Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Pernicious Anemia
Many people hate to go to the doctor's office -- especially when they know that they will be receiving an injection. However, I, along with millions of people the world over, consider ourselves very lucky to do just that, each and every month of our lives. You see, for people like me with a disorder known as "pernicious anemia," the doctor and her needle are the important link between a healthy life and a life of absolute misery. This is because, unlike classic anemia, the common form of the blood disorder that usually results in little more than fatigue, pernicious anemia can result in catastrophic changes in the body, chief among them severe neurological impairment that, in its severe form, can result in absolute madness. For those of us who suffer from this disease caused by an inherited deficiency, or caused from some disruption or disorder in the stomach and gastro-intestinal tract, the Vitamin B12 injection is a lifesaver.
According to the Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, anemia is a blood disorder where red blood cells are "not providing adequate oxygen to body tissues." However, unlike classic anemia, the individual suffering from the disorder lacks an important chemical made in the stomach, which allows the vitamin B12 (obtained from food) to be absorbed by the body. Because vitamin B12 is a necessary component for the formation of adequate...
Interestingly, pernicious anemia is usually caused by heredity, but it can also be caused from physical changes in the body, including stomach surgery or removal, disorders of the lining of the stomach, or simple lack of adequate nutrition (although this is rare, those suffering from malnutrition and famine are at high risk for developing this form of anemia).
Although the symptoms of classic anemia may include fatigue or low red blood cells in blood tests, it can take years before someone with classic anemia might even notice anything amiss. However, the symptoms of pernicious anemia are more numerous, severe and pervasive. In addition, the lasting effects of not treating the disorder far surpass the damage that can be done by classic anemia. Specifically, symptoms of this form of anemia can include neurological problems presenting in clumsiness, unsteady walk, loss or reduction in one's sense of smell, tongue control problems, positive Babinski's reflex (a foot reflex and a sign of neurological problems after the age of two), as well as possible changes in memory or reasoning to outright madness. Additionally, other, physical symptoms may be present, including shortness of breath, fatigue, pale complexion, rapid heart rate (which are all symptoms of a lack of oxygen being delivered by…
Works Cited
Intelihealth. "Pernicious Anemia." Web site. 2004. Retrieved from Web site on April 10, 2004 www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/20862.html
Medline Plus. "Pernicious Anemia." Medline Plus Medical Enclyclopedia. 2003 Retrieved from Web site on April 10, 2004 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000569.htm
Prosopagnosia According to A.J. Larner's book, "A Dictionary of Neurological signs," prosopagnosia is a neurological condition, "a form of visual agnosia characterized by an inability to recognize previously known human faces or equivalent stimuli (hence a retrograde defect) and to learn new ones (anterograde defect)" (Larner, 2010). Larner further distinguishes between two forms of prosopagnosia: apperceptive and associative agnosia. This "category-specific recognition disorder," as G, Neil Martin calls it in his
Medical Care Influenced by Civil War and Crimean Italian Unification Wars that Immediately Preceded the U.S. Civil War The objective of this study is to examine how medical care influenced the Civil War and Crimean Italian Unification Wars that Immediately Preceded the U.S. Civil War. The work of Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Pearce (2002) reports that the Napoleonic wars at the start of the19th century "introduced some important developments in the
Medical Terminology Today, unlike a few years ago, more people are becoming diagnosed with lifestyle diseases. This trend has been attributed to poor eating habits, lack of exercise, smoking etc. Common lifestyle diseases include but are not limited to diabetes, atherosclerosis and heart disease. This text will concern itself with type 2 diabetes and its causes, symptoms, diagnosis as well as treatment amongst other things. Causes According to Medifocus (2011), "in type 2
Thus, confirming my original hypothesis that life is nothing but pain and suffering. And now, I suffer even more. So, thanks a lot. He walks away down the hall. Woman Doctor: (Left standing in the hall looking perplexed and scratching her head. Shrugs and says sarcastically.) Who knows? Just another typical day at this hospital! (Shakes head, rolls eyes, yet smiles as she walks away in the opposite direction.) Image Citations Slide
Disorders in Older People Alzheimer's and Eating Disorders and how they affect Older Adults Alzheimer's and Eating Disorders and how they affect Older Adults Disorders in Older People Alzheimer's-Type Dementia Eating Disorders Disorders in Older People In considering the general health of the population, the larger elderly population does not necessarily imply that most of them live or are ill from severe disabilities. Age related disorders would occur to different people early or late in their lives.
Medical Specialist Referral Process The world is infested with numerous diseases that are caused due to several factors revolving around the change in the quality of lifestyle of humans. This change has led to people often visiting their doctors for recovering and restoring their healthy state of body and mind. In this regard, referral process plays a pivotal role, as it helps the doctors to keep a check and balance of