5 Signs You Might Have a Chronic Disease

They say the best way to determine ones health condition is to consult a doctor because this professional has vast knowledge about human health. Every medical doctor is also equipped with a variety of high-end hospital medical equipments that can detect any abnormalities inside the body, especially for serious conditions wherein the patient experiences no signs or the symptoms are not revealed immediately. But do you know that there are some instances wherein even without using the most basic hospital medical equipment, one can also conclude whether something is abnormal in his or her body through the abnormal changes in ones physical appearance? Yes, that’s true! By merely looking at the appearance of a person or even without using hospital medical equipment, specialized doctor can say if the patient is suffering from a serious illness. Ok let’s start analyzing some of the abnormal changes that might be easily seen in a person's body.

Silvery Hair – This unusual change of a person’s hair is often associated with Griscelli syndrome or partial albinism with immunodeficiency. However, a person with silvery hair might be suffering also from Elejalde’s syndrome or a neuroectodermal melanolysosomal disease that is very common in Mexico.

Redness of Sclera – Sclera is the white outer layer of the eyeball. When this portion turns into red, this is an indication of an eye infection. However, for some instances, redness of sclera is also associated to other chronic diseases like Crohn’s disease, Reiter’s syndrome, Grave’s disease, etc.

Bronze Skin – A person whose skin colors appears in intense or metallic bronze is  often diagnosed with Addison’s disease. This disorder is involves a progressive destruction of the adrenal glands which then results to difficulty of secreting adrenocortical hormones. Bronze skin can also be associated with bronze baby syndrome,  hemochromatosis, chronic renal failure, biliary cirrhosis, or a drug reaction.

Yellow nails – Yellow or jaundice nails is often associated to a fungal infection. However, it can also indicate a more serious condition such as liver disease, lung disease, thyroid disorder, diabetes or psoriasis.

Reddish or “Strawberry” Hands – If the unusual changes of hands color is seen on children, this is often associated to an autoimmune disorder called Kawasaki disease. Inflammation of mid-sized blood vessels are not only seen in hands but throughout the body. Other conditions linked to inflamed hands are Raynaud’s syndrome, chronic liver disease, and other pregnancy-related issues for women.


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Foods that Often Trigger Allergies

Some people are born to have some allergies on foods, others are on the weather. There are also some who are allergic to animal furs while others are to smoke, dust, or even medicines. There are so many types of allergens but the one common factor that triggers ones allergies are foods.

Food Allergy over Food Intoleranc:e:

Food allergy is often misinterpreted as food tolerance and vice versa. So before we proceed to foods that often causes allergy, let’s make a distinction first between these two terms. The condition is called food allergies when the person’s immune system has an abnormal reaction to a certain food. This means that eating even a tiny amount of food could set off an allergic reaction and symptoms could strike within minutes of digestion. However, when the reaction does not affect the immune system, then it is called food intolerance. This simply means that a person can still safely eat a little portion of so called “prohibited” foods.

Common Food Allergies:

Fish

About 7 million Americans are allergic to flesh proteins, which are found in fish. Those who are allergic to cod tend to have allergy in other fish such as hake, pike, carp, and whiting. Sometimes fish allergy is confused with histamine (scomboid) fish poisoning. 

Shellfish

Allergy to shellfish is said to be lifelong. This simply means that when a person develops allergy to shellfish, there is a very little possibility that they will lose it. Shellfish includes crabs, shrimps, lobster, etc. About 60% of those with shellfish allergy would experience an allergic reaction during adulthood.

Eggs

Allergy on eggs usually affects young children. Most allergic reactions associated with egg involve the skin and it is also among the food allergies that are most likely to be outgrown before they reach adulthood. Approximately 1.5% of young children are reported to have allergies on eggs.

Nuts and Legumes

An estimate of 1.8 million Americans are allergic to nuts and legumes, which are primary storage of proteins. Nuts include walnut, almond, hazelnut, coconut, cashew, pistachio, and Brazil nuts. Peanuts, on the other hand, falls under legumes but the proteins present in peanuts are similar in structure to those in nuts. Allergy to peanuts is considered as lifelong.

Milk

This is another allergy-causing food that affects primarily the kids. According to studies, 90% of children with allergy on milk will lose the said aversion by the age of three.

Prevention:

So, are you allergic or your child has allergies on these mentioned foods? Then the surefire way prevent this condition is to stay away from these allergens.