AtoZ Diseases

Red blood cell production takes place in the bone marrow, and depends substantially on two vitamins, vitamin B 12 and folic acid. Your body absorbs these vitamins from certain foods . If you do not get enough of either vitamin, red blood cell production falls. Also, those red blood cells that are formed are defective. The result is one of these forms of anemia.In North America, nearly everyone’s diet contains sufficient quantities of B 12 . A deficiency of the vitamin usually occurs because your body cannot absorb it. In a healthy person the liver contains reserves of vitamin B 12 . If you develop an inability to absorb B12′ your body will eventually deplete these reserves and anemia will develop.

There are various reasons why some people cannot absorb B 12 . Your body normally absorbs B 12 from the lower small intestine. But before this can occur the vitamin must combine in the stomach with a special substance known as intrinsic factor, which is secreted by the stomach lining. In some people, for reasons that are not fully understood, the stomach lining stops secreting enough intrinsic factor. Without it, sufficient quantities of vitamin B 12 cannot be absorbed. This is the most common type of B 12 deficiency, and it is called pernicious anemia.

If you have had some forms of digestivetract surgery, your body’s ability to absorb B 12 may be reduced, sometimes to the point where it cannot absorb any of the vitamin.

Folic acid deficiency is usually due to inadequate amounts of the vitamin in the diet. Folic acid is generally supplied by green vegetables. Your body cannot build large reserves of this vitamin, so any deficiency shows up within a few weeks as a form of anemia called folic acid deficiency. If you have celiac disease you are also susceptible to folic acid deficiency because you cannot absorb sufficient amounts of folic acid, even if it is plentiful in your diet. Finally, there are some people who have an increased requirement for folic acid, and they need more of the vitamin than an ordinary diet provides.

Both types of anemia produce the symptoms associated with anemia in general, but B I2 deficiency anemia is more serious, because B 12 is vital to the maintenance of the nervous system as well as to the production of red blood cells. Deficiency of B I2 therefore damages the brain and spinal cord, which causes additional symptoms.

What are the Symptoms?

The main symptoms of B 12 and folic acid deficiency anemia are those of other anemias. They include paleness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and palpitations, or heart fluttering, particularly if you exert yourself. In both disorders, your mouth and tongue may be sore, and your skin may become yellow in color. If the spinal cord is affected by B 12 deficiency, you may not be able to walk or keep your balance properly, and you may feel continuous tingling in your hands and feet. You may also suffer some memory loss, confusion and depression.

Pernicious anemia, the most common type of B 12 deficiency, is equally common in men and women, and rare before the age of 40. If you have a close relative who has pernicious anemia, you have a greater than average risk of contracting it. Folic acid deficiency is somewhat more common than B 12 deficiency. It often occurs in elderly people, who may live on a poor diet. It also occurs in pregnant women, who need extra supplies of the vitamin for the developing baby. It is particularly common in cases of severe alcoholism, because alcoholics often do not eat properly.

What are the Risks?

If you have B I2 or folic acid deficiency anemia, and if it is treated promptly, you will probably recover completely. If you do not obtain prompt treatment for B 12 deficiency anemia you risk permanent damage to your spinal cord and, to a lesser extent, irreversible intellectual impairment.

What should be done?

If you have symptoms of anemia, see your physician. If your movement, balance or memory are also affected, make the appointment without delay. Be sure to tell the physician if you have a close relative who has pernicious anemia. Tests on a blood sample can usually establish whether or not you have either of these vitamin deficiencies. But if you have one of them, the underlying cause usually can be determined only by examining the results of further tests.

What is the Treatment?

Once your ability to absorb vitamin B 12 through the digestive tract has been lost, it can never be regained. Treatment of pernicious anemia and other types of B 12 deficiency consists of a life-long series of vitamin B 12 injections. You may eventually be able to give them to yourself. It is important that you do not miss an injection; if you do, your symptoms will return. Problems with walking and balancing may take several months to improve. If these symptoms existed for a long time before treatment began, they may never disappear completely.

Folic acid deficiency that is caused by an inadequate diet can be cleared up completely. At first, your physician Ayres acid tablets. After that, you will probably be told how to make sure that your diet contains adequate amounts of the vitamin. If the deficiency is caused by a failure to absorb normal quantities of folic acid, or by an increased requirement for it, extra folic acid may be prescribed in tablet form for an indefinite period.

