DEFINITION Gas and gas pains can strike at the worst possible moment — during an important meeting or on a crowded elevator. Although passing intestinal gas (flatus) usually isn’t serious, it can be embarrassing. Anything that causes intestinal gas…
DEFINITION During an asthma attack, also called an asthma exacerbation, your airways become swollen and inflamed. The muscles around the airways contract, causing your breathing (bronchial) tubes to narrow. During an asthma attack, you may cough, wheeze…
DEFINITION Kidney stones (renal lithiasis, nephrolithiasis) are small, hard mineral deposits that form inside your kidneys. The stones are made of mineral and acid salts. Kidney stones have many causes and can affect any part of your urinary tract…
DEFINITION Pancreatitis is inflammation in the pancreas. The pancreas is a long, flat gland that sits tucked behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. The pancreas produces enzymes that assist digestion and hormones that help regulate the way your body…
DEFINITION Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system are a group of rare disorders that develop in some people who have cancer. Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system are the most commonly reported paraneoplastic syndromes, but these syndromes can also affect…
DEFINITION Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of…
DEFINITION Short bowel syndrome is a condition in which your body is unable to absorb enough nutrients from the foods you eat because you don’t have enough small intestine. The small intestine is where the majority of the nutrients you…
DEFINITION Viral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection marked by watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea or vomiting, and sometimes fever. The most common way to develop viral gastroenteritis — often called stomach flu — is through contact with an infected…
DEFINITION Gastritis describes a group of conditions with one thing in common: inflammation of the lining of the stomach. The inflammation of gastritis is most often the result of infection with the same bacterium that causes most stomach ulcers. Injury,…
DEFINITION Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder that prevents normal development in various parts of the body. A person can be affected by Noonan syndrome in various ways. These include unusual facial characteristics, short stature, heart defects, other physical problems…
DEFINITION Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of your esophagus, stomach and the upper portion of your small intestine. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is abdominal pain. Peptic ulcers include: …
DEFINITION Pericardial effusion (per-e-KAHR-dee-ul uh-FU-zhun) occurs when too much fluid builds up around the heart. The heart is surrounded by a double-layered, sac-like structure called the pericardium. The space between the layers normally contains a very small amount of fluid.…