List Of Signs and Symptoms
The List of Symptoms
) ABDOMEN
Cramps in the Abdomen
Cramping pain in the abdomen is usually a symptom of acute gastroenteritis. The cramping pain may come from indulgence in alcohol, (intestinal flu), food poisoning, an overdose of cathartic, poisoning by certain drugs or mettalic poisons, thphoid fever, dysentery, or cholera.
Abdominal cramps are an important symptom in intestinal obstruction.
Abdominal Cramps occur in normal pregnancy, but forceful constractions in pregnancy are to be taken seriously as they may indicate the onset of premature labor.
Distension of the Abdomen
This may be caused by the presence of either gas or fluid. Without realizing it, some people develop the habit of swallowing air. Quantities of gas are also produced in the stomach and intestine as a result of fermentation of putrefaction of food. Normally the gas is released by belching or by the passing of flatus through the rectum. Distension can also occur in gastritis, intestinal obstruction, celiac disease, sprue, and the serious condition of ileus
( intestinal obstruction)
Fluid in the Abdomen
Abdominal distension from accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity may occur as a complication in congestive heart failure, glomerulonephritis, cirrhosis of the liver, and abdominal or thoracic cancer when this interferes or irritates the peritoneal lining
Masses in the Abdomen
Some masses within the abdomen are normal or relatively harmless. In pregnancy, the uterus can be felt in the lower middle area. It increases in size and extends upward as the pregnancy progresses.
Rigidity of the Abdomen
When the tissues inside the abdomen become inflamed, there develops a protective reflex mechanism by which the muscles of the abdominal wall become firmly contracted.
Tenderness in the Abdomen
In acute abdominal inflammations the abdominal wall overlying the inflamed area becomes tender, reinforcing, as it were, the protection afforded by the rigidity of the muscle mentioned in the previous paragraph.
2.) ABSCESS
The body responds to an invasion of germs by mobilizing blood leukocytes which crowd into the infested tissue area. The leukocytes carry antibodies, and some have the ability to engulf germs.
In mild infections the remains of the germs are carried away by the blood and lymph to be disposed of in other parts of the body. But in a severe infection the debris of cells and germs becomes PUS, which may be eliminated as a purulent discharge from one of the body's opening ls, or may form a pus-filled abscess if the infection occurs deep in the body's tissues. PUS is a liquid waste product which contains many pus cells-leukocytes expended in the conflict with germs.
3.) ANEMIA
Paleness occurs whenever the blood fails to move briskly enough or when it carries less hemoglobin than normal.
Because complexions vary, it is difficult to judge whether a person is pale by merely looking at his skin.
4.) ANXIETY
This symptom consists of a feeling of uncertainty , apprehension, and fear. It is normal for a person to be anxious when deprived of proper security or when threatened with great uncertainties. It is when a person is anxious in the fave of favorable circumtances or when his anxiety continues week after week, that the symptom must be raken seriously. Anxiety is an important cause of many ( functional ) diseases and is an important element in neuroses and mental illness.
5.) APPETITE
Loss of Appetite
This may be caused by emotional tensions, reaction to unappetizing food, problems at mealtime, or the use tobacco. It is also an early symptom in many illnesses and is an important reason for the loss of weight in many chronic, wasting diseases. It is particularly noticeable in stomach cancer and infectious hepatitis.
Increase in Appetite
Many persons unhappy with their lot in life seem to find satisfaction in eating. Some persons, during periods of sternuous activity or during pregnancy, grow accustomed to eating heartily. Then, when conditions change, their habit continues on.
6.)BEDSORE
Bedsores occurs in locations where the underlying parts of the skeleton are close to the skin, as over the bony prominences of the lower back, pelvis, and upper part of the hip, and in the vicinity of the ankle.
This occurs in persons confined to bed or otherwise unable to change the position of some part of the body.
7.) BED-WETTING
This is a troublesome symptom affecting children in which the bladder empties involuntarily, usually during deep sleep. Contributing factors include ( tardy growth of the bladder so that its capacity is exceeded ) ( hindrance to the free flow of urine by a narrowing of the urethra, or by folds in the membrane that lines the urethra).
