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Allergies do not cause ear pain on their own, but they can potentially lead to ear pain by giving rise to an infection in the ear. Allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever, can result in eustachian tube dysfunction due to swelling in the nasal mucosa, which lines the inside of your nose. Since the eustachian tube connects the nose to the middle ear, fluid can build up in the middle ear and cause an infection if the tube does not function properly....

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes chronic spine inflammation. AS also is an autoimmune disease, a condition in which the immune system malfunctions and attacks healthy tissues in and around the joints. It often starts in the lower back. AS also causes sacroiliitis—inflammation of the sacroiliac joints located between the pelvis and the base of the spine. AS can affect other joints throughout the body as well, including the shoulders, neck, hips, hands, feet, and heels....

Eylea (aflibercept) is an injectable medication used for the treatment of certain eye conditions, which include macular edema, wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy (DR). The medication has to be injected into the affected eye by a specialized healthcare provider. Your treatment will most likely start with a schedule of monthly injections for several months and then decrease to every other month injections. The conditions that are treated with Eylea involve eye damage caused by leaking blood vessels of the eye....

The fallopian tubes transport eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. They are important parts of the female reproductive system. Fertilization normally happens in the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes are also known as oviducts or uterine tubes. Medical procedures that block the fallopian tubes can be used as a form of permanent contraception, or sterilization. Anatomy The fallopian tubes are muscular tubes that sit in the lower abdomen/pelvis, alongside the other reproductive organs....

A gastritis diet can help to reduce gastritis symptoms caused by inflammation of the stomach lining. Indigestion, bloating, nausea, and burning stomach pain are often worse after eating fatty or spicy foods. A gastritis diet may be recommended to ease symptoms of an acute (sudden) gastritis attack or manage more persistent bouts of gastritis, often related to a chronic condition such as pernicious anemia. The key to the gastritis diet is avoiding acidic and spicy foods and eating low-acid, low-sugar foods instead....

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common childhood virus that spreads quickly throughout schools and daycare centers. It most commonly affects children under 5, but older children and adults can get it. Common symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease include a fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, and skin rash. The condition usually resolves on its own, and its symptoms can be managed at home. This article will provide an overview of hand, foot, and mouth disease, including the common symptoms, how it is treated, and when to call your healthcare provider....

In the weeks before your scheduled heart bypass surgery—which is also called coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)—you will be instructed by your surgeon on how to prepare. It’s important to keep in mind that a heart bypass procedure is considered a type of open-heart surgery and the recovery period can be extensive. However, there are many things you can do in advance to prepare for surgery, which will lower the risk of complications during and after your procedure....

There are three general categories of drugs that are commonly used to prevent or treat blood clots (thrombosis): anticoagulants, fibrinolytics, and antiplatelet medications. Some of these (Pradaxa, Angiomax, ReoPro) may be unfamiliar, while others (warfarin, heparin, aspirin) are generally household names. They have different mechanisms of action, different risks, and are used under different circumstances. One potential side effect common to all of them is excessive bleeding, so all of these drugs must be used with appropriate precautions....

The Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System was the first FDA-approved hip resurfacing system available for use in the United States. Hip resurfacing is an alternative to traditional total hip replacement for some patients. It was approved by the FDA on May 9, 2006. First introduced in 1997 in the United Kingdom, the Birmingham Hip has been used in 26 other countries and has been implanted in thousands of patients. This article looks at the Birmingham System, how it works, and what some of its pros and cons are....

There are many approaches to uterine fibroid management. Treatment for uterine fibroids can vary depending on the symptoms, size, number, and location of the fibroids. The desire to get pregnant is also a factor when deciding on treatment options. This article is part of Uterine Fibroids and Black Women, a destination in our Health Divide series. Since fibroids are benign (noncancerous) tumors that rarely become malignant (cancerous), watchful waiting is the preferred management for fibroids that aren’t causing symptoms....

