Medical alarm (1) It is a device or a system that alarms the person about the presence of an obstacle, which requires urgent vigilance and medical emergency personnel. A medical alarm is also termed as “Personal emergency response system PERS” or medical alert. Common systems have a transmitter or wireless pendant that gets triggered in emergencies.  Medical alarms for seniors. At least one in four seniors experience falls yearly, which is the main cause of life-threatening incidents. Falls are a very serious and prevalent incident for aged people, so they need to get prepared before such an incident happens. For this purpose, medical alarms are a good choice for them. Personal medical alert systems are specifically designed for seniors to prevent them from life-threatening injuries. The risk of these emergency conditions increases with the age. Usually, these systems have a base station or wearable bracelet or pendant attached with an alarming button and speaker. Components of the medical alarm system Personal device It is a wireless transmitter that is worn on a belt, around the neck, or on the wrist. It contains a microphone and speaker. Sensor (s) Movement sensors Fall detection sensors Door close or open sensor Data Some alert systems send GPS locations of the user having an alarming device. Some systems transmit personal information of the user (age, medical history) when the alarm activates. Responders Operators...

Urgent care (1) It is a sector of walk-in-clinic that focuses on the availability of ambulatory care in a medical facility outside the hospital’s emergency department. Urgent care centers treat illnesses or injuries that need instantaneous care but are not severe enough to require a visit to an emergency department. These centers are distinguished from ambulatory healthcare departments, such as convenient care clinics and emergency departments, by their accessible facilities on-site and spectrum of conditions they dealt with. Criteria for urgent care centers Both the American Academy of urgent care medicine AAUCM and the Urgent Care Association of America UCAOA have ascertained standards for urgent care centers and the doctors who regulate them. It includes It must treat walk-in patients during working hours It must treat a wide range of injuries and illnesses. It must be available seven days a week. It must have a licensed physician, who is governing as a medical director It must have diagnostic equipment such as X-ray and phlebotomy Different exam rooms must be available there. Various business and ethical standards should be met by the Centre. Different procedure rooms should be available where the following procedures could be performed: Stitching Putting a cast on the leg Minor surgical procedures These centers must have a communication line with other hospitals to shift a patient to an emergency department if needed. Urgent care center’s staff...

It is a disorder characterized by amplified musculoskeletal pain followed by Sleep, fatigue, mood, and memory issues. It is a chronic condition that causes tenderness in the muscles. According to researchers, fibromyalgia alters the way the brain and spinal cord processes non-pain and painful sensations. Its symptoms appear after an event such as surgery, physical trauma, or psychological effects. It can be said that symptoms accumulate without showing any triggering effect.Fibromyalgia (1) Fibromyalgia pain in different regions The pain can initiate in various tissues and muscles of the body. It can be mild and severe and sometimes extremely unbearable. Chest pain Fibromyalgia pain in the chest resembles the pain of a heart attack. It begins in the cartilage that joins the breastbone to the ribs. Pain radiates towards arms and shoulders. Pain may feel stabbing, and sharp. Back pain It is the most common region of the pains. One cannot distinguish whether the back pain is due to fibromyalgia or due to some other conditions such as arthritis, or muscle pull. Other symptoms of fibromyalgia may pinpoint its onset in the body. Leg pain The pain can also target the soft muscles of the legs. The pattern of pain is similar to that of muscle stiffness, or cramps. It is deep, throbbing, and burning. One may also feel numbness or tingling in the legs. Symptoms Fibromyalgia causes “regions of...

Psoriasis (1) It is an autoimmune skin disorder that is characterized by the rapid proliferation of skin cells. It is a non-contagious and chronic disease that makes up plaques of scaly and thickened skin. These scales are normally whitish-silver and are surrounded by red bumps. In normal conditions, skin cells proliferate in and gradually come to the surface and eventually shed off. In a person with psoriasis, T-cells produce certain inflammatory chemicals that stimulate the rapid multiplication of skin cells. Old skin cells do not fall off and new cells accumulate there causing red bumps with white scales around. Onset It can affect an individual of any age. The onset pattern of psoriasis includes 2 peaks. The first peak appears in the early 20s and 30s and the second peak appears at the age of 50 years. Severity (2) At first, it targets just a few areas of skin but if left untreated, it becomes worst, spreading to other parts of the body as well. Mild psoriasis It is considered mild if it affects less than 3% of the body. It means patches are seen only on the scalp and limbs. Mild psoriasis is treatable with medications. Moderate psoriasis It is moderate if it affects 3-10% of the body. It means it targets legs, arms, torso, and scalp. This type of psoriasis is difficult to control through skin medications....

Crohn’s disease (1) It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease IBD, characterized by the chronic inflammation of the digestive tract leading to severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue, and malnutrition. The location of inflammation varies from person to person. It can runs from the oral cavity to the anus and sometimes this inflammation goes deep down the bowel layers. It is painful and weakens the person. Onset of disease The symptoms of Crohn’s disease appear in the early 20s. However, another late peak can appear at the age of 50 to 70 years. Elderly-onset Crohn’s disease EOCD; in which symptoms appear in people above 60 years. Typically such people exhibit conditions of constipation, malaise, fever, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Signs and Symptoms In Crohn’s disease, any portion of large or small testing can be involved. In some people, it is localized to colon only. Sign and symptoms of Crohn’s disease can be mild, or severe. Symptoms may appear gradually or abruptly. Some people suffer from this disease without showing any symptoms. It happens when the disease is in an inactive state. Inactive state, signs, and symptoms are: Fatigue Fever Diarrhea Mouth sores Loss of appetite Loss of weight Blood in stool Abdominal cramping People suffering from severe Crohn’s disease experience Inflammation of eyes, skin, and joints Kidney stones inflammation of bile ducts or live Iron deficiency (anemia) Delayed...

