Gonorrhea and Symptoms |Health care

Gonorrhea is an infection caused by a sexually transmitted bacterium that can infect both males and females. Gonorrhea most often affects the urethra, rectum or throat. In females, gonorrhea can also infect the cervix.

Gonorrhea is most commonly spread during sex. But babies can be infected during childbirth if their mothers are infected. In babies, gonorrhea most commonly affects the eyes.

Gonorrhea is a common infection, and in some cases, causes no symptoms. You may not even know that you're infected. Abstaining from sex, using a condom if you do have sex and being in a mutually monogamous relationship are the best ways to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

Symptoms

Gonorrhea infection can affect multiple sites in your body, but it most commonly appears in the genital tract.

Gonorrhea affecting the genital tract 
Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea infection in men include:

• Painful urination
• Pus-like discharge from the tip of the penis
• Pain or swelling in one testicle

Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea infection in women include:

• Increased vaginal discharge
• Painful urination
• Vaginal bleeding between periods, such as after vaginal intercourse
• Abdominal pain
• Pelvic pain

Gonorrhea at other sites in the body 
Gonorrhea can also affect these parts of the body:

• Rectum. Signs and symptoms include anal itching, pus-like discharge from the rectum, spots of bright red blood on toilet tissue and having to strain during bowel movements.
• Eyes. Gonorrhea that affects your eyes may cause eye pain, sensitivity to light, and pus-like discharge from one or both eyes.
• Throat. Signs and symptoms of a throat infection may include a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
• Joints. If one or more joints become infected by bacteria (septic arthritis), the affected joints may be warm, red, swollen and extremely painful, especially when you move an affected joint.

Golfer's elbow and Symptoms |Health care

Golfer's elbow is a condition that causes pain on the inner side of your elbow, where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. The pain may spread into your forearm and wrist.

Golfer's elbow is similar to tennis elbow. But it occurs on the inside, rather than the outside, of your elbow. And it's not limited to golfers. Tennis players and others who repeatedly use their wrists or clench their fingers also can develop golfer's elbow.

The pain of golfer's elbow doesn't have to keep you off the course or away from your favorite activities. With rest and appropriate treatment, you can get back into the swing of things.

Symptoms

Golfer's elbow is characterized by:

1. Pain and tenderness on the inner side of your elbow. Sometimes the pain extends along the inner side of your forearm.
2. Stiffness. Your elbow may feel stiff, and it may hurt to make a fist.
3. Weakness. You may have weakness in your hands and wrists.
4. Numbness or tingling. Many people with golfer's elbow experience numbness or a tingling sensation that radiates into one or more fingers — usually the ring and little fingers.

The pain of golfer's elbow may appear suddenly or gradually. The pain may get worse when you:

1. Swing a golf club or racket
2. Squeeze or pitch a ball
3. Shake hands
4. Turn a doorknob
5. Lift weights
6. Pick up something with your palm down
7. Flex your wrist

Gilbert's syndrome and Symptoms |Health care

Gilbert's syndrome is a common, mild liver condition in which the liver doesn't properly process a substance called bilirubin. Bilirubin is produced by the breakdown of red blood cells.

Gilbert's (zheel-BAYRZ) syndrome typically is harmless and doesn't require treatment.

Gilbert's syndrome is caused by an inherited gene mutation. You're born with Gilbert's syndrome, though it often goes undiscovered for many years. Gilbert's syndrome is often discovered by accident, such as when you have a blood test that shows elevated bilirubin levels.

Gilbert's syndrome is also known as constitutional hepatic dysfunction and familial nonhemolytic jaundice.

Symptoms

The lone sign of Gilbert's disease is that your skin and the whites of your eyes occasionally have a yellowish tinge (jaundice). This is caused by the slightly elevated levels of bilirubin in your blood. Some conditions and situations may increase bilirubin levels, and thereby jaundice, in people with Gilbert's syndrome. These include:

1. Illness, such as a cold or the flu
2. Fasting or eating a very low-calorie diet
3. Dehydration
4. Menstruation
5. Stress
6. Strenuous exercise
7. Lack of sleep

Genital herpes and Symptoms |Health care

Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection that affects both men and women. Features of genital herpes include pain, itching and sores in your genital area. But many infected people have no signs or symptoms of genital herpes. An infected person can be contagious, even if he or she has no visible sores.

Genital herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Sexual contact is the primary way that the virus spreads. After the initial infection, the virus lies dormant in your body and can reactivate several times a year.

There's no cure for genital herpes, but medications can ease symptoms and reduce the risk of infecting others. Condoms also can help prevent transmission of the virus.

