Portal Hypertension Definition Portal hypertension is the medical term for elevated blood pressure with the major vein of the liver, the hepatic portal vein. Although it is most commonly caused by liver cirrhosis, it can be due to a number of other causes that may not even involve the liver. Therefore portal hypertension >> Read More ...
What is Histoplasmosis? Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection of the lung, which may spread throughout the body via the bloodstream, after inhaling the spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Most people who come in contact with the spores do not contract the infection unless they have a weakened immune system or if >> Read More ...
Somatostatinoma Definition Somatostatinomas are rare tumors of the pancreatic cells that secrete the hormone somatostatin. The pancreas is not the only location where somatostatin is produced but larger somatostatinomas are most likely to occur in the pancreas. Since this hormone has a suppressive action on most other >> Read More ...
Myocardial Ischemia Definition Myocardial ischemia is injury to the heart muscle as a result of diminished or interrupted blood supply to the heart wall. The condition needs to be differentiated from myocardial infarction (heart attack). In myocardial ischemia the heart muscle undergoes injury due to an insufficient oxygen >> Read More ...
Definition Aspiration pneumonia is a condition where foreign material enters the lower airways thereby causing inflammation of the lung. It can result in chemical damage of the lung tissue or a lung infection. The term aspiration pneumonia is usually reserved for a lung infection, mainly bacterial, where the bacteria >> Read More ...
What is Raynaud Phenomenon? Raynaud phenomenon is a condition where the small blood vessels at the peripheral parts of the body (finger, toes, ears and/or nose) drastically narrows with cold or stress. Although this response is normal, in Raynaud’s phenomenon it is severely exaggerated and there is drastic reduction >> Read More ...
Definition Discitis, also spelled as diskitis, is a condition where the spaces between the spinal bones (vertebrae) becomes irritated and inflamed. There are spongy discs known as the intervertebral (IV) discs in the space between the vertebrae which assist with spinal flexibility and firmness and acts as a shock absorber. >> Read More ...
Cocaine and the Heart Cocaine is a potent illicit stimulant produced from the leaves of the coca plant. It is widely used in the powder form which is inhaled or in the chunky form which is smoked (crack cocaine). Cocaine is often mixed with other substances to ‘cut’ the pure drug, thereby diluting it. Sometimes >> Read More ...
Isosporiasis Definition Isosporiasis is an infectious disease caused by a single-celled organism (protozoan), Isospora belli, that is marked by diarrhea and other intestinal symptoms. These days the infection is known as cystoisosporiasis and the protozoan is Cystoisospora belli, however, the former name isosporiasis is >> Read More ...
Definition A glucagonoma is a tumor that secretes glucagon, a hormone normally produced in the pancreas and responsible for raising blood sugar (glucose) levels. Glucagonomas are almost entirely found in the pancreas, arising from the alpha-2 cells of the gland, and about 80% of these tumors are malignant (cancerous). The >> Read More ...
