damages cells of the body's immune system.
HIV most often spreads through unprotected sex with an infected person. AIDS may also spread by sharing drug needles or through contact with the blood of an infected person. Women can give it to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth.
The first signs of HIV infection may be swollen glands and flu-like symptoms. These may come and go a month or two after infection. Severe symptoms may not appear until months or years later.
A blood test can tell if you have HIV infection. Your health care provider can perform the test, or call the national referral hotline at 1-800-CDC-INFO (24 hours a day, 1-800-232-4636 in English and en español; 1-888-232-6348 - TTY).
There is no cure, but there are many medicines to fight both HIV infection and the infections and cancers that come with it. People can live with the disease for many years.

Immunization

Also called: Vaccination
Shots may hurt a little... but the diseases they can prevent can hurt a lot more! Immunization shots, or vaccinations, are essential. They protect against things like measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). Immunizations are important for adults as well as for children. Here's why.
Your immune system helps your body fight germs by producing substances to combat them. Once it does, the immune system "remembers" the germ and can fight it again. Vaccines contain germs that have been killed or weakened. When given to a healthy person, the vaccine triggers the immune system to respond and thus build immunity.
Before vaccines, people became immune only by actually getting a disease and surviving it. Immunizations are an easier and less risky way to become immune

AIDS and Infections

Also called: AIDS-related opportunistic infections, OIs
Having AIDS weakens your body's immune system. Your immune system normally fights germs that enter your body. When AIDS makes it weak, it can't fight germs well. This can lead to serious infections that don't often affect healthy people. These are called opportunistic infections (OIs).
There are many types of OIs. Tuberculosis and a serious related disease, mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) are bacterial infections. Viral infections include cytomegalovirus (CMV) and hepatitis C. Fungi cause thrush (candidiasis), cryptococcal meningitis, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and histoplasmosis, and parasites cause crypto (cryptosporidiosis) and toxo (toxoplasmosis).
Having AIDS can make any infection harder to treat. People with AIDS are also more likely to suffer complications of common illnesses such as the flu.
The good news is that you can help prevent infections by taking your AIDS medicines. Other things that can help include practicing safe sex, washing your hands well and often and cooking your food well.

Animal Diseases and Your Health

Also called: Zoonoses
Animal diseases that people can catch are called zoonoses. About 75 percent of the new diseases affecting humans in the past decade can be traced to animals or animal products. You can get a disease directly from an animal, or indirectly, through the environment.
Farm animals can carry diseases. If you touch them or things they have touched, like fencing or buckets, wash your hands thoroughly. Adults should make sure children who visit farms or petting zoos wash up as well.
Pets can also make you sick. Reptiles pose a particular risk. Turtles, snakes and iguanas can transmit Salmonella" />bacteria to their owners. You can get rabies from an infected dog or toxoplasmosis from handling kitty litter of an infected cat. The chance that your dog or cat will make you sick is small. You can reduce the risk by practicing good personal hygiene, keeping pet areas clean and keeping your pets' shots up-to-date.

Animal Bites

Also called: Cat bites, Dog bites
Wild animals usually avoid people. They might attack, however, if they feel threatened, are sick, or are protecting their young or territory. Attacks by pets are more common. Animal bites rarely are life-threatening, but if they become infected, you can develop serious medical problems.
To prevent animal bites and complications from bites
Never pet, handle or feed unknown animals
Leave snakes alone
Watch your children closely around animals
Vaccinate your cats, ferrets and dogs against rabies
Spay or neuter your dog to make it less aggressive
Get a tetanus booster if you have not had one recently
Wear boots and long pants when you are in areas with venomous snakes If an animal bites you, give the wound prompt attention and clean it well. Get medical attention if necessary.

Knee Injuries and Disorders

Knee Injuries and Disorders

Your knee joint is made up of bone, cartilage, ligaments and fluid. Muscles and tendons help the knee joint move. When any of these structures is hurt or diseased, you have knee problems. Knee problems can cause pain and difficulty walking.
Arthritis is the most common disease that affects bones in your knees. The cartilage in the knee gradually wears away, causing pain and swelling. Injuries to ligaments and tendons also cause knee problems. A common injury is to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). You usually injure your ACL by a sudden twisting motion. ACL and other knee injuries are common sports injuries.
Treatment of knee problems depends on the cause. In some cases your doctor may recommend knee replacement.

