Swine influenza virus is a virus that is common in pigs. This type of influenza virus can also infect humans and birds. Swine influenza virus is sometimes called SIV or swine flu.
Swine flu is common in pigs. Normally, it only infects people who have been in close contact with pigs. However, the disease has also spread from one person to another. Swine flu can cause fever, disorientation (not being clear-headed), stiffness of the joints, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. Sometimes this ends in death.There are different types, or strains, of swine flu.
Treatment for Swine influenza
Laboratory testing has shown that the 2009 swine influenza strain is sensitive to two antiviral medicines that are used to treat human influenza. They are oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Oseltamivir is given in pill form. Zanamivir is an inhaled medication. Both medications require a prescription. The drugs should be given to people who appear to have swine influenza if they have chronic medical conditions that put them at risk for complications (see above) or if they are unusually ill. These drugs can be used for patients with either H1N1 or H3N2v infections. A few drug-resistant H1N1strains have been reported, but most swine flu strains remain sensitive. Older drugs like amantadine (Symmetrel) are not effective.
Scurvy is a disease. It is caused by not eating enough vitamin C. Scurvy can be prevented. It has many symptoms. People who have scurvy get spots on their skin, especially on their legs. Their teeth may loosen and/or fall out. They may bleed from the mouth, nose, and gums (mucus membranes). A person with scurvy will look pale and feel sad see depression. They will not be able to move easily, because their joints hurt.
Scurvy can be easily cured. Oranges and other fruits can restore vitamins. In the past, sailors more commonly got scurvy. Fresh fruit could not be kept for long.The main cause of scurvy is lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is uncommon today.
Treatment for Scurvy
If you suspect you may be suffering from scurvy, it is vital that you seek medical attention. To determine whether you have scurvy, your health care professional will ask you questions related to the disease, take a blood sample, and possibly recommend that you undergo diagnostic testing. It is very important to follow your treatment plan for scurvy precisely, and to take all medications as instructed by your doctor.
The treatment approach for scurvy depends in part on its underlying cause but will include restoring your body’s vitamin C levels to normal. This may involve use of vitamin supplements to help more rapidly replenish your body’s vitamin C and restore a healthy balance.
A specific recommendation for your own vitamin C requirements will be provided by your health care professional provided based on your age, gender, and general state of health.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. Syphilis is usually spread by sexual contact. However, a fetus can get syphilis from its mother while she is pregnant or during childbirth. This is called congenital syphilis.
There are four stages of syphilis: the primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary stages. In each stage, the signs and symptoms of syphilis are different.
In the primary stage, a person usually just has a wound on their skin, called a "chancre." In the secondary stage, a person usually gets a rash. In the "latent" stage, syphilis has few or no symptoms. If syphilis reaches the tertiary stage, which is the most severe, it causes many serious symptoms. These can include problems with the nervous system (the brain and nerves) and problems with the heart. Eventually, many people with tertiary syphilis will die if they do not get medical treatment.
Treatment for Syphilis
Pregnant women with syphilis can be safely treated with antibiotics.
The treatment you need depends on how long you've had syphilis and how far along in your pregnancy you are.
Pregnant women who've had syphilis for less than two years are usually treated with an injection of penicillin into the buttocks (if treated during the first or second trimester) or two injections given a week apart (if treated during the third trimester).
Pregnant women who've had syphilis for more than two years are usually treated with three penicillin injections into the buttocks given at weekly intervals.
A short course of antibiotic tablets may be needed if you can't have penicillin.
Thalassaemia (or thalassemia) is a genetic disorder of the blood which originated in the Mediterranean region.
In thalassaemia, the disease is caused by the weakening and destruction of red blood cells. This is caused by mutant genes which affect how the body makes haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells which carries oxygen. People with thalassaemia make less haemoglobin and fewer circulating red blood cells than normal, which results in mild or severe anemia.
Thalassaemia can cause significant complications, including pneumonia, iron overload, bone deformities and cardiovascular illness. However, this inherited disease of red blood cells gives a degree of protection against malaria, which is or was common in the regions where the trait is common. This selective survival advantage for carriers (known as heterozygous advantage) is responsible for keeping the mutation in populations way above its mutation rate. Carriers are heterozygous for the thalassaemia allele, meaning only one of their two alleles is mutant (abnormal). There are a number of different versiona of thalassaemia. Each one is caused by a mutation in a different position in the genome.
Treatment for Thalassaemia
The goal of long-term hypertransfusional support is to maintain the patient's hemoglobin level at 9-10 g/dL, thus improving his or her sense of well being while simultaneously suppressing enhanced erythropoiesis. This strategy treats the anemia and suppresses endogenous erythropoiesis so that extramedullary hematopoiesis and skeletal changes are suppressed. Patients receiving long-term transfusion therapy also require iron chelation. (See Medication)
Blood banking considerations for these patients include completely typing their erythrocytes for Rh and ABO antigens prior to the first transfusion. This procedure helps future cross-matching processes and minimizes the chances of alloimmunization. Transfusion of washed, leukocyte-poor red blood cells (RBCs) at approximately 8-15 mL RBCs per kilogram (kg) of body weight over 1-2 hours is recommended.
Hapgood et al suggest that current recommendations lead to undertransfusion in males. As a result, males may be more likely to have extramedullary hematopoiesis and thus more likely to require splenectomy or to develop spinal cord compression, an uncommon but serious complication of paraspinal extramedullary hematopoiesis.