Symptoms

Various factors may trigger outbreaks, including:

1. Stress
2. Fatigue
3. Illness
4. Surgery
5. Menstruation

Gaucher's disease and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Gaucher's (go-SHAYZ) disease occurs when certain harmful fatty substances accumulate to excessive levels in your liver, spleen, lungs, bone marrow and, less commonly, brain. This accumulation of fatty material in tissues interferes with how your body works and may cause organ enlargement and bone pain.

Gaucher's disease is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, which helps the body process the fatty substance glucocerebroside. The disease is sometimes called glucocerebrosidase deficiency.

Gaucher's disease can occur at any age. It's most common in Jewish people of Eastern and Central European descent (Ashkenazi).

Treatment for Gaucher's disease may involve enzyme replacement and other therapies.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of Gaucher's disease can vary widely depending on the type of the disease and the person affected. Siblings, even identical twins, with the disease may have different levels of severity.

The major types of Gaucher's disease and associated symptoms are:

Type 1
This form of the disease is the most common and generally the mildest. Type 1 accounts for about 90 percent of cases. In this form of the disease, there's usually no damage to the brain. This type can occur at any age, although it's most common in adults, with an average age of 30 at the time of diagnosis. Possible signs and symptoms of type 1 Gaucher's disease include:

1. Skeletal abnormalities, including thinning of your bones (osteopenia), bone pain and bone fractures
2. Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) or spleen (splenomegaly), or both
3. A decrease in healthy red blood cells (anemia)
4. Excessive fatigue
5. A greater susceptibility to bruising, which may mean you have a low number of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia)
6. Yellow spots in your eyes (pingueculae)
7. Delayed puberty
8. Nosebleeds

Type 2
This form of Gaucher's disease is rare and more severe than the other types. It begins during the first year of life, often developing by 3 months. Babies with type 2 Gaucher's disease have extensive brain damage that progresses rapidly. In addition to the signs and symptoms listed for type 1, other possible problems that may occur with type 2 include:

1. Brain problems, including mental retardation or dementia
2. Rigidity
3. Seizures

Type 3
This form of Gaucher's disease, also rare, usually begins in childhood or adolescence. It tends to be chronic and progresses more slowly than does type 2. Although the brain is affected, brain involvement tends to be milder than in type 2. Signs and symptoms, such as enlargement of the liver and spleen, tend to vary more in intensity than in type 2. Signs and symptoms that may occur more in type 3 than in type 1 include:

1. Brain problems, including mental retardation or dementia
2. Abnormal eye movements
3. Loss of muscle coordination

Stomach cancer and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Stomach cancer is cancer that occurs in the stomach — the muscular sac located in the upper middle of your abdomen, just below your ribs. Your stomach receives and holds the food you eat and then helps to break down and digest it.

Another term for stomach cancer is gastric cancer. These two terms most often refer to stomach cancer that begins in the mucus-producing cells on the inside lining of the stomach (adenocarcinoma). Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of stomach cancer.

Stomach cancer is uncommon in the United States, and the number of people diagnosed with the disease each year is declining. Stomach cancer is much more common in other areas of the world, particularly China and Japan.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of stomach cancer may include:

1. Fatigue
2. Feeling bloated after eating
3. Feeling full after eating small amounts of food
4. Heartburn that is severe and persistent
5. Indigestion that is severe and unrelenting
6. Nausea that is persistent and unexplained
7. Stomach pain
8. Vomiting that is persistent
9. Weight loss that is unintentional

Gas and gas pains and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Gas and gas pains can strike at the worst possible moment — during an important meeting or on a crowded elevator. And although passing intestinal gas (flatus) usually isn't serious, it can be embarrassing.

Anything that causes intestinal gas or is associated with constipation or diarrhea can lead to gas pains. These pains generally occur when gas builds up in your intestines, and you're not able to expel it. On average, most people pass gas at least 10 times a day.

The good news is that although you can't stop gas and gas pains, a few simple measures can help reduce the amount of gas you produce and relieve your discomfort and embarrassment.

Symptoms

For most people, the signs and symptoms of gas and gas pain are all too obvious. They include:

a)     The voluntary or involuntary passing of gas, either as belches or as flatus.

b)    Sharp, jabbing pains or cramps in your abdomen. These pains may occur anywhere in your abdomen and can change locations quickly.

c)     A "knotted" feeling in your abdomen.

d)    Swelling and tightness in your abdomen (bloating).

Gas pains are usually intense, but brief. Once the gas is gone, your pain often disappears. In some cases, however, the pain may be constant or so intense that it feels like something is seriously wrong.

Gas can sometimes be mistaken for:

1. Heart disease
2. Gallstones
3. Appendicitis

Gangrene and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Gangrene refers to the death of body tissue due to a lack of blood flow or a bacterial infection. Gangrene most commonly affects the extremities, including your toes, fingers and limbs, but it can also occur in your muscles and internal organs.

