Cholera is an infection in your small intestines created by bacteria called vibrio cholera. Cholera can be very disturbing and it can cause many digestive problems if not treated properly. However, at its early stages, it is very difficult to make out the symptoms of cholera as the only symptom that you can understand is diarrhea. The virus enters the body through contaminated water, or through foods that were not properly cooked, specially meats and some kinds of fish.

The basic symptoms of cholera are diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and vomiting. This is not a very complicated disease; however, the problem arises when people are not attended while having the symptoms and the patient can lose their lives due to dehydration. This can happen very easily with children and this is very unfortunate.

The most important precautions that need to be taken in case of cholera are to keep fresh and clean water with the patient at all times. The patient needs to be encouraged to drink plenty of water, preferable boiled in case of some kind of contamination, also any kind of drinks like herbal tea are very good. Simple food properly cooked will also help the patient. Avoid anything raw, like salads or fruits. If the patient is a child, then you will have to force feed liquids at least five to seven times a day to avoid dehydration. Also your doctor can be contacted on regular basis to check for dehydration.

The virus will remain in the system of the patient for approximately 5 days from the day of appearance of the symptoms, however all you really need to do is take care that dehydration does not occur and the patient gets plenty of rest and proper food.

Cholera is a disease that affects people as an epidemic due to some kind of natural disaster, and the occurrence of cholera happens to many people at once. That is the reason why you can hear a lot of people losing their lives because of something like cholera.

However, this does not mean that you don’t need to take proper precautions at once. If you are having any kind of symptoms related to digestive problems in any way, the best thing to do is to contact your doctor immediately to rule out the possibilities of any disturbing diseases which can affect others around you as well.

What is Herpes Simplex? Herpes Simplex is a condition which affects the skin of the patient by giving you sores and rashes on face and the genitals. The first condition of Herpes simplex normally attacks the area of the mouth and the second stage attacks the area around the genitals. Once this disease is diagnosed, and it is established that you have herpes, then the disease does not leave you alone.

Treatment and creams will help you manage the conditions which can be very disturbing and painful, however, after the treatment the condition will go away, only to come back whenever it flares up again for some reason.

The herpes simplex stage one is usually caught by children in their early ages, however the second stage of herpes can happen when you have sexual contact with a person that is already infected with the problem. However, in many cases, it has been found that people are not aware that they have herpes for quite some time and when they pass it on to someone else, it may show up in the other person first.

The symptoms of herpes vary from person to person, however, it is considered to be a silent infection which works very slowly into your system. You may not have any symptoms for many days, and all of a sudden you have a flare up and you will be confused by the results.

Once herpes comes back you will have to go through all the discomforts that this infection can create, since the places that it affects are very sensitive to infections and therefore it is extremely important for you to consult your doctor and to get proper advice on the precautions that you should take to handle the infection properly.

Another important point that you need to take into consideration is that you need to be careful when having sexual intercourse if you are aware of previous herpes conditions, as you may be spreading the disease in the process even if you don’t have symptoms at the time.

Consult your doctor and do proper research to keep yourself away from these problems as much as possible. This article has been written only for educational purposes and you should consult your doctor and get proper medical advice for your conditions.

Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped glands of the immune system.  They are present throughout different areas of our body and are linked by lymphatic vessels which carry lymph fluid, nutrients, and waste material from the body tissues and to the blood stream.  Lymph nodes are important for they act as filters which also trap and destroy bacteria, viruses, and other harmful foreign particles that may harbor inside our body.  Owing to the fact that lymph nodes contain white blood cells, they play an integral role in the body’s defense system against disease.

In a normal state of condition, lymph nodes are not palpable but they may appear swollen and enlarged due to various conditions such as infection and cancer.  Swollen lymph nodes confined on a single area are called localized lymphadenopathy.  When the lymph nodes enlargement involves more areas it is called generalized lymphadenopathy which may suggest a more systemic involvement of a disease.

One common example of a localized lymphadenopathy can be found on the axillary or armpit area.  These swollen armpits lymph nodes are usually hard and painful on palpation.  Causes determined by swollen armpits lymph nodes include minor injuries, infections, and cancer.  Disease conditions originating from the surrounding areas of the armpit may also cause lymph nodes in the armpit to become swollen.

Axillary lymph nodes are arranged in the following groups:

• Brachial lymph nodes (lateral)
• Pectoral axillary lymph nodes (anterior)
• Subscapular axillary lymph nodes (posterior)
• Central lymph nodes
• Apical lymph nodes (medial or subclavicular)

In most cases, swollen armpit lymph nodes are due to infection and are firm and painful upon clinical palpation.  When cancer is suspected, the swollen lymph nodes of the armpit are usually non-moveable, fixed, non tender, and usually are stuck to each other.  Neoplasms usually are observed to increase their size when observed in a given time frame.

