The Complete Encyclopedia of Medicine and Health, Essay Example

Healthcare is of utmost importance to humankind. The following will give more insight to these diseases affecting the human health: Neurofibromatosis, Neurocysticercosis, Behcet’s disease, Boerhaave, Hirschsprung’s Disease, and Esophageal Varices.

Neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that manifests in two types, type one and two. Type 1 is the most common one and it mainly characterizes itself through a combination of hyper pigmentation patches and cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors. Type 2 on the other hand manifests itself by development of noncancerous tumors known as schwannomas on the hearing and balance control nerves. There is no cure for Type 1 neurofibromatosis so it can only be managed at the early stages of its detection.

Neurocysticercosis is a common parasitic infection of the brain that affects a large number of people worldwide. This disease affects the nervous system, with its main carries being an adult tapeworm known as Taenia solium and it is the main cause of acquired epilepsy. It is acquired through contact with fecal matter or accidental consumption of contaminated food that contains the eggs of that tapeworm (Gunder & Martin, 2010).

Behcet’s disease or syndrome manifests in a chronic inflammation of the blood vessels. It is seen in different symptoms such as sores on the mouth, sex organs, skin, and eye and joint swelling and stiffness with pain. In its serious stages, it can advance to meningitis, blood clots, blindness, and inflammation of the digestive system. Its causes are not well known though what is known is that the disease takes a long time to develop as symptoms may come and go and may take a long duration of time to have all the symptoms. Treatment is done to reduce pain and help prevent serious symptoms from occurring.

Boerhaave’s syndrome is a disease that was first described as the spontaneous rapture of the esophagus because typically occurs because of tearing of the esophagus after a forceful emesis. It is difficult to know the symptoms of this disease because they manifest late and most cases end up fatal. An early diagnosis though can help manage the condition surgically especially within the first few hours of rapture while chances to treat the disease are lower if intervention time takes longer than 24 hours.

Hirschsprung’s Disease is a developmental disorder that affects the enteric nervous system. It manifests itself through the absence of ganglion cells in the distal colon, which causes a malfunction of the colon. This disorder is mainly diagnosed now in newborns who fail to pass meconium within a day or two after birth, though a rectal biopsy has to be done to make sure it is the right diagnosis. This is repaired surgically by removing the poorly functioning bowel and replacing it a healthy bowel through the rectum (Schade, 2006).

Esophageal Varices are large abnormal swollen veins, which occur in the lining of the lower esophagus that are near the stomach. These occur mostly in people with liver diseases and can develop when a lot in the liver obstructs normal blood flow to the liver. As blood looks for a way through the clots, it flows into the small vessels that are not designed to carry large blood volumes, which may cause them to leak blood or rapture causing serious bleeding. Treatment is mainly done through a number of drugs and medical procedures, which can help, prevent bleeding and stop the life threatening bleeding from the esophageal varices.

These diseases manifest differently in the human body and cause malfunctioning of one of some parts of the body. Healthcare should involve regular medical checkups to know if they are suffering from any life threatening conditions, which are treatable in their early stages.

References

Gunder, L. & Martin, S. (2010). Essentials of Medical Genetics for Health Professionals. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.  

Schade, J. (2006). The Complete Encyclopedia of Medicine and Health. Amsterdam: AG & Concord Publishing.