When you catch a cold, your immune system jumps into action. Its first job is to fight the infection. The tell-tale symptoms of the common cold, like a cough and stuffy nose, are not from the virus itself. Those symptoms actually happen because of the things that are happening in your body as it responds to the virus. As you start feeling better, your immune system is still working. Its next job is to get your body ready to fight off the virus in the future....

Immunotherapy modifies some aspects of the body’s immune system to help manage a number of illnesses, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Certain cancers have distinct molecular features. By identifying them with genetic testing, healthcare providers can select an immunotherapy drug that is designed to attack a patient’s specific type of NSCLC in a more targeted way. Because of the way immunotherapies zero in on cancer cells, they often result in fewer and milder side effects than chemotherapy....

What Is Kalydeco? Kalydeco (ivacaftor) is a prescription medication used to treat a specific type of cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease that causes problems with breathing, digestion, and reproduction. It is in the class of drugs called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) potentiators. Mutations in the CFTR gene result in defective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator proteins, which in turn cause CF. This medication is the first of the drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that targets the G551D mutation....

The lungs are an essential part of the respiratory system. The respiratory system facilitates breathing and has two parts: the upper respiratory tract, which includes the airways like the nose, mouth, sinuses, and windpipe (trachea), and the lower respiratory tract, which consists of the lungs and bronchial tubes. The lungs’ main role is to deliver oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. Air enters the nose or mouth and passes through your windpipe and into the bronchial tubes when you breathe in....

For many people with mild eczema, over-the-counter (OTC) lotions and creams are enough to control eczema symptoms. But if your eczema is severe—or it has stopped responding to OTC strategies—you may need a more aggressive therapy. Determining the Severity of Eczema When determining the severity of your eczema, your healthcare provider will base it upon characteristics of your skin findings. With mild eczema, your skin will be dry and may or may not have any redness associated with it....

Treatment is required for various types of ear conditions, such as ear infections, bullous myringitis (infection of the eardrum), and eustachian tube dysfunction. In some cases, prescription ear drops or other types of medications will need to be used. Over-the-counter (OTC) ear drops can be used to help relieve symptoms associated with these types of conditions, but there are no available OTC ear drops that will treat infections. In the case of other issues such as wax buildup, OTC ear drops may be used as a possible form of treatment....

Passive-aggressive behavior is when a person has a hostile motive that they are unaware of, and they act in a harmful way that seems accidental or neutral. This may include things they do as well as things they say. Passive-aggressiveness is not something that happens once. It’s a pattern or theme in communication and behavior. For example, someone who is jealous of the job promotion of another person may congratulate them, and then continually make mistakes and comments that reflect poorly on the job performance of the other person....

A pleural effusion occurs when an area between the two membranes (pleura) that line the lungs and chest cavity becomes filled with fluid. This cavity is called the pleural cavity. Typically, the pleural cavity contains a small amount of fluid that functions as a lubricant. But disease processes, including heart problems or lung infections (pneumonia), can create the buildup of excess fluid associated with pleural effusion. This article will discuss the various types, causes, symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and prognoses for pleural effusion....

Postnasal drip occurs when your body produces too much mucus. This mucus then drips down the back of your nose and gather in your throat. This can cause chronic coughing or throat clearing, and produces a dry, sore throat. Having mucus in the back of your throat is normal. The glands in your nose and throat produce about 1–2 quarts of mucus per day. This process works to moisten and clear your nasal lining, and trap what is inhaled to protect your lungs from debris and infection....

Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease of the connective tissue that causes a hardening and tightening of the skin. (Scleroderma means “hard skin” in Greek). The disease can be localized, with symptoms related entirely to the skin, or it can be systemic, in which hardening can occur in connective tissues within the body. Nearly everyone with scleroderma develops patches of thick, hardened skin. The region will depend on the type of scleroderma, but it often includes the hands, arms, or face, and sometimes the torso and legs....