In mild conditions, axillary or armpit lymph nodes may appear swollen with no apparent serious disease and their size are small enough not exceeding 1 cm, and are usually palpated as soft and painless.  Swollen armpit lymph nodes maybe mistaken for cysts and skin abscesses in the armpit skin.

Various causes of swollen armpit lymph nodes are due to the following:

• Injury to the upper extremity which includes the armpit, arm and hand.
• Localized infection in the upper extremity or breast which drains into the axillary lymph nodes.
• Allergic reaction from perfumes, deodorants, hair removal treatments, sulfur drugs, penicillin, or iodine.
• Scratch or bite of an infected cat (Cat scratch disease)
• Lymphadenitis (bacterial infection of the lymph nodes)
• Ascending lymphangitis
• Tuberculosis
• HIV/AIDS disease
• Brucellosis
• Chickenpox (varicella)
• Herpes zoster (shingles)
• Mumps
• Measles and Rubella (German measles)
• Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus)
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• Leukemia
• Melanoma
• Tumor
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Lymphoma of the breast
• Lung cancer
• Breast cancer
• Silicone breast implants
• Smallpox vaccination
• Sporotrichosis (fungal skin infection)
• Typhoid vaccine
• MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination
• Small pox vaccination

Mild cases of swollen armpit lymph nodes usually disappear in a couple of days without treatment and may return to its normal size weeks after the infection has been treated.  A physician should be noted when the swollen armpit lymph nodes continue to grow larger in size, became red and tender, feel hard, irregular and fixed in place, when other systemic symptoms are noted such as fever, night sweats, or unexplained weight loss, and any node in a child with a size larger than 1 centimeter in diameter.

swollen armpits lymph nodes pictures:

REFERENCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/swollen-lymph-nodes-topic-overview

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axillary_lymph_nodes

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/axillary_lymphadenopathy/common.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003097.htm

The reproductive health of women is very complex and it has to be taken care of at all times. Infections like Urinary tract infections can be very discomforting and disturbing to the whole system. It is therefore very important to be aware of the symptoms and reasons why you get a urinary tract infection in the first place and what can you do to get rid of the problem.

Sexually active people do have the higher risks of developing a urinary tract infection, although it is not considered so common among men and it is something that affects women more than men. However men do also suffer from this problem in their late stages of life.

A urinary tract infection s basically caused by bacteria that travels from the urethra to the bladder thus creating an infection. Sexual intercourse is one of the most common ways of getting that kind of infection; however diabetes and pregnancy can also play a role in giving you a urinary tract infection. Lack of proper hygienic methods may also cause the problem.

The most common symptoms of a urinary tract infection include more than normal visits to the bathroom, pain or burning sensations while passing urine and being unable to stop leakage of urine. In some cases you may also find that the urine develops a bad smell.

The best remedy for urinary tract infection is to consult your doctor and take the prescribed medication without any delays.  Normally your doctor will prescribe antibiotics for a specific period of time and you should follow the instructions and finish the medications. Although you may feel that you don’t need the treatment as the symptoms have gone away, there may be some bacteria left that is not totally eradicated and you will be having a recurring problem which you wish to avoid at all costs.

If you are having fever or symptoms of fever, please make sure to take as much rest as possible. It is very important to allow your body to take stock and recover properly from these kinds of infections. They may seem simple however; they are not good for your immune system.

Another very important factor you should remember is to take plenty of fluids, and specially water. Water will help you get rid of the infection faster by flusing the system of the toxins. A very good way of keeping your urine tract infection under control can be the intake of vitamin C and cranberry juice. These two things make your urine more acid and that helps in getting rid of the infection faster.

Make sure you empty your bladder after having sex. This is very important point to maintain a good hygene and to prevent any kind of urinary tras infections. Also, try to urina whenever you get the urge to do so, even if you are vry busy, very far away from a bathroom or simply just think that that can wait. Being able to restrain yourself from going to the toilet for sometime is okay, but it may not be good for you for long periods of time. This may indirectly help a urinary tract infection.

Staphylococcus aureus is a disease causing bacterium, found on the surface of skin, nose or eyes of people infected by it. Staphylococcus diseases range from minor staph skin infections like, pimples, boils or cellulitis to fatal illnesses like pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis and septicemia.

Diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus

The Staphylococcus diseases are usually in the form of skin or nasal staph infections but the staphylococcus bacteria can infect other tissues as well when skin or mucosal lining breaks down. This leads to furuncles and carbuncles filled with pus and pose a danger of spreading throughout the body or entering the blood stream. Diseases caused by Staphylococcus can spread through direct contact with pus oozing out from an infected, uncovered wound. It can spread from an infected person to a healthy person through skin to skin contact. Staphylococcus diseases also spread on coming in contact with objects like towels, linen, clothing or athletic equipments of an infected person. Staphylococcus diseases which penetrate deep in the body can infect artificial or prosthetic organs. Staph infection poses a danger to prosthetic joints and can cause endocarditis which is the infection of heart valves.

