Healthcare

As you will recall anemia was defined in Part 1 of this article series as a condition whereby the body does not have an adequate number of healthy red blood cells for someone’s age and gender. In the last issue, we discussed different causes of anemia. This issue relies on the foundation provided by the previous article as it focuses on case scenarios to demonstrate different cases of anemia.

Scenario 1: Ms. C is a hardworking executive. She is up and about daily. She noticed recently she gets tired in the morning when she has barely done any work. She dismissed the feeling and attributed it to some weight gain. She loves dancing but in the last month she could barely dance for thirty...

Read more: ANEMIA II

Anemia, commonly known as having a low level of blood, is a condition when the body does not have an adequate number of healthy red blood cells for someone’s age and gender. Blood cells are broadly divided into white cells (fight infection), red blood cells, and platelets (helps blood to clot to control bleeding). The red blood cells (RBC) contain a protein called hemoglobin which helps to carry oxygen to body tissues. The RBC is mainly produced in the marrow (reddish soft tissue that is inside the bones). RBCs need to be in the right size, shape, amount, and possess enough hemoglobin to properly carry enough oxygen to the tissues. RBC production is facilitated by a chemical (hormone) secreted in the kidneys called erythropoietin. Proper production of RBCs also requires having right...

Read more: ANEMIA

The tuberculosis skin test is done in order to screen people for infection with tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the bacteria called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, which primarily infects the lungs (Refer to previous USI News publication on Tuberculosis). The test is also called purified protein derivative standard (PPD), TB test by many people, and Tuberculin skin test. Old tests used to screen for TB include the Tine test.

Why is PPD test performed?
To screen for exposure and infection of the bacteria causing Tuberculosis, the principle behind the test is the ability of special body cells (immune cells- T lymphocytes) to recognize and react to protein materials similar to that from the previous exposure to the bacteria causing TB. The...

Read more: Understanding Skin Test for Tuberculosis

Maintaining a healthy weight has become the focus of many, as health implications of obesity are now better appreciated. As was discussed in the first part of this article last month, abnormal loss of weight is unintended/unplanned weight loss. Finding the cause can pose a diagnostic challenge. Several medical conditions present as weight loss which can pose challenges at making diagnosis. It is extremely important to give the doctor as accurate a history as possible to assist in planning a systematic approach at investigating the cause. Unintentional weight loss becomes a concern when someone loses up to ten pounds in one month or experiences progressive decrease in weight over several weeks or months.

Like we did last month, we will look at more scenarios that cause weight...

Read more: ABNORMAL WEIGHT LOSS (Part II)