Syndromes

Carpal tunnel syndrome, which encompasses a range of symptoms affecting the hands and wrists, is now the most common hand problem that primary-care physicians see. It has been estimated that millions of Americans presently have the syndrome, due primarily to their occupations.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, commonly referred to as CFS, is a condition of unknown origin whose main symptom is unremitting and disabling exhaustion. In some cases, the syndrome follows an infectious illness. In others, the symptoms appear during a time of unusual stress, or they may start gradually, with no apparent cause, at any time from adolescence through middle age. At least two-thirds of sufferers are white middle-class women.

This painful, chronic inflammation of the bladder varies considerably in its severity and symptoms, depending upon the form of the disease. Nonulcerative interstitial cystitis -- by far the most common type -- develops mostly in young to middle-aged women, and is marked by intermittent episodes of abdominal and bladder pain, urinary urgency, and painful sexual intercourse. Bladder capacity remains constant or perhaps slightly increased, in marked contrast to the more severe ulcerative form, which occurs mostly in older women and accounts for only 5 to 10 percent of cases. In this latter type, the bladder holds less urine than normal, and cracks, scars, and star-shaped sores called Hunner's ulcers, which sometimes bleed when the bladder is full, develop in the muscular wall. In time, the bladder wall becomes thickened and stiff.

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. produces myriad symptoms that affect mostly the large intestine. Abdominal pain and cramping, bouts of diarrhea alternating with constipation, gas, bloating, and nausea are among the complaints that make IBS the third most common intestinal disorder seen by doctors. It is exceeded only by heartburn and indigestion. An estimated 40 million Americans have the syndrome, with women outnumbering men two to one. Often associated with stress, IBS usually appears first in late adolescence or early adulthood.

(Celiac Disease; Sprue; Whipple's Disease)

All malabsorption disorders involve an inability to absorb one or more nutrients from the small intestine into the bloodstream. Many conditions can cause this problem, and the specific nutrients that cannot be utilized vary according to the cause.

(Infantile Paralysis; Poliomyelitis; Postpolio Syndrome)

Polio, a highly contagious disease, is caused by three different types of polio virus. Most infections are asymptomatic, with illness becoming evident in only about 5 in 100 cases, and then, usually limited to a low-grade fever, malaise, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. This manifestation is referred to as abortive polio.

When uncomfortable sensations prompt an irresistible urge to move one or both legs, the condition is known as restless leg syndrome. The feelings are centered usually in the calf, although the thighs and feet are sometimes affected as well. Symptoms occur when sitting or lying down, and are especially noticeable when trying to fall asleep. In fact, restless leg syndrome is medically classified as a neurological sleep disorder. A variation, myoclonic jerks, causes involuntary leg movements that disrupt sleep.

First aiders need to be aware of shaken baby syndrome (SBS). This situation happens when people can't control their anger or frustration when trying to calm a crying and upset baby. The offender mistakenly believes that shaking will quiet the baby.

When an apparently healthy infant dies and a medical investigation fails to uncover an explanation, cause of death is attributed to sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS). This syndrome, or crib death, claims about 8,000 infants in the United States each year, making it one of the most common causes of death in babies under one year.

Tics are rapid, involuntary movements that are usually jerky and repetitive. They commonly involve muscles of the face, shoulders, or arms, producing such motions as eye blinking, mouth twitching, forehead wrinkling, head shaking, and shoulder shrugging. Sometimes tics are accompanied by grunts or other involuntary noises or words.

Staphylococcal Toxic Shock

Toxic shock syndrome, a type of blood poisoning, made headlines in the early 1980s when an outbreak of cases was linked to use of a new, highly absorbent tampon. The tampon was taken off the market and public concern waned. At the time, toxic shock syndrome was believed to be a new disease; scientists now realize that it has been in existence since the 1920s, but it was then regarded as a childhood disease called staphylococcal scarlet fever.