Diseases & Conditions Archive

Psoriasis is among the most common skin diseases, and once it shows up, it never entirely goes away. While there is no cure for psoriasis, certain medications and other treatments can reduce flare-ups and help manage symptoms when they do occur. Treatments include topical medications, light therapy, oral and injected prescription  drugs, and lifestyle modifications like weight management, stress reduction, and following a healthier diet and regular exercise.

A 2022 Harvard study suggests that an Epstein-Barr virus infection, the most common cause of mononucleosis, may trigger multiple sclerosis (MS) in some people.

Emotional stress can aggravate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which gastric acid washes backward into the esophagus from the stomach. Managing stress through meditation or exercise can help.

Hair loss is a common problem for many men and women, but what does it mean to have alopecia? Alopecia areata occurs when the body's immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. AA can affect the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or anywhere hair grows on the body.

If you wind up in an emergency department due to an illness or accident what should you know and what can you expect? It's frustrating to have to wait for care, and also frustrating to have to explain your situation multiple times to different people, but there are reasons why it all happens.

Many conditions of the gastrointestinal tract are easy to diagnose using standard testing. But some such diseases can impact the GI tract without a clear test finding. Disorders of gut-brain interaction are so called because they involve impaired communication between the gut and brain via the nervous system.

The vast majority of diseases do not have a single cause; rather, multiple factors combine to cause a disease. Growing evidence suggests that several viruses may be triggers of multiple sclerosis, and a long-term study found evidence that an infection with a common virus can be an important contributing factor in MS.

Rashes are a common side effect of many medications, and while they can be annoying, they typically run their course over a week or two. But not all drug rashes are mild — and some can even be deadly. How can you tell a serious rash from one that is just a nuisance?

Toenail fungus is difficult to cure without resorting to oral treatments that can affect liver function. Topical treatment can improve nails' appearance.

It can be hard to tell the difference between a groin strain (muscle or tendon tear) and an inguinal hernia (fat or intestine poking through a hole in the abdominal wall in the groin). Both conditions can cause a dull ache or burning pain in the groin. However, a groin strain usually gets better on its own; an inguinal hernia does not, and only gets bigger over time. With hernias a lump can often be felt under the skin; not so with groin strains. Treatment ranges from rest and ice (for a groin strain) to surgery (for a hernia).