Haemochromatosis

Haemochromatosis

What is Haemochromatosis? Haemochromatosis - or genetic haemochromatosis (GH) - is a disorder that causes the body to absorb an excessive amount of iron from the diet. We can only use a limited amount of iron and any excess is deposited around the body. This accumulates mainly in the liver, but can also affect the heart, pancreas and pituitary gland, damaging these vital body organs and resulting in a deterioration of their functional capacity. Symptoms Although haemochromatosis and the potential for the condition to cause problems is...

Hearing loss

Hearing loss

What is hearing loss? The ear is a sensitive organ and plays a role in hearing and balance. To hear well, you need a clear conduction system through which sound can travel and healthy sensory organs to detect the sound waves and turn them into nerve signals to the brain. If hearing loss occurs it may be 'conductive' or 'sensorineural' or sometimes a mixture of both: In conductive hearing loss the sound waves cannot pass properly into the inner ear, because of reasons such as copious ear wax blocking the outer ear canal, damage to the...

Head lice

Head lice

What are head lice? Head lice are tiny insects that live on the head and in the hair. They're highly infectious and easily passed between children who tend to work closely with their heads together, at school and at play. Infestation of any of the hairy parts of the body is also called pediculosis. However, the type of lice found on the head are different to those that can infest the rest of the body or the pubic area. Head lice are flat, wingless insects about 2mm to 4mm long, usually black or dark brown, which attach to the base of a hair....

Childhood head injury

Childhood head injury

What is head injury? A head injury is any sort of accident or trauma that affects the head. Cuts, tears or haemorrhages in the brain tissues and covering membranes can lead to a wide variety of problems, while fractures of the bones of the skull (including the face) can damage delicate tissues and increase pressure on the brain. Other problems following head injury include damage to the spinal cord (head injuries often involve the neck, too), disruption of sight and hearing, as well as damage to the jaws and teeth, plus possible harm involving...

Hair loss in women

Hair loss in women

What is hair loss in women? One of the commonest forms of hair loss in women (and men) is a condition called telogen effluvium, in which there is a diffuse (or widely spread out) shedding of hairs around the scalp and elsewhere on the body. This is usually a reaction to intense stress on the body's physical or hormonal systems, or as a reaction to medication. The condition, which can occur at any age, generally begins fairly suddenly and gets better on its own within about six months, although for a few people it can become a chronic problem. Because...

Hair loss in men

Hair loss in men

What is male hair loss? Male pattern baldness occurs in a distinct way (and sometimescan affect women too). Hair may start Hair may start to disappear from the temples and the crown of the head at any time. For a few men this process starts as early as the later teenage years, but for most it happens in their late 20s and early 30s. A little thinning of the hair may be noticeable first, followed by wider hair loss allowing more of the scalp to become visible. Some men aren't troubled by this process at all. Others, however, suffer great emotional...

Heart attack

Heart attack

What is a heart attack? The heart beats on average 70 times a minute to push blood around the body. Like any busy muscle, the heart tissues need a good supply of blood from their blood vessels, which are called the coronary arteries. When this process is interrupted or doesn't work properly, serious illness and even death can result. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot, causing damage to the affected muscle. The clot, often caused by rupturing or tearing of plaque in an artery, is sometimes...

Headache

Headache

What is a headache Headache is pain of any sort in or around the head. Symptoms There are several different types of headache. The main types are: Tension headaches (also called stress headaches, muscular headaches) - a mild to moderate headache that may last minutes or days and tends to recur. The pain is fairly constant and felt in both sides of the head and neck as a pressure or tension. Most importantly, exercise doesn't make it worse and there are no additional symptoms such as nausea. Migraine - ssymptoms can be variable,...

Head injury

Head injury

Head injury symptoms Minor head injuries may cause headache, bruising, swelling and cuts, which may bleed profusely even if small. What's usually more worrying than any obvious trauma to the outside of the head (although this can in some instances cause very serious problems) is the possibility of damage to the delicate structures inside the head – to the brain and related tissues. This is referred to as traumatic brain injury or TBI. With any head injury, there's a risk of permanent damage to the brain, especially if the injury is not treated...