Back Injuries

Back Injuries

Your back is an intricate structure of bones, muscles, and other tissues extending from your neck to your pelvis. Back injuries can result from sports injuries, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident. The lower back is the most common site of back injuries and back pain. Common back injuries include
Sprains and strains
Herniated disks
Fractured vertebrae
These injuries can cause pain and limit your movement. Treatments vary but might include medicines, icing, bed rest, physical therapy or surgery. You might be able to prevent some back injuries by maintaining a healthy weight, lifting objects with your legs and using lower-back support when you sit.

Spider Bites

Spider Bites

Though many people are afraid of spiders, they rarely bite people unless threatened. Most spider bites are harmless. Occasionally, spider bites can cause allergic reactions. And bites by the venomous black widow and brown recluse spiders can be very dangerous to people.
If you are bitten by a spider, you may see a reaction similar to that of a bee sting, including redness, pain and swelling at the site. To treat a spider bite:
Wash the area well with soap and water
Apply an ice pack or a wet compress to the area
Take over-the-counter pain medicine, if needed
Consider using antihistamines for severe swelling
Seek medical treatment for small children and adults with severe symptoms

Concussion

Concussion

Also called: Brain concussion
A concussion is a type of brain injury. It's the most minor form. Technically, a concussion is a short loss of normal brain function in response to a head injury, but people use the term to describe any minor injury to the head or brain. Concussions are a common type of sports injury. You can also suffer from one if you suffer a blow to the head or hit your head after a fall.
After a concussion, you may have a headache or neck pain. You may also experience nausea, ringing in your ears, dizziness, or tiredness. You may feel dazed or not your normal self for several days or weeks after the injury. Consult your health professional if you notice any of your symptoms getting worse, or if you have more serious symptoms such as seizures or trouble walking or sleeping.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury

Also called: Acquired brain injury, Head injury, Head trauma, TBI
Every year, millions of people in the U.S. sustain head and brain injuries. More than half are bad enough that people must go to the hospital. The worst injuries can lead to permanent brain damage or death.
Half of all TBIs are due to motor vehicle accidents. Military personnel are also at risk. Symptoms of a TBI may not appear until days or weeks following the injury. Serious traumatic brain injuries need emergency treatment.
Treatment and outcome depend on the injury. TBI can cause a wide range of changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, or emotions. TBI can be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. People with severe injuries usually need rehabilitation

Fractures

Fractures

Also called: Broken bone
A fracture is a break, usually in a bone. If the broken bone punctures the skin, it is called an open or compound fracture. Fractures commonly happen because of car accidents, falls or sports injuries. Another cause is osteoporosis, which causes weakening of the bones. Overuse can cause stress fractures, which are very small cracks in the bone.
Symptoms of a fracture are
Out-of-place or misshapen limb or joint
Swelling, bruising or bleeding
Intense pain
Numbness and tingling
Limited mobility or inability to move a limb
You need to get medical care right away for any fracture. You may need to wear a cast or splint. Sometimes you need surgery to put in plates, pins or screws to keep the bone in place.

Leukodystrophies

Leukodystrophies

The leukodystrophies are rare diseases that affect the cells of the brain. Specifically, the diseases affect the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects nerve cells. Damage to this sheath slows down or blocks messages between the brain and the rest of the body. This leads to problems with
Movement
Speaking
Vision
Hearing
Mental and physical development
Most of the leukodystrophies are genetic. They usually appear during infancy or childhood. They can be hard to detect early because children seem healthy at first. However, symptoms gradually get worse over time.
There are no cures for any of the leukodystrophies. Medicines, speech therapy and physical therapy might help with symptoms. Researchers are testing bone marrow transplantation as a treatment for some of the leukodystrophies.

Obesity in Children

Obesity in Children

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what is considered healthy for his or her height. Children grow at different rates, so it isn't always easy to know when a child is obese or overweight. Ask your doctor to measure your child's height and weight to determine if he or she is in a healthy range.
If a weight-loss program is necessary, involve the whole family in healthy habits so your child doesn't feel singled out. You can encourage healthy eating by serving more fruits and vegetables and buying fewer sodas and high-calorie, high-fat snack foods. Physical activity can also help your child overcome obesity or being overweight. Kids need about 60 minutes each day.