GEORGE NAVA TRUE II
IN THE world of medicine, things are not always what they seem. To show you what I mean, here are some medical conditions that you shouldn’t judge by their names.
Chickenpox
No, this doesn’t come from eating a lot of chicken. This highly contagious infection is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and affects those who haven’t been vaccinated against it.
After being infected, patients develop an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters in 10 to 21 days. This lasts for five to 10 days. Two days before the rash appears, there is fever, headache, loss of appetite, tiredness, and the patient feels unwell.
There are three stages of chickenpox. In the first stage, the patient has raised pink or red bumps (papules), which break out over several days. This is followed by the development of small fluid-filled blisters (vesicles), which form in a day then break and leak. In the final stage, crusts and scabs cover the broken blisters and heal in several days.
Patients may experience all three stages of the rash at the same time. In severe cases, the whole body is covered with rashes. The disease is contagious for up to 48 hours before the rash appears. It remains contagious until all broken blisters have crusted over. You can also get chickenpox if an infected person coughs or sneezes and you inhale the air droplets.
See a doctor if your child has chickenpox, especially if he hasn’t been vaccinated or had the disease before. Tell your doctor if the rash spreads to one or both eyes, or if it is red, warm, or tender which could indicate a secondary bacterial skin infection. Other warning signs are dizziness, disorientation, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, tremors, vomiting, stiff neck, and a high fever.
Christmas disease
You won’t get this at Christmas. Nor will you catch it when the weather is cold. But Christmas disease is a rare genetic disorder that can make your life miserable.
In this disease (also called hemophilia B or factor IX hemophilia), patients suffer from prolonged or spontaneous bleeding. They bleed longer because they have little or no factor IX. This is a blood-clotting protein that stops wounds from bleeding.
The condition is also known as the royal disease since it affected the royal families of Germany, Spain, and Russia. Gene mutations are responsible for Christmas disease but others can inherit the condition. Women are usually affected and most cases are detected at age 5 or 6.
Sufferers have no idea they have the disease until they are injured or undergo surgery. Symptoms include easy bruising and bleeding, blood in the urine (hematuria) or stool (melena), muscle or joint pain, and nosebleeds.
In severe cases, patients may die from blood loss or there may be bleeding in the brain if you accidentally bump your head. See a doctor if you have a headache, neck pain and stiffness, sleepiness, sudden weakness or problems walking, and vomiting.
Finally, if you’re wondering how the condition got its name, go back in time to the year 1952. That’s when Christmas disease was first identified in a patient named Stephen Christmas. Incidentally, his case was also first reported in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.
Heartburn
Despite its name, this condition does not burn your heart. But it causes burning pain in your chest just behind the breastbone. It often occurs at night, after eating, when lying down or bending over. There’s also a bitter or acidic taste in the mouth.
Heartburn happens when stomach acid goes back up into the tube (esophagus) that brings food from the mouth to the stomach. When you swallow, the muscle around the bottom of the esophagus (lower esophageal sphincter) allows food and liquid to go to the stomach. This tightens or closes after eating.
If there is something wrong with that muscle and it doesn’t close properly, stomach acid goes back up into the esophagus. This is called acid reflux that is responsible for the symptoms of heartburn.
Some food and drinks can trigger heartburn. These include alcohol, carbonated drinks, citrus drinks, coffee or caffeine drinks, chocolate, fatty or fried foods, onions, spicy foods, and ketchup or other tomato products.
Overweight people and pregnant women are more likely to experience heartburn. Despite the pain, this is a common condition that shouldn’t alarm you. However, if it occurs frequently, see a doctor to rule out other serious conditions.
Frequent heartburn is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that requires prescription medicines or surgery in some cases. Untreated GERD can damage the esophagus.
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National Press Club and Philippine Dental Association awardee George N. True II has written two bestsellers based on his popular column that has been running for almost 40 years. For questions about health, email georgenavatrue@yahoo.com./PN
