DEFINITION HPV infection causes warts. More than 100 varieties of human papillomavirus (HPV) exist. Different types of HPV infection can cause warts on different parts of your body. For example, some types of HPV infection cause plantar warts on the…
DEFINITION In hip impingement, the ball and socket of the hip joint fit together too tightly, hindering normal motion. The restricted motion damages cartilage and can cause pain and arthritis in young adults. Activity usually aggravates this problem. Surgery may…
DEFINITION Heart rhythm problems (heart arrhythmias) occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate your heartbeats don’t work properly, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. Heart arrhythmias (uh-RITH-me-uhs) may feel like a fluttering or racing heart…
DEFINITION A hemangioma (he-man-jee-O-muh) is a birthmark that most commonly appears as a rubbery, bright red nodule of extra blood vessels in the skin. Sometimes called a strawberry mark, a hemangioma grows during the first year of life, and then…
DEFINITION Heat exhaustion is a condition whose symptoms may include heavy sweating and a rapid pulse, a result of your body overheating. It’s one of three heat-related syndromes, with heat cramps being the mildest and heatstroke being the most severe.…
DEFINITION Hemifacial spasm is a nervous system disorder in which the muscles on one side of your face twitch involuntarily. Hemifacial spasm may be caused by a blood vessel touching a facial nerve, a facial nerve injury or a tumor,…
DEFINITION Your heart has four valves that keep blood flowing in the correct direction. The valves open and close once during each heartbeat. Sometimes, the valves don’t open or close properly, disrupting the blood flow through your heart to your…
DEFINITION Hereditary hemochromatosis (he-moe-kroe-muh-TOE-sis) causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat. The excess iron is stored in your organs, especially your liver, heart and pancreas. The excess iron can poison these organs, leading to…
DEFINITION Heart palpitations (pal-pih-TAY-shuns) are the feelings of having rapid, fluttering or pounding heart. Heart palpitations can be triggered by stress, exercise, medication or, rarely, a medical condition. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they’re usually harmless. In rare cases,…
DEFINITION Boils and carbuncles are painful, pus-filled bumps that form under your skin when bacteria infect and inflame one or more of your hair follicles. Boils (furuncles) usually start as red, tender lumps. The lumps quickly fill…
DEFINITION Bone spurs are bony projections that develop along the edges of bones. Bone spurs (osteophytes) often form where bones meet each other — in your joints. They can also form on the bones of your spine. …
DEFINITION Bone metastasis occurs when cancer cells spread from their original site to a bone. Nearly all types of cancer can spread (metastasize) to the bones. But some types of cancer are particularly likely to spread to…