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Bronchiectasis is the enlargement or distortion of one or more of the bronchi, or main air passages into the lungs, often as a result of frequent infections in childhood. The disorder takes years to develop. It leads to impaired drainage of the fluid that is normally secreted by bronchial cells, and this fluid may then remain in the lungs where it will then become stagnant. The stagnant fluid can lead to further infection.

What are the Symptoms?

The main symptom of bronchiectasis is a frequent cough that brings up large quantities of green or yellow phlegm, or sputum, which sometimes is spotted with blood. The quantity of phlegm generally increases when you change position. This is especially true when you lie down.

If you have bronchiectasis, you are susceptible to repeated infections of the lung when you catch an ordinary cold. You may also have chronically bad breath.

What are the Risks?

Bronchiectasis is rare because many childhood infections that caused the disorder, such as sinusitis and the chest infections that often followed measles or whooping cough, now can be prevented by immunization or effectively treated with antibiotics. Similarly, tuberculosis, which also damages the lungs, has become extremely rare. Even people who have bronchiectasis can usually lead normal lives. They owe this to the effectiveness of antibiotics, which are usually given at the first sign of further infection.

If bronchiectasis is treated when the symptoms first appear, there is little danger.

What should be done?

If you repeatedly cough up large amounts of green or yellow phlegm, consult your physician, who will probably listen to your chest with a stethoscope and may also want you to have a chest X-ray and a bronchoscopy, a procedure in which an instrument called a bronchoscope is used to examine your bronchi. The results of these tests will help your physician to make a diagnosis.

What is the Treatment?

Self-help: There is nothing you can do until bronchiectasis has been diagnosed. If you find that you have the condition, make a special effort to avoid getting colds and sore throats. Do not smoke, and stay out of smoke-filled rooms. If the lower part of your lung is infected, as it probably is if you have bronchiectasis, your physician probably will tell you about a self-help technique called postural drainage. This is a method of getting rid of bronchial secretions. In this technique, you place yourself so that the bronchus leading to the affected lobe of your lung is upside down. The fluid then drains out, and you can cough it up. Lying on a bed with your head and chest hanging over the edge for five to ten minutes twice a day can help keep your lungs fairly clear.

Professional help: At the first sign of bronchiectasis your physician will probably prescribe an antibiotic and instruct you to take the whole prescription even if the infection seems to clear up. If your condition is very localized, or if a lot of blood is mixed with the phlegm, your physician may advise you to have the affected part of the lung removed. Such surgery is seldom necessary for this condition, however. If it proves to be necessary in your case, your doctor will see that you are admitted to a hospital.

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If part of the mucous membrane that lines the nose becomes distended and protrudes into the nasal cavity, the growth that it forms is known as a nasal polyp. Polyps are caused by overproduction of fluid in the cells of the membrane. This can be caused by a condition such as allergic rhinitis . These polyps are harmless, but a big one or several little ones can obstruct your nasal passages, make breathing difficult, and impair your sense of smell. If the opening between the nasal cavity and one of the sinuses is blocked by a polyp, you may have headaches or pain in the muscles of your face.

What should be done?

If your nose is gradually becoming blocked, you may have nasal polyps. You may be able to see them in a mirror, by shining a light up your nostrils. They look like pearly gray lumps. However, polyps are often at the back of the nose, where you can only see them with a special instrument. If you suspect that you have nasal polyps, you should consult your physician. The only way to treat nasal polyps is to remove them. If the diagnosis is confirmed, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for surgery. This minor operation is usually done under local anesthetic. Sometimes both the polyps and the lining of the sinuses where they originate must be removed. In these cases, more extensive surgery that is performed under a general anesthetic is required.

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Your body needs a constant supply of oxygen to stay alive. It also needs to dispose of carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism. In your lungs oxygen from the air you breathe is transferred to your blood and carbon dioxide is released from the blood. The blood transports the oxygen to all parts of your body. The carbon dioxide is exhaled. When the blood has less oxygen and lots of carbon dioxide in it, the heart pumps it back to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries.The bronchus, or main airway that leads into each lung, divides into smaller and smaller airways called bronchioles. Each bronchiole ends in a cluster of tiny air-sacs called alveoli. Each alveolus contains several small capillaries. The walls of those capillaries are thin enough to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to move between the air and the blood. There are millions of alveoli in each lung.

Your lungs are especially vulnerable to particles floating in the air. Bacteria that cause disorders like pneumonia irritants such as tobacco smoke, which can cause lung cancer and, in some people, airborne allergens, which cause asthma or farmer’s lung can all interfere with lung functions.

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