Information About Health And Fitness

IBD and Crohn’s Disease - What’s The Link

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a term used for a group of illnesses affecting the digestive system. With roughly one million sufferers in the United States, IBD is primarily composed of two disorders: Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis.

What takes place with IBD, Crohn’s, and ulcerative colitis is the body’s immune system has an exaggerated response to an unknown bacteria or condition of the bowel system, releases a large number of white blood cells to the affected area, and as a result, the area becomes drastically inflamed. This swelling causes ulcerations and injury to the bowel, as well as various other negative side effects.

Although extensive research has been done, it is unclear what causes the excessive immune response in IBD. Some believe it is the body’s mistaken identification of good bacteria in the bowel as being dangerous, while others believe it is a foreign agent that triggers the immune system, which in turn, does not shut down properly. Whatever the reason, this is a chronic condition which will continue to be a problem for sufferers for an extended period of time.

The primary difference between Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis is the location of the affected area. Crohn’s Disease may affect any portion of the digestive system and may occur in patches, with unaffected areas in between. However, Crohn’s Disease primarily affects the end of the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. On the other hand, ulcerative colitis only affects the colon. Often, it is very difficult to determine which form of IBD a patient is suffering from and misdiagnosis is common.

Symptoms common of Irritable Bowel Disorder are diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, and occasionally weight loss. These signs are often present with Crohn’s Disease, as well as uncreative colitis. As a result of blood loss, many sufferers also become anemic. This can be especially devastating to pre-existing conditions. Likewise, complications can arise from blockages that occur due to excessive bowel swelling and the presence of scar tissue. For this reason, surgery is sometimes necessary to remove damaged areas of the digestive system to avoid obstructions. There are also side effects experienced in other areas of the body in addition to the digestive system.

For the most part, IBD and Crohn’s Disease are often used interchangeably. However, it should be understood that Irritable Bowel Disorder does not necessarily translate to Crohn’s Disease. There are other forms of IBD that may affect sufferers in much the same way.

Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Crohn’s Disease.
For more of her articles, go to http://www.imedicalvillage.com now.

Tags: add, bird flu, chrones, healing, health, Illness, Medical

Key Facts About Bird Flu

Bird flu was first identified in the early 1900’s and has since spread worldwide. Also known as avian influenza, this virus has caused considerable concern due to the mutation of a particular strain of the disease. Although this virus previously only infected birds and other types of animals, namely pigs, since 1997, it has also been known to infect humans.

The strain of the disease to cause so much concern is H5N1. These are simply numbers and letters that represent the subtype of this particular strain, 1 of 144 influenza subtypes. Not only has the virus caused an epidemic in poultry, but it has recently been feared to be leading to a pandemic, or worldwide epidemic, in humans.

While the virus was first identified in humans in 1997, it was not until 2004 that the spread became of great concern. At that time, a major outbreak occurred in Vietnam and Thailand, which spread to ten countries and regions of Asia within weeks and caused the death of 23 people. Within three months the outbreak was contained after the slaughter of tens of millions of potentially infected birds. However, the damage was already done and the virus had spread across Asia to lead to additional outbreaks. Since that time, H5N1 has spread throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and a low pathogenic form of the virus was identified in Canada on November 19, 2005. Currently, 131 humans have been infected with the virus, resulting in 68 deaths. However, it is feared this number will only increase with the ongoing spread of the disease.

The primary concern surrounding H5N1 is its mutation and ability to infect humans. As of yet, the virus has been spread from poultry to humans, and human to human transmission has only been suspected but not confirmed. Once the virus mutates further, it will easily be passed through humans, causing the disease to spread rapidly. Influenza pandemics, or worldwide epidemics, have caused a great number of deaths in the past, including the Spanish Flu which killed 50 million people in 1918. This is the ultimate concern with the mutation and spread of H5N1.

At this time, the primary cause of infection has been due to the consumption or handling of diseased poultry. Unfortunately, there have been a very few cases that were not easily explained, and therefore, human to human transmission was suspected. However, this has not been confirmed in any of the cases of H5N1 infection.

Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Crohn’s Disease.
For more of her articles, go to http://www.imedicalvillage.com now.

Tags: add, bird flu, chrones, healing, health, Illness, Medical

Wisconsin Proposes a Bill to Hide Medical Errors

As per the Associated Press, March 5, 2006, a bill has been sent to the governor of the State of Wisconsin that would allow health care providers to investigate medical errors, however, those investigative results would not be available to the public.

Hospitals argue that such a bill will enable them to vigorously investigate medical errors and get to the root cause without having to be concerned that their investigation will be used against them in a malpractice claim.

Conversely, plaintiff’s attorneys want to know just how long a particular situation has been in place and what, if anything, has the hospital done to correct the problem.

The new bill, which is supposedly being forwarded to the governor, was co-written by the Wisconsin Hospital Association and it applies not only to hospitals, but also to nursing homes and other health care providers.

“Allowing internal confidentiality is a key step in improving quality, said Anne-Marie Audet, a physician and vice president for quality at the Commonwealth Fund, which funds research on health policy.” “The only way you can fix problems is if you are able to identify them,” she said.

However, at least one trial attorney opines that the proposed legislation gives health care providers too much protection, and it keeps vital information from being presented to a jury.

The bill would still let people see their own medical records if they sued a hospital or doctor for malpractice. However, if there is a claim that the patient was harmed by medical malpractice, this law would prevent them from delving into the records of the providers to see if the malpractice was an ongoing problems, and the length of time it existed.

The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services has criticized the bill, saying it could hinder the department’s ability to detect fraud and ensure patient safety. However, as per the article “Leo Brideau, chief executive of Columbia St. Mary’s health care system, said the privacy shield will encourage organizations to analyze adverse events so health care providers can learn and improve.” “That is very difficult to do if you are worrying that everything that you do is discoverable in courts,” Brideau said.

This appears to be another step in the curtaining of patients’ rights. From my own perspective, if I get a serious infection in a hospital, and I sue, I want the records of the hospital as to how many other people reports similar infections and what has been done, if anything, to stop the problem. This bill, if signed by the governor, would not let me gain access to those records - at least in Wisconsin.
REMEMBER - YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE, TAKE CHARGE TODAY!!!

Jim Hogan is a retired State trooper and is a practicing attorney. He is the president of My Medical CD, Ltd. (http://www.mymedicalcd.com) and has written a book about New York’s No-fault Automobile Insurance - the Doctor’s Guide to New York’s No Fault Insurance, published by CHSBA Publishing, 1992. He lectures on Insurance Law for the Suffolk Academy of Law, in Hauppauge, NY