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.


image source: google image search engine

Understanding the Disease that Ended Steve Jobs Life

It is already SOP in the blogger world to tackle issues that are in current trend so, I decided to write about what to expect when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - the disease that ultimately claimed the life of Apple CEO and founder, Steve Jobs.

By the way, let me give you first some insights about pancreas and its importance to our digestive system. The pancreas is the pear-shaped organ measuring about 6 inches long that lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It has two important roles played - to produce enzymes that are essential for metabolism and to produce hormones like insulin and glucagon, which ensures a balanced blood sugar level.

image source:medicineworld.org/news/pancreasnews.html

The pancreas is just one of the organs in the digestive system that is susceptible for an abnormal growth of cells or tumors. These tumors may come in various forms or characteristics. Some tumors are benign while others are malignant. There are also tumors that are common while others are rare. And in the case of Steve Jobs, medical practitioners who often come in a white lab coat and a littmann stethoscope hanging on their neck found a rare form of pancreatic tumor in the endocrine gland - the part of the pancreas that is responsible for producing insulin. What makes neuroendocrine pancreatic tumor rare is that is only 1 out of 100,000 people had this type of disease. Aside from that, the abnormal cell grows slowly and less aggressive, which is deemed as among that reasons why Steve Jobs was able to live 6 years longer the moment he was diagnosed.

What causes pancreatic cancer?

According to healthcare professionals who basic medical instrument is a littmann stethoscope, people who are at risk to develop pancreatic cancer are those with:

1. Damaged DNA mutation. This can be bother inherited from the parents or acquired as the person age 
2. Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas. Although the reason is not yet clear, but chronic pancreatitis can lead to abnormal growth of cells in the pancreas.
3. Diabetes. It appears to be a symptom for pancreatic cancer.
4. Poor lifestyle. Eating fatty or carcinogenic foods, smoking cigarettes are just some unhealthy lifestyle habits that increases the risk for pancreatic cancer
5. Chemical exposure. People who are exposed to hazardous chemicals like gasoline have bigger chances of developing pancreatic cancer.

What to expect when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer?

Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer can only be seen/felt by the patient when the tumor has grown and spread out of the pancreas. The common signs and symptoms include:

1. Yellowing of the skin, gums, and white of the eyes
2. Constant lower back pain
3. Sudden weight loss
4. Loss of appetite
5. Generalized body malaise or the feeling of weakness and discomfort
6. Feeling of sickness in the stomach characterized by an urge to vomit

Simple Steps to Avoid Listeria

Listeriosis, an infection obtained from eating foods tainted by a bacterium called listeria monocytogenes, is dubbed as the leading cause of food-borne outbreak in the US for almost a decade now. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent statistics on listeriosis case, 13 people have already been killed and more than 73 were still infected.

The bacterium listeria monocytogenes is found in both soil and water. The disease causing bacterium travels through the soil and manure, which causes contamination on root crops vegetables. The recent listeria outbreak in the US has been traced that the contaminated cantaloupes produced by Jensen Farms in Colorado were blamed for the deaths of 13 people and illnesses of 73 other people. So the department of health strictly warned the consumers to be cautious when buying melons and verify them if they comes from Jensen Farms. But aside from root crops and vegetables, animals can also carry the bacterium. Hence; there is a big possibility that the meat and dairy products from these animals could also be tainted.

Exposure to listeriosis can be prevented if everyone will only take some precautions such as:

Avoid eating raw or partially cooked food from animal sources.

Wash the root crops, vegetables, and fruits thoroughly before storing, cooking or eating.

Avoid unpasteurized milk or those foods made from raw milk.

Use separate knives, utensils, and cutting boards for meat and vegetables.

Consume first perishable and ready-to-eat foods.

Ensure proper storage of food in the refrigerator; uncooked meat should be separated from vegetables and cooked foods.

Always wash hands before and after handling raw or uncooked foods.

By keeping these simple tips in your mind, your chances of acquiring listeria is definitely reduced.

Bronchopneumonia: The Disease that Caused the Death of Rock Legend Freddie Mercury

Today is supposedly Freddie Mercury’s 65^th birthday. So as a tribute, Google Doodle honored him by providing an animated video that appears over the Google logo featuring one of Queen’s greatest hits “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist of rock band Queen, is just one of the few rock legends that I love. His ostentatious stage character and powerful vocals over a four-octave range made him famous around the globe. He was also a popular songwriter who composed some of Queen’s hit songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and We Are the Champion. In addition to his work, Mercury also led a solo career and occasionally served as a producer and guest musicians to other artists.

Despite his successful career in music industry, Freddie Mercury left his avid fans so soon. He died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45 due to bronchopneumonia. According to medical doctors who are primarily authorized to use the littmann stethoscope, such disease that caused Freddie Mercury’s early death was induced by HIV/AIDS.

The Disease that Causes Freddie Mercury’s Death

Bronchopneumonia is an acute inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria and considered as one of the most common death causing diseases brought by infection. The bacteria that primarily affect the bronchi (air passages of the lungs) and alveoli (air sacs) are usually acquired in the community. The most common bacteria that cause pneumonia are called streptococcus pneumoniae. But there are also other types of bacteria that could induce the said disease and this includes mycoplasma pneumoniae, haemophilus influenza, moraxella catarrhalis, and chlamydia pneumoniae.

The photos below compare the appearance of a healthy person's lungs and the lungs of a person with bronchopneumonia.

each healthy lung, which is 10-14 inches long, appears pink and sponge-like. the whole lungs have 2 large air passages called bronchi that lead to the right and left lung, 22 smaller tubes to reach the 100,000 very smallest tubes, and 1,000,00o alveoli or air sacs that looks like a cluster of grapes.

this is a closer view of lung that is infected by streptococcus pneumoniae, which invade the spaces between cells and between alveoli or air sacs through connecting pores.

How does Bronchopneumonia occur?

diagram source: wikipedia.org

Bacteria causing bronchopneumonia are usually transmitted through airborne droplets. When the bacteria from airborne droplets are inhaled by a person, they will reside in the upper respiratory tract such as nose, mouth, and sinuses. From that location, it is very easy for the bacteria to reach the alveoli and damage the spaces between air sacs through connecting pores as well as the spaces between cells. The invasion of bacteria causing bronchopneumonia induces the immune system to send neutrophils (a defensive white blood cell) to the lungs, which engulf and kill the offending organisms. Aside from that, cytokines are also released and this leads to general activation of the immune system. The neutrophils, bacteria, and fluid from surrounding blood vessels fill the alveoli and hinder oxygenation. And this abnormal transport of oxygen will result to death.

Risk Factors and Prevention

People who are at risk for this type of bacterial pneumonia are usually adults; those who are smoking; people with immunologic deficiency syndrome (which is the case of Mercury); and individuals who have long-term health conditions like heart failure, liver failure, diabetes, or lung disease.

In terms of preventative measure, this disease can now be avoided through vaccines like Pneumovax and Pnu-immune. These vaccines, which are intended for adults, help prevent infections caused by streptococcus pneumoniae. Meanwhile for children, a vaccine called Prevnar is also given for the prevention of pneumococcal disease.