Multiple sclerosis MS (1) Multiple sclerosis MS is a disease that targets the central nervous system and potentially disables the brain and spinal cord. A fatty sheath is known as “myelin”, covers the nerve fibers, and protect them. In MS, the immune system targets myelin and causes damage to nerves. This damage forms the scar tissue on nerves. As a result, the brain fails to send signals to all parts of the body. Types of MS (2) MS shows different illness patterns in different patients. According to these patterns, MS has been categorized into three types. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis RRMS It is the most common type of MS and accounts for about 85% of all cases. It begins in the early 20s. Patient experiences alternate periods of recovery (remission) and flared-up symptoms (relapses). These symptoms last longer up to years. After the age of 20 years, this type switches to another type of MS known as “secondary progressive multiple sclerosis”. The number of affected nerves, the severity of attacks, and recovery vary from person to person. The patient suffering from RRMS may experience Tingling Sensitivity to heat Spinal pain Vision problem Numbness Dizziness Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis SPMS Most people develop SPMS after RRMS. Unlike RRMS, symptoms of SPMS are steady. Patient of SPMS feels: More weakness More troubling coordination Stiffness in leg muscles Bladder problem bowel issues depression...

 Bipolar disorder (1) Bipolar disorder, previously known as “manic depression” is a mental sickness that brings abrupt mood swings including emotional lows (depression) and highs (hypomania or mania). In emotional lows or depression, a person feels hopeless, sluggish, and sad, and loses interest in life activities. When he shifts to hypomania or mania, then he feels euphoric and highly energetic, which is usually irritable. These mood swings influence energy, sleep, behavior, judgment, activity, and thinking ability. Extreme highs and lows are the two poles of disorder that’s why it is called bipolar disorder. The onset of bipolar disorder It usually occurs at the age of 25 but can also begin in the teens and early childhood. Types There are various types of bipolar disorder, depending upon the duration and severity of mood swings. Bipolar 1 disorder It is the most severe type of bipolar disorder. A person with bipolar 1 disorder shows at least one manic or mixed episode and more than one depressive episodes. These episodes last from a week to months and even for years. Bipolar 2 disorder It is characterized by continuous depressive episodes followed by infrequent hypomanic episodes. In comparison to manic, hypomanic episodes are milder. The chances of suicide are more in this type. Cyclothymic disorder In this type, an individual exhibits chronic fluctuations of mood with depression and hypomanic episodes. Symptoms are less...

Schizophrenia (1) It is a chronic mental disorder that alters the way an individual expresses, thinks and perceives reality. It influences the person’s normal functioning in society, at school, at work, and in relationships. People with schizophrenia seem like they have been disconnected from society. Schizophrenia is a lifelong disease that can’t be cured completely but can be controlled with appropriate treatment. What happens in schizophrenia? It involves a type of mental illness known as “psychosis” in which a person cannot differentiate between reality and imagination. A person with schizophrenia thinks the world a jumble of images, confused thoughts, and sounds. A sudden change in the behavior and personality of an affected person is called a “psychotic episode”.The severity of schizophrenia depends upon the person’s psychotic episode. Causes The exact cause of schizophrenia is still mysterious. Like diabetes and cancer, it also has a biological basis. Some of them are: Genetics Schizophrenia is inheritable. A child is at a higher risk of getting schizophrenia if one of the parents had had this. Disrupted nerve cell pathway Neurotransmitters are chemicals that control the pathways of nerve cells. These neurotransmitters are not well regulated in schizophrenia thus affecting the behavior an individual. Abnormal brain structure Abnormality in brain structure has been seen in many people dealing with schizophrenia. But this is not the exact cause because abnormal brain structures are seen...

Rheumatoid arthritis RA (1) It is an autoimmune disorder that affects more than just joints. Unlike Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis targets the lining of joints leading to painful swelling. It results in joint deformity and bone erosion. In this disorder, the immune system accidentally attacks the body’s tissues. It mainly targets the joints in the wrists, hands, and knees. The inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis can also spread to other regions of the body. Progression patterns of RA (2) Progression patterns of RA vary from person to person. Few of them are as follows: Long remissions In this, the stiffness and pain go away even if the disease is not cured. In about 5% to 10% of all cases, RA starts suddenly, and people show no symptoms for several years. Short-term symptoms In this, symptoms come and go. It happens in about 15% of people. Progressive rheumatoid arthritis In this situation, the patient needs long-term treatment to reduce the symptoms and prevent the condition from getting worst. Stages There are four stages of RA: Stage 1. This is the early stage of rheumatoid arthritis in which the inflammation of synovium occurs. This inflammation swells up the tissues making the joint painful and stiff. In this stage, bones are not affected yet. Stage 2 This is the moderate stage in which inflammation progresses and damages the cartilage. Cartilage provides a cushioning effect...