8.) BELCHING
The expulsion of gas from the stomach by belching does not neccessarily indicate disease. It usually occurs as result of air swallowing, after rapid eating or in dyspepsia.
9.) BLACKOUT
The unconsciousness caused by faiting is usually of brief duration, with the person quickly regaining awareness. The fundamental cause of fainting is a sudden diminution of the blood supply to the brain centers.
10.) BLADDER
Difficulty in Emptying the Bladder
Difficulty in the voiding of urine may come from conditions involving the urethra, such as stricture following an old infection, or from pressure from outside the urethra as by an enlarged prostate. It can occur as a consequence of taking certain drugs.
Loss of Control of the Bladder
Involuntary passage of urine occurs when the bladder or urethra is infected. There is a sudden urgency to empty the bladder, and if the desire is not gratified, urine may escape.
Loss of bladder control occurs when the nerves to the bladder or the spinal cord itself have been damaged by disease or injury.
11.) BLEEDING (HEMORRHAGE)
Effects of Blood Loss
Blood account for 7 to 9 percent of the body's weight. This means that a human body usually contains between four and six quarts (or liters) of blood. A person can be suddenly deprived of a pint (half liter) of blood with litte adverse effect, but when greater amounts are lost, symptoms develop----pallor, thirst, cold sweat, buzzing in the ears, dizziness, blurred vision, restlessness, a rapid and faint pulse, rapid and swallow breathing, and eventual unconsciousness.
Any severe loss of blood, either apparent or suspected, justifies the immediate attention of a physician.
Injury, Bleeding as a Result of
a. ) Bleeding From the Site of Injury
Blood loss from a crushing injury is not as rapid as from severed artery. In a shardply severed artery, the blood escapes in spurts, one spurt with each heartbeat.
b. ) Internal Bleeding From Injury
Internal bleeding may occur whenever a person has received a hard blow, has fallen, has been thrown from a horse or moving vehicle, or has suffered a crushing injury.
Bladder, Bleeding From
Blood in the urine may come from the bladder, urethra, or kidneys. Common causes are cancer, kidney stones, acute nephritis and infections causing hemorrhagic cystitis.
Ears, Bleeding From
In head injury, bleeding from the ears suggests fracture at the base of the skull.
Lungs, Bleeding From
Since blood from the lungs is expelled through the mouth, it may not be easy to tell blood coming from the lungs.
Mouth, Bleeding From
The mouth is subject to injuries, ulcers, and tumors, all of which may cause bleeding. Otherwise, it is the gums which bleed most easily. Bleeding when the teeth are brushed is usually caused by periodonal disease (pyorrhea) which calls for care by a dentist.
Nosebleed
Bleeding from the interior of the nose may be caused by an external injury to the nose, by excessive nose blowing, by breathing very dry air, or by removal of crusts in the nose.
Tumor within the nose, systemic tendency to bleeding, high blood pressure, and such diseases as measlesand rheumatic fever may set the stage for nosebleed.
Rectum, Bleeding From
Any passage of blood through the rectum deserves investigattion by a physician.
Bleeding is an important symptom in cancer of the colon and rectum.
Skin, Bleeding From Or Into
Persistent bleeding from minor wounds suggests defects in the blood-clotting mechanism.
Stomach, Blood From
Blood in the stomach may be expelled by vomiting or by passing it through the intestines.
Vagina, Bleeding From
Periodic bleeding from vagina occurs normally during menstruation throughout a woman's reproductive time of life.
Causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding include polyps in the uterus or cervix, myoma, inflammation of the lining of the uterus, disturbances of the balance of the hormones that control menstruation, and cancer of the uterine tube or uterus.
12.) BLINDNESS
Impairment of vision should be taken seriously.
In addition to difficulties with the eye itself, vision may be affected by damage to the nerves that carry impulses from the eye to the brain.
13.) BLISTERS
A blister is small collection of fluid in the surface layer of the skin. Blood blisters are caused by bruising or pinching the skin.
Cross section of skin tissue showing how a blister forms from an accumulation of watery fluid or serum under the epidermis, an elevated spot on the surface of the skin being the typical result.