Your chances of developing gangrene are higher if you have an underlying condition that can damage your blood vessels and affect blood flow, such as diabetes or atherosclerosis.

Treatments for gangrene include surgery to remove dead tissue, antibiotics and other approaches. The prognosis for recovery is better if gangrene is identified early and treated quickly.

Symptoms

When gangrene affects your skin, signs and symptoms may include:

1. Skin discoloration — ranging from pale to blue, purple, black, bronze or red, depending on the type of gangrene you have
2. Severe pain followed by a feeling of numbness
3. A foul-smelling discharge leaking from a sore

If you have a type of gangrene that affects tissues beneath the surface of your skin, such as gas gangrene or internal gangrene, you may notice that:

1)     The affected tissue is swollen and painful

2)     You're running a fever and feel unwell

A condition called septic shock can occur if a bacterial infection that originated in the gangrenous tissue spreads throughout your body. Signs and symptoms of septic shock include:

a)     Low blood pressure

b)    A body temperature greater than 100.4 F (38 C) or lower than 96.8 F (36 C)

c)     Rapid heart rate

d)    Lightheadedness

e)     Shortness of breath

f)     Confusion

Ganglion cysts and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Ganglion cysts are noncancerous lumps that most commonly develop along the tendons or joints of your wrists or hands. They also may occur in the ankles and feet. Ganglion cysts are typically round or oval and are filled with a jelly-like fluid.

Small ganglion cysts can be pea-sized, while larger ones can be around an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Ganglion cysts can be painful if they press on a nearby nerve. Their location can sometimes interfere with joint movement.

If your ganglion cyst is causing you problems, your doctor may suggest trying to drain the cyst with a needle. Removing the cyst surgically is also an option. But if you have no symptoms, no treatment is necessary. In many cases, the cysts go away on their own.

Symptoms

The lumps associated with ganglion cysts can be characterized by:

1. Location. Ganglion cysts most commonly develop along the tendons or joints of your wrists or hands. The next most common locations are the ankles and feet, although these cysts can occur near other joints as well.
2. Shape and size. Ganglion cysts are round or oval and usually measure less than an inch in diameter. Some are so small that they can't be felt. The size of a cyst can fluctuate, often getting larger when you use that joint for repetitive motions.
3. Pain. Ganglion cysts usually are painless. However, if a cyst presses on a nerve — even if the cyst is too small to form a noticeable lump — it can cause pain, tingling, numbness or muscle weakness.

Gallstones and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can form in your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that's released into your small intestine.

Gallstones range in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Some people develop just one gallstone, while others develop many gallstones at the same time.

Gallstones are common in the United States. People who experience symptoms from their gallstones usually require gallbladder removal surgery. Gallstones that don't cause any signs and symptoms typically don't need treatment.

Symptoms

signs and symptoms may result, such as:

1. Sudden and rapidly intensifying pain in the upper right portion of your abdomen
2. Sudden and rapidly intensifying pain in the center of your abdomen, just below your breastbone
3. Back pain between your shoulder blades
4. Pain in your right shoulder

Galactorrhea and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Galactorrhea (guh-lack-toe-REE-uh) is a milky nipple discharge unrelated to the normal milk production of breast-feeding. Galactorrhea itself isn't a disease, but it could be a sign of an underlying problem. It usually occurs in women, even those who have never had children or after menopause. But galactorrhea can happen in men and even in infants.

Excessive breast stimulation, medication side effects or disorders of the pituitary gland all may contribute to galactorrhea. Often, galactorrhea results from increased levels of prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production.

Sometimes, the cause of galactorrhea can't be determined. The condition may resolve on its own.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms associated with galactorrhea include:

1. Persistent or intermittent milky nipple discharge that has no trace of blood
2. Nipple discharge involving multiple milk ducts
3. Spontaneously leaked or manually expressed nipple discharge
4. One or both breasts affected
5. Absent or irregular menstrual periods
6. Headaches or vision problems

Frozen shoulder and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, worsen over time and then resolve, usually within one or two years.

Your risk of developing frozen shoulder increases if you're recovering from a medical condition or procedure that affects the mobility of your arm — such as a stroke or a mastectomy.

Treatment for frozen shoulder involves stretching exercises and, sometimes, the injection of corticosteroids and numbing medications into the joint capsule. In a small percentage of cases, surgery may be needed to loosen the joint capsule so that it can move more freely.

Symptoms

Frozen shoulder typically develops slowly, and in three stages. Each of these stages can last a number of months.

1.     Painful stage. During this stage, pain occurs with any movement of your shoulder, and your shoulder's range of motion starts to become limited.

