Category: Ad-Ad

The normal mourning that occurs when a patient or family is expecting a death. Anticipatory grief has many of the same symptoms as those experienced after a death has occurred. It includes all of the thinking, feeling, cultural, and social reactions to an expected death that are felt by the patient and family. Anticipatory grief includes depression, extreme concern for…

These directives pertain to treatment preferences and the designation of a surrogate decision-maker in the event that a person should become unable to make medical decisions on their own behalf. Advance directives generally fall into three categories: living will, power of attorney and health care proxy. LIVING WILL: This is a written document that specifies what types of medical…

Adult-onset vitelliform foveomacular dystrophy (AVMD) is an eye disorder that can cause progressive vision loss. AVMD damages the macula of the retina, an area that is responsible for sharp central vision. Symptoms of AVMD usually begin after age 40, but some affected people do not develop symptoms at all. When symptoms occur, they include the slow development of…

A rare type of inflammatory arthritis. Although Still disease was first described in children, it is known to begin in adults (rarely). Of all patients with Still disease, 100% have high intermittent fever; 100% have joint inflammation and pain, muscle pain with fevers, and develop persistent chronic arthritis. Ninety-five percent (95%) have the faint salmon-colored skin rash. Eighty-five percent (85%)…

Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which cells cannot use blood sugar (glucose) efficiently for energy. This happens when the cells become insensitive to insulin and the blood sugar gradually gets too high. There are two types of diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2. In type 2, the pancreas still makes insulin, but the cells cannot use it…

Abbreviated ATL. A malignancy of mature T lymphocytes (T cells) with its onset in adulthood caused by infection with the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and characterized by circulating malignant T-lymphocytes, skin lesions, lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes), hepatosplenomegaly (enlarged liver and spleen), hypercalcemia (high blood calcium), lytic (“punched out”) bone lesions, and a tendency to infection. There are four categories of ATL, based…

Abbreviated ATL. A malignancy of mature T lymphocytes (T cells) with its onset in adulthood caused by infection with the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and characterized by circulating malignant T-lymphocytes, skin lesions, lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes), hepatosplenomegaly (enlarged liver and spleen), hypercalcemia (high blood calcium), lytic (“punched out”) bone lesions, and a tendency to infection. There are four categories of ATL, based…

Abbreviated ATL. A malignancy of mature T lymphocytes (T cells) with its onset in adulthood caused by infection with the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and characterized by circulating malignant T-lymphocytes, skin lesions, lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes), hepatosplenomegaly (enlarged liver and spleen), hypercalcemia (high blood calcium), lytic (“punched out”) bone lesions, and a tendency to infection. There are four categories of ATL, based…

A tumor in which the cancer starts during adulthood in cells in the liver. Also called hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that has metastasized (spread) from another place in the body to the liver. The signs and symptoms may include a hard lump just below the rib cage on the right side (from swelling of the liver), discomfort in the…

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as found in the adult population. ADHD is a well-known childhood disorder that is characterized by varying degrees of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention that lead to difficulty in academic, emotional, and social functioning. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD may continue to exhibit symptoms that persist into adulthood. In the 1970s, the condition began to be diagnosed in adults…