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Other Common Conditions

Diabetes, lung diseases like asthma and COPD, and sleep apnea.

Lung Disease and COPD

James Benison MD's picture
Thu, 10/06/2011 - 22:56 -- James Benison MD
Hand crushing a bunch of cigarettes

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a condition in which the airways in the lungs become broken down and narrowed. Sometimes the air sacs are also damaged. To understand why COPD develops, it is important to understand how the lungs work. Normally, air that we breathe passes from the nose and mouth through the airways to the tiny air sacs of the lung, called alveoli. In the air sacs, oxygen that we breathe passes through the walls of air sacs into the bloodstream. Carbon dioxide passes in the reverse direction, out of the bloodstream, back into the alveoli, and is then eliminated by breathing out. Carbon dioxide is a waste product of the body's metabolism, and must be regularly removed.

Bladder Problems

Colleen Fetgatter MPA's picture
Wed, 10/05/2011 - 22:48 -- Colleen Fetgatter MPA
Absorbent pad for urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence, also known as urinary leakage, is an embarrassing problem that affects millions of women. Although it is more common in older women, it can affect younger women as well. Urinary frequency, the need to run to the bathroom frequently, is another bothersome problem that can affect women. There is no need to live with urine leakage or frequency because effective treatments are available.

Diabetes

Robert Lajvardi MD's picture
Wed, 10/05/2011 - 22:34 -- Robert Lajvardi MD
Checking diabetes as a medical condition

Type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas, an organ in the abdomen, produces insufficient amounts of the hormone insulin and/or the body's tissues become resistant to normal or even high levels of insulin. This causes high blood glucose levels, which can lead to a number of complications if untreated.

Causes of Diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is caused by a complex interaction of environmental factors and predisposing genetic factors.

Sleep Apnea

Robert Lajvardi MD's picture
Wed, 10/05/2011 - 15:58 -- Robert Lajvardi MD
A businessman falls asleep at his desk

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can affect a person's ability to safely perform normal daily activities and can affect long-term health. Approximately 25 percent of adults are at risk for sleep apnea of some degree. Normally during sleep, air moves through the throat and in and out of the lungs at a regular rhythm. In a person with sleep apnea, air movement is periodically diminished or stopped. There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. In obstructive sleep apnea, breathing is abnormal because of narrowing or closure of the throat.