Topics: Health : Conditions and Diseases
Illnesses and disabilities can happen when the human body does not work properly, is exposed to disease or is hurt. Problems can affect the brain, the body or both. They may be visible, like a limp or acne, or invisible, like depression or diabetes.
Acne
Acne is a disorder caused by the action of hormones on the skin's oil glands.
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Allergies
An allergy is when the body has a reaction to a substance, called an allergen, that does not bother most people.
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Alopecia
Alopecia is a skin disease that causes hair loss on the head and elsewhere. It usually starts in childhood, with one or more small, smooth patches.
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease in which nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, called motor neurons, get weak and die.
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Anemia
Anemia is a condition in which the body doesn't have enough red blood cells or hemoglobin, the part of the blood cells where oxygen sticks.
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Anthrax
Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by a specific bacterium. When cattle or sheep eat these spores from the soil, they get anthrax.
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Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are when people are suddenly overcome by intense fear or discomfort for no reason; or worry too much about events or activities; or have persistent fear of an object or situation, such as flying, heights, dark rooms, or animals for no reason; or spend too much time each day doing things over and over again.
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Appendicitis
Appendicitis is when the appendix, a small pouch attached to the beginning of the large intestine, becomes blocked and gets infected.
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Arthritis
Arthritis is an inflammation (heat, swelling, and pain) of the lining of the joints. When the lining becomes inflamed, the body produces fluid in the area.
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Asperger Syndrome
Asperger's Syndrome (AS) is a developmental disorder that mostly affects social skills. Often children want to make friends, but have trouble knowing how.
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Asthma
Asthma is a lung condition that causes airways to swell and produce lots of mucus.
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Attention Deficit Disorder
ADD and ADHD are not diseases or mental retardation. People with ADHD are usually physically healthy and are often very smart and creative.
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Autism
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the ability to communicate and form relationships with others.
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Bedwetting
Bedwetting is also called sleep wetting or nocturnal (nighttime) enuresis. This is a common condition where kids, who can stay dry all day, have problems at night.
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Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, also called manic depression, which has two emotional sides.
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Blindness
Blindness is partial or complete loss of sight, defined as vision of 1/10 or worse in the best eye, even with glasses.
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Bronchitis
Bronchitis is inflammation of the lining of the tubes that lead from the windpipe (trachea) to the lungs.
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Cancer
Normal cells in the body grow, divide, and die. Cancer is the name for abnormal cells that grow and divide, but don't die like they should.
Personal Pages,
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Celiac Disease
Celiac Disease is the inability to digest the gluten in wheat, rye, triticale, barley or oats.
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Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic conditions affecting body movements and muscle coordination.
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Chickenpox
Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), which belongs to the herpes virus family.
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Also known as CFS, this is a is a long-lasting illness that affects the brain and many parts of the body.
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Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease that causes the body to make thick, sticky mucus.
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Deafness
Deafness is partial or total hearing loss. This condition can happen before birth or as children get older.
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Depression
Depression is a mental illness with many different negative feelings and thoughts. The difference between depression and the 'blues' is that depression can last for weeks or months.
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Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where the body can't make insulin (Type 1) or where the insulin doesn't work like it should (Type 2).
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Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that happens when a baby is born with an extra chromosome.
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Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability in mathematics, caused by a difference in the way the brain processes information.
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Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability in writing, caused by a difference in the way the brain processes information.
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Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading, caused by a difference in the way the brain processes information.
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Eating Disorders
This category contains information for kids and teens on eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and orthorexia.
Anorexia,
Bulimia,
Orthorexia,
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Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition where fragments of the lining of the uterus (endometrial tissue) become embedded, or implanted, elsewhere in the body.
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Epilepsy
Epilepsy is defined as a tendency to have recurrent seizures. Commonly thought of as a single condition, there are many different types of epilepsy and over 40 seizure types.
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Fifth Disease
Fifth disease is a viral illness caused by the human parvovirus B19. It produces a distinctive red rash on the face, body, arms, and legs.
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Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve and lead to a gradual loss of vision and, if not treated, blindness.
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Heart Disease
Heart disease is used to describe problems with the heart, the arteries that supply blood, or the valves that keep the blood flowing in the right direction.
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HIV and AIDS
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV attacks CD4 cells, the white blood cells that fight infections.
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Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition where blood sugar levels drop too low. It can be a complication of diabetes, a problem by itself, or associated with other disorders.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Crohn’s disease is an illness in which the wall of the intestine becomes sore, inflamed, and swollen.
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Influenza
Influenza, also called the flu, is a virus that causes a severe respiratory infection and spreads around the world in epidemics.
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Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities (LD) are believed to be caused by differences in the way the brain processes information.
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Living with Disability
Having a disability means that you might not be able to do something just like everyone else your age.
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Lupus
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that it affects the immune system. The body makes cells that attack germs and infections.
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Measles
Measles, also called Rubeola, is a very contagious, viral disease. Known for the skin rash, measles is actually a respiratory infection.
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Mental Retardation
Mental Retardation is a developmental disorder, where a person has a lower than average ability to think, learn, and solve problems.
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Mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis ( also called glandular fever, mono, or kissing disease ) is a common disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
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Motion Sickness
Motion sickness happens when the motion sensing systems in the body receive different messages. If someone tries to read while riding in a moving car or train, they may get an upset stomach.
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Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that damages the coating (called myelin) on the nerves in the brain or spinal cord.
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Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a genetic disorder that weakens the muscles. People with MD can't make the proteins needed for healthy muscles.
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Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a disease effecting the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The name myasthenia gravis, which is Latin and Greek in origin, literally means "grave muscle weakness."
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Rubella
Rubella, also called German Measles, is a viral illness. It is not the same virus that causes measles (Rubeola).
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SARS
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a serious, contagious, sometimes deadly, viral respiratory disease. It first appeared in China in 2002 and was named a global threat in March 2003.
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Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve to the left or to the right, or even turn.
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Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle Cell Anemia is an inherited disease in which the red blood cells change shape and cause small clots.
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Speech Disorders
Speech Disorders are conditions that affect a person's ability to speak clearly. There are several types of disorders.
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Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida is a neural tube birth defect where the spinal column doesn't close completely.
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Tonsillitis
Tonsils sit at the back of your throat, behind the tongue, and catch bacteria and viruses before they get into the body.
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Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder of the central nervous system. There may be a problem with the chemicals in the brain that carry messages from cell to cell.
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Vaccinations
This category contains information for kids and teens about vaccinations.
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Vertigo
Vertigo is not a disease. It is a symptom of a disorder within the inner ear system that disturbs balance.
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