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Parkinson’s disease is an age-related degenerative brain condition, meaning it causes parts of your brain to deteriorate. It’s best known for causing slowed movements, tremors, balance problems and more. Most cases happen for unknown reasons, but some are inherited. The condition isn’t curable, but there are many different treatment options. What is Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder. The first signs are problems with movement. Smooth and coordinated bodily muscle movements are made possible by dopamine, a substance in the brain. Dopamine is produced in a part of the brain called the “substantia nigra.” In Parkinson’s, the cells of the substantia nigra start to die. When this happens, dopamine levels are reduced. When they have dropped 60 to 80 percent, symptoms of Parkinson’s start to appear. What Does Parkinson's Do to the Brain? Deep down in your brain, there's an area called the substantia nigra, which is in the basal ganglia. So

  Poliosis is a disease that causes one or more white spots to appear on a person's hair. Looking in the bathroom mirror and noticing streaks of white hair that weren't there before can be a disturbing experience. Like many other things in life, poliosis is less scary when understood. Here is an overview of what poliosis is, what it means to the person who has it, and how they can deal with it. What is poliosis? Poliosis occurs when a person is born or develops a patch of white or gray hair while retaining their natural hair color. It can affect children and adults. People with poliosis have a reduced level or a complete lack of melanin in the roots of the affected hair, also called hair follicles. Poliosis alone cannot seriously harm your health and can be covered with hair dye, hats, or scarves if you are not comfortable with them. But poliosis can sometimes coexist with serious illnesses. What Causes Poliosis? Some people say that psychological trauma, physical shock, or oth

Your immune system is made up of organs and cells meant to protect your body from bacteria, parasites, viruses and cancer cells. An autoimmune disease is the result of the immune system accidentally attacking your body instead of protecting it. It's unclear why your immune system does this. There are over 100 known autoimmune diseases. Common ones include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Autoimmune diseases can affect many types of tissues and nearly any organ in your body. They may cause a variety of symptoms including pain, tiredness (fatigue), rashes, nausea, headaches, dizziness and more. Specific symptoms depend on the exact disease. What is an Autoimmune Disease? An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. The immune system normally guards against germs like bacteria and viruses. When it senses these foreign invaders, it sends out an army of fighter cells to attack them. Normally, the immun

Hepatitis E is inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). The virus has at least 4 different types: genotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4. Genotypes 1 and 2 have been found only in humans. Genotypes 3 and 4 circulate in several animals including pigs, wild boars and deer without causing any disease, and occasionally infect humans. The virus is shed in the stools of infected persons and enters the human body through the intestine. It is transmitted mainly through contaminated drinking water. The infection is usually self-limiting and resolves within 2–6 weeks. Occasionally a serious disease known as fulminant hepatitis (acute liver failure) develops, which can be fatal. What Is Hepatitis E? Hepatitis E is a potentially serious acute disease. It is caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). The virus targets the liver. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20 million cases of hepatitis E infection occur every year, and 44,000 of these cases resulted in death in 2015. It i

  Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. It is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), besides increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Hypertension can also lead to other conditions such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness.  What is Hypertension? Hypertension or high blood pressure (HBP) is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated.  Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of the body in the vessels. Each time the heartbeats, it pumps blood into the vessels. Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.  Hypertension is disclosed as the "silent killer" for its absence of symptoms detected by the afflicted person. The condition m

  Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can be acute and resolve without treatment. However, some forms can be chronic, and these could lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In this article, learn more about HBV, including transmission, early symptoms, and treatment. What Is Hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is one of five types of viral hepatitis. The others are hepatitis A, C, D, and E. Each is a different type of virus, and types B and C are most likely to become chronic. Symptoms Many HBV infections occur during infancy or childhood. This is because a mother can pass HBV to her child during childbirth. However, doctors rarely diagnose HBV in childhood, as it causes few obvious symptoms. Symptoms of a new HBV infection may not be apparent in children under 5 years of age or in adults with a suppressed immune system. Among those aged 5 years and over, around 30–50% will show initial sign

  Hepatitis A is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation and damage. Inflammation is swelling that occurs when tissues of the body become injured or infected. Inflammation can damage organs. Viruses invade normal cells in your body. Many viruses cause infections that can be spread from person to person. The hepatitis A virus typically spreads through contact with food or water that has been contaminated by an infected person’s stool. Hepatitis A is an acute or short-term infection, which means people usually get better without treatment after a few weeks. Hepatitis A does not lead to long-term complications, such as cirrhosis, because the infection only lasts a short time. You can take steps to protect yourself from hepatitis A, including getting the hepatitis A vaccine. If you have hepatitis A, you can take steps to prevent spreading hepatitis A to others. Symptoms Hepatitis A signs and symptoms typically don't appear until you've had the virus for a few weeks. But no

  Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects both children and adults. Its symptoms are different with age, and severity can vary as well. Generally, people with dyslexia have difficulty breaking down words into simple sounds. They struggle to learn how sounds relate to letters and words, which leads to slow reading and poor reading comprehension. Dyslexia is often known as a reading disability. It’s most often identified in childhood when reading problems first become apparent. But dyslexia can go undiagnosed for years or even decades. Dyslexia is not connected with intelligence. It is a neurobiological disorder that affects the parts of your brain involved in language processing. Keep reading to learn more about  the causes, risk factors, types and how dyslexia symptoms can vary with age, plus what symptoms to look out for and when. What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they rela