Symptoms

• Staph infections generally cause severe pain and swelling around the area of an uncovered cut or wound in the skin.
• Furuncles (boils) and carbuncles are commonly observed in the infected area.
• Staph Infection in Children and inn infants leads to peeling of skin and blisters in various parts of the body.
• Swelling may be observed in lymph nodes of the neck, armpits or groin.

MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus): The bacteria which causes staph infection, S.aureus has now been found to become resistant to many antibiotics which consisted of penicillin, flucloxacillin, oxacillin and similar lactamase resistant antibiotics. Vancomycin resistant staph was also discovered later on but cases of VRSA (Vancomycin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)

infection are very rare. The regular ’staph’ infections are mostly easy to treat with cephalosporin antibiotics that are associated with penicillin, like Keflex, Duricef, and Ancef, but unfortunately the MRSA bacteria has become resistant to these antibiotics, and hence cannot be used to treat infection caused by them. Other oral antibiotics which are used for treatment of MRSA infections are Bactrim (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) Clindamycin and Vancomycin.

Prevention of diseases caused by Staphylococcus:

Taking proper precautions is necessary to avoid Staphylococcus diseases. Close contact with infected people must be avoided cautiously. Indirect contact through infected objects contaminated by the staph bacteria from the skin of a person suffering from staph disease may also lead to spread of Staphylococcus diseases. Some preventive measures which you need to take to keep yourself safe from staph infection are:

• Thoroughly clean your hands with soap and water and never let them remain dirty for long. If you are an athlete or are involved in sports activities then make sure that you take shower and wash yourself with dermatologists’ recommended soaps after all practices.
• Any cut, abrasion or wound should not be left uncovered. It should be cleaned, bandaged and covered with a proper dressing until it is healed completely.

Avoid any contact with wound of other people or any object infected from wounds. Never use someone’s towel, clothing or sport equipment if you are unsure of the person’s state of health. Staphylococcus diseases can be prevented by taking care of these small points in our day to day lives.

Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria which cause various kinds of infections and diseases. In case of nasal staph infection, these bacteria form a colony in the nose.

Symptoms:

Most of the people fail to recognize that there is staph in there nasal passage. There are no particular symptoms associated with nasal staph infection. For a long time, you won’t know that your nose is infected by staph since no abscesses, or nasal problems will be observed. Nasal staph infection can be identified only with the help of a physician. A physician will perform a nasal swab and test the culture of staph. A study shows that 30% of the population has nasal staph infection without having the knowledge of it. If you consistently suffer from nasal problems, and have observed abscesses or swelling in the internal nose, you should immediately undergo a staph test.

Warning signs:

Most of the people suffering from constant stuffy nose have staph bacteria residing in their nasal passage. Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria usually responsible for nasal staph infection causes no noticeable symptoms and hence may go unnoticed a lot of times. Though no problems may be visible at first, to the people having infection but nasal staph infection cannot be neglected. People having nasal staph infection face the following risks:

• The healing time of a wound, cut, or surgery increases to a large extent.
• Women may get sore nipples during breast feeding, if they suffer from infection.
• The immune system of the person becomes unable to control the spread of skin diseases in the body like eczema, psoriasis etc.

The staph skin infections are mostly treated with the use of antibiotic pills and injections. These fight with the germs readily and help in eliminating them from the skin but these rarely help in case of nasal staph infection. Hence many times even after treatment, staph aureus returns back and infects your skin or body. The most commonly known adverse effect of Staph aureus in nose is that it delays the healing process.

Treatment:

The first step would be to get an appointment with your physician and tell him the whole history of your problem. Explain to him all your worries and go for a nasal swab if suggested by him. A culture usually takes approximately 2 to 3 days to grow. If detected positive for staph, ask for necessary advices and follow a routine care plan for the treatment of the nasal staph infection. Make sure that your physician lets you know the type of staph and prescribes you the medicines accordingly. For example, MRSA staph infection and VRSA staph infection would require antibiotics different from usual staph. The medicine should be prescribed depending on the resistance of the staph and the antibiotics to which they are non resistant can be put to use.

Nasal staph infection can be treated by applying ointments in your nose prescribed by your doctor. Some popularly known ointments are- bacitacin, mupiricin and other different combinations. Applying them in the bedtime for few weeks can help in curing the nasal staph infection. A resistant staph aureus will need different medicines which can only be prescribed by a physician after the cultures have been analyzed.