The word "arthritis" literally means joint inflammation, and it is applied to more than one hundred related diseases known as rheumatic diseases. When a joint—the point where two bones meet—becomes inflamed, swelling, redness, pain, and loss of motion occur. In the most serious forms of the disease, the loss of motion can be physically disabling. Normally, inflammation …
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength, which predisposes affected individuals to increased risk of fracture. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF; http://www.nof.org/) defines osteoporosis as about 25% bone loss compared with a healthy young adult, or on a bone density test, 2.5 standard deviations below normal. Although some bone loss occurs naturally…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, degenerative, and often intermittent disease of the central nervous system. It eventually destroys the myelin protein sheaths that surround and insulate nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin is a fatty substance that aids the flow of electrical impulses from the brain through the spinal cord. These nerve impulses control all conscious and unconscio…
Parkinsonism refers not to a particular disease but to a condition marked by a characteristic set of symptoms believed to affect about one million people in the United States in 2006, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA; http://www.apdaparkinson.org/APDA/User1/DetailedInfo.aspx?url=Introduction.htm). Both men and women are affected, and the probability of developing Parki…
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects the brain and results in severely impaired memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the fourth-leading cause of death in adults, and the incidence of the disease rises with age. AD affects an estimated four million American adults and is the most common form of dementia, or loss of intellectual function. The U.S. Depa…
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