2.     Frozen stage. Pain may begin to diminish during this stage. However, your shoulder becomes stiffer, and your range of motion decreases notably.

3.     Thawing stage. During the thawing stage, the range of motion in your shoulder begins to improve.

Frostbite and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Frostbite occurs when the skin and body tissue just underneath it freezes. Your skin becomes very cold, then numb, hard and pale. Frostbite typically affects smaller, more exposed areas of your body, such as your fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin.

Frostnip, the first stage of frostbite, irritates the skin but doesn't cause permanent damage. You can treat mild forms of frostbite with first-aid measures, including slowly warming your skin with warm water. Severe frostbite, however, requires medical attention, as it can damage skin, tissues, muscle and bones and lead to complications, such as infection and nerve damage.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of frostbite include:

1.     A slightly painful, prickly or itching sensation

2.     Red, white, pale or grayish-yellow skin

3.     Hard or waxy-looking skin

4.     A cold or burning feeling

5.     Numbness

6.     Clumsiness due to joint and muscle stiffness

7.     Blistering, in severe cases

Frontal lobe seizures and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Frontal lobe seizures are seizures that originate in the front of the brain. Epilepsy symptoms can vary depending on what part of the brain is involved. Frontal lobe seizures may produce unusual symptoms that can appear to be related to a psychiatric problem or a sleep disorder.

Frontal lobe seizures often occur during sleep and may feature bicycle pedaling motions and pelvic thrusting. Some people scream profanities or laugh during frontal lobe seizures.

In many cases of frontal lobe seizures, brain wave tests (electroencephalograms) may not show the changes characteristic of epileptic seizures that originate elsewhere in the brain. Medications usually can control frontal lobe seizures, but surgery is an option if anti-seizure drugs aren't effective.

Symptoms

Frontal lobe seizures usually last less than 30 seconds and often occur during sleep. Signs and symptoms of frontal lobe seizures may include:

1. Head and eye movement to one side
2. Complete or partial unresponsiveness, or difficulty speaking
3. Explosive screams or laughter
4. Abnormal body posturing, such as one arm extending while the other flexes, as if the person is posing like a fencer
5. Repetitive movements, such as rocking or bicycle pedaling

Broken arm and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

A broken arm may involve any of the three bones in your arm — the ulna, radius and humerus. One of the most common causes of a broken arm is falling onto an outstretched hand. If you think you or your child has sustained a broken arm, seek prompt medical attention. It's important to treat a broken arm as soon as possible for proper healing.

Treatment for a broken arm depends on the exact site and severity of the injury. A simple break may be treated with a sling, ice and rest. A more complicated broken arm may require surgery to realign the broken bone and to implant wires, plates, nails or screws into the broken bone to maintain proper alignment during healing.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of a broken arm include:

1. Severe pain, which may increase with movement
2. Swelling
3. Tenderness
4. Bruising
5. Obvious deformity, such as a bent arm or wrist
6. Stiffness or inability to move your arm, wrist or elbow
7. Inability to turn your arm from palm up to palm down or vice versa

Foot drop and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Foot drop, sometimes called drop foot, is a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. If you have foot drop, you may drag the front of your foot on the ground when you walk.

Foot drop isn't a disease. Rather, foot drop is a sign of an underlying neurological, muscular or anatomical problem.

Sometimes foot drop is temporary. In other cases, foot drop is permanent. If you have foot drop, you may need to wear a brace on your ankle and foot to hold your foot in a normal position.

Symptoms

Foot drop makes it difficult to lift the front part of your foot, so it might drag on the floor when you walk. To counter this, you might raise your thigh when you walk, as if you were climbing stairs (steppage gait), to help your foot clear the floor. This odd gait might cause you to slap your foot down onto the floor with each step you take. In some cases, the skin on the top of your foot and toes may feel numb.

Foot drop typically affects only one foot. Depending on the underlying cause, however, it's possible for both feet to be affected.

Food poisoning and Symptoms |Doctor in the house

Food poisoning, also called food-borne illness, is illness caused by eating contaminated food. Infectious organisms — including various bacteria, viruses and parasites — or their toxins are the most common causes of food poisoning.

Infectious organisms or their toxins can contaminate food at any point during its processing or production. Contamination can also occur at home if food is incorrectly handled or cooked.

Food poisoning symptoms often include nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, which can start just hours after eating contaminated food. Most often, food poisoning is mild and resolves without treatment. But some cases are severe, requiring hospitalization.

Symptoms

Food poisoning symptoms vary with the source of contamination. Most types of food poisoning cause one or more of the following signs and symptoms:

1. Nausea
2. Vomiting
3. Watery diarrhea
4. Abdominal pain and cramps
5. Fever