Category Archives: Symptoms

Lymphoma Awareness

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What Is Lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a group of cancers that begins in the lymphatic system. The function of the lymphatic system is to drain excess tissue fluid called lymph. The lymphatic system also contains blood cells known as lymphocytes, which are important in fighting infection. Lymphoma is the uncontrolled growth of lymphocytes.

What Are the Types of Lymphoma?
There are two types of lymphoma: Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

  • Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is recognized by the presence of special cells that can be seen under the micros cope, called the Reed-Sternberg cell. Only 12.5% of all lymphomasare the Hodgkin’s type.
  • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the most common type of lymphoma and is divided into many groups of lymphatic cancers. There are many different types of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
What Are the Key Statistics About Lymphoma?
  • In the year 2015, about 80,900 people will be diagno sed with lymphoma. About 71,850 are expected to have the Non-Hodgkin’s type and about 9,050 for the Hodgkin’s type of lymphoma. Approximately 20,940 people will die of the disease this year.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Lymphoma?
  • A swelling of lymph nodes that does not cause pain. Lymph nodes are groups of cells found along the path of lymphatic vessels. They filter the lymphatic fluid and remove harmful substances. The most common sites of lymph node swellings are in the neck, armpit, groin, or the abdomen.
  • General symptoms can include fever, sweating, fatigue, loss of appetite, and bony pain.
  • There are no known strategies to prevent lymphoma.
What Are the Causes of Lymphoma?
  • In most cases, the cause of lymphoma remains unknown.
  • Patients with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) have a higher risk of developing lymphoma.
  • Stomach lymphoma can be caused by an infection in the stomach called Helicobacter Pylori. This infection is sometimes found in people that have stomach ulcers.

Leukemia Awareness

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What Is Leukemia?
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, which help fight infection. It is caused by the uncontrolled growth of these cells. Leukemia starts in the bone marrow,
which is the spongy part inside the bones where blood cells are made. The cancer cells spread to the blood that circulates in the arteries and veins.
What Are the Key Statistics About Leukemia?
  • The American Cancer Society estimates that 54,270 people will be diagnosed with leukemia this year.
  • About 24,450 people are expected to die from leukemia in the year 2015.
  • Leukemia is commonly thought of as a childhood disease, yet it is diagnosed 10 times more often in adults
What Are the Types of Leukemia?
  • Based on the time it takes one to develop the disease, leukemia has two forms,acute and chronic leukemia.
  • Acute leukemia begins over a short period of time. In acute leukemia, there is a fast growth of immature cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.
  • Chronic leukemia develops over a longer period of time. Compared to acute leukemia, it has more mature cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.
  • Based on the type of blood cells, leukemia is divided into lymphocytic and myelogenous leukemia.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia?
  • There are no exact signs and symptoms of leukemia.
  • General symptoms include fatigue, or lack of energy, and flu-like symptoms including fever.
  • A loss of appetite may also occur.
  • Shortness of breath when active and a pale color of the skin and mucous membranes (this includes the lining of the inside of the nose and mouth). These symptoms are related to anemia, which is a decrease in the red blood cells that carry oxygen.
  • Easy bruising and bleeding due to a drop in the platelet count. Platelets are part of the blood cells that help form blood clots.Poor wound healing and infections.
  • This is because many of the white cells are immature and therefore not able to do their job.
What Are the Causes of Leukemia?
  • The exact cause of leukemia is not known.
  • In very rare cases, chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to treat one cancer leads to leukemia.
  • There are no known ways to prevent leukemia.

World Alzheimer’s Day

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World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21st of each year, is a day on which Alzheimer’s organizations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning.

Every 68 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease. At current rates, experts believe the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s will quadruple to as many as 16 million by the year 2050.

Alzheimer’s disease is often called a family disease, because the chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone. 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. With the increases in life spans and baby boomers coming of age, support for Alzheimer’s research is more critical to our families than ever.

Rehabilitation Information

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Rehabilitation describes specialized healthcare dedicated to improving, maintaining or restoring physical strength, cognition and mobility with maximized results. Typically, rehabilitation helps people gain greater independence after illness, injury or surgery.

Usually delivered by a diverse team of experts, rehabilitation blends many specialties for the best treatment plan, such as:

  • Physical therapy for increased strength and mobility
  • Occupational therapy for improved everyday living skills
  • Speech and language therapy for improved communication

Enhanced healing and function with rehabilitation therapy

Rehabilitation plays a critical role in healing, repair and recovery in a wide range of injuries, illnesses and conditions:

  • Improves speech, everyday skills and mobility in stroke, head injury and other neurological disorders
  • Strengthens bones and promotes muscular healing after total joint replacement surgery and other orthopedic surgery
  • Maximizes function and independence after spinal cord injury
  • And many others

Rehabilitation therapy pairs a team of expert doctors, nurses, therapists and other healthcare professionals with advanced technology. Each plan is custom-designed for the patient’s diverse individual needs.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know?:

  • 1 in every 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer
  • In the U.S., one out of every five children with cancer will not survive
  • The vast majority of kids who do survive will suffer long-term side effects
  • 14,583 kids will be diagnosed with cancer this month alone

And every single one of them is hoping that the next treatment is the one that will save their life.

For more information you can visit St. Jude’s Website