What is Tonsillitis?

Tonsils are the two oval-shaped tissue pads situated posterior to the throat which filter bacteria and virus. These contain antibodies which stop the spread of infection in the system. Tonsillitis or inflammation of the tonsils occurs if the tonsils become overwhelmed with microorganisms causing abrupt sore throat and painful swelling.

A patient with tonsillitis may exhibit difficulty in swallowing, ear pain, hyperthermia, reddened tonsils with yellow to white coating, headache, a very sore throat, swollen glands in the neck, bad breath, voice changes and in some cases, loss of voice.

It is important to first identify the causative agent of tonsillitis, whether it is caused by a virus or a bacteria. If it is viral in origin, tonsillitis will go away on its own. If the causes of tonsillitis are streptococcus or other bacteria, then antibiotic medications are administered to treat the infection. It can be in any form, either through injection or by oral preparation for about ten days. Usually, the disease is cured within seven days, nevertheless, swollen tonsils and glands return to normal size in several weeks. If discomfort stops, it is still advised to continue the therapy until completing the entire amount of time prescribed by the physician. For tonsillitis, drinking cold liquids and having popsicles may help lessen the inflammation. Gargling with salt water may help. Other treatment includes lozenges and acetaminophen.

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What is Tonsil Cancer?

Tonsilar cancer may take place in one of the three types of tonsils of the throat, namely the lingual tonsils, adenoids and most frequently in the palatine tonsils. This type of cancer extends via local extension.

The primary culprit of tonsil cancer is smoking. Second causative agent is too much alcohol consumption. When the tonsils are repeatedly exposed to these irritants, the resultant tissue irritation can become chronic and tissue damage begin to become cyclic which leads to the progression of cancer in later years. The best approach to avoid tonsilar cancer is to quit cigarette smoking and alcohol intake.

Initially, it begins as a sore situated at the back of the throat which does not heal. Because of pain, eating, swallowing and talking would be a problem. Altered sense of taste, lymph node enlargement and unexplained weight loss also occur. Common symptoms that can be experienced by an individual with this kind of cancer are bad breath, bleeding, changes in tonsil size, ear pain, sore throat and throat pain.

The treatment for tonsil cancer can be started early on with seeking regular dental check-up and dental care. Treatment is aimed at permanently curing the cancer and to bring an absolute remission of the cancer. Universal methods to treat the cancer include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and targeted therapy. Symptomatic management of the disease consist of anti-nausea medications, blood cell growth factor, blood transfusions, dietary counseling, pain medications, physical and speech therapy and reconstructive surgery.

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What is Tongue Cancer?

Cancer of the tongue is a common yet severe subtype of head and neck cancer. Tongue cancer can be categorized by the location of the tumor, namely oral tongue cancer and cancer of the tongue base. Since oral tongue is much more observable than the tongue base, cancer affecting the oral tongue is usually detected earlier.

Classically, oral tongue cancer presents as a small, graying pink ulcer on the side of the tongue which bleeds easily when touched or bitten. The lesion is painful and may become uncomfortable leading to talking, swallowing and chewing difficulties. On the other hand, if the location of the lesion is at the base of the tongue, then it presents as voice change, pain and difficulty swallowing.

If the tumor is small, surgical removal is the treatment of choice, followed by radiation therapy which will only be used in the future or when it is deemed necessary. However, compared to radiation therapy, surgery is more ideal since it is less expensive and less time consuming and is as effective as radiation. Another reason is that the human body should have an accepted limit in the amount of radiation exposure. In such case when the cancer has affected most of the tongue already, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy have failed to shrink the tumor, there is a need to perform the last option which is to remove the tongue by glossectomy.

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What is Tinea Corporis?

Tinea corporis, also commonly called ringworm because of its ring-like outline on the affected areas, is a very common superficial dermatophyte infection caused by different species of fungi jointly referred to as tinea. It is distinguished by either inflammatory or non-inflammatory lesions on glabrous skin.

A mold-like fungus, known as dermatophyte is the primary cause of tinea corporis. They are opportunistic organism but still part of the normal microorganisms living on the superficial skin. When the environment becomes suitable, they can provoke the onset of infection.

The disease can be acquired through direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Another common mode of transmission is animal-human transmission. Inanimate objects such as personal care products can also be contaminated. Susceptible individuals include those who stay in heavily congested moist regions, people who sweat excessively, those who play in close contact sports and those who are immunocompromised.

It may have an array of clinical presentations depending on the affected area. If the skin is affected, it appears as round red patches. As it grows towards the outside, the middle portion heals, leaving a red circle where infection continues to be active.

This skin disorder can frequently be treated with the use of OTC antifungal creams and solutions, usually applied two times a day. To ensure absolute eradication of the fungal infection, a continued use of the medicated cream for a recommended amount of time is advised. If these treatments fail, a stronger drug taken orally is prescribed.

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What is Throat Cancer?

Throat cancer is a medical condition characterized by a cancerous tumor which develops in the pharynx, larynx and tonsils. There are about six types of throat cancer. They are classified according the tumor’s location and the extent of involvement, namely, nasopharyngeal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, glottis cancer, supraglottic cancer and subglottic cancer. Majority of these cancer cases are squamous cell carcinomas.

When the healthy cells in the throat undergo some genetic mutations, throat cancer arises. It is still unclear as to what triggers the cell mutation causing the cells to grow and multiply nonstop. Influencing risk factors for throat cancer include long-term cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, diet low in fruits and vegetables, and human papillomavirus infection.

The clinical manifestations of throat cancer include persistent sore throat, cough, pain and swallowing problems, unexplained weight loss, ear pain, lesion situated in the back of the mouth, throat and neck, hoarseness, breathing difficulty and bleeding from the throat.

Throat cancer can be diagnosed by performing endoscopy. Endoscopy is a diagnostic procedure which can determine the extent of tumor. The treatment varies from patient to patient; treatment options will be dependent on multiple factors such as the location, stage of cancer, type of affected cells, and the doctor’s clinical judgment. If the cancer of the throat is still at the early stages, the only treatment which is necessary is radiotherapy. If cancer is more advanced, radiotherapy will be used in conjunction with chemotherapeutic drugs and surgery.

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What is Telangiectasia?

Telangiectasias are dilated as well as superficial blood vessels which are widely open and are usually located in the outer skin layer. Usually seen on the legs they are frequently referred to as spider veins. They can occur in rosacea, as well as some systemic disease such as ataxia-telangiectasia, sclerodema and also sometimes in long-term therapy with topical fluorinated coricosteroids. Most cases of telangiectasias are of unknown causes and could be some component of disorders which are inherited such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Telangiectsias can occur anywhere on the body and can easily be seen in the mucous membranes, whites of the eyes and in the skin. They are fairly common on the face – cheeks, nose and chin – as well as legs particularly just below the knees and ankles. They normally do not cause any symptoms. But there are some telangiectasias which do bleed and can cause some problems. They can also develop in the brain and this can cause major problems if bleeding develops.

Telangiectasias are blue, purple or red linear lines which measure les than 1 to 3 mm in width and several millimeters to centimeters in length. They often disappear temporarily when you press on them with your finger.

Causes can include:

• Aging
• Sun exposure
• Alcohol use

Diseases linked with this problem include:

• Ataxia-telangiectasia
• Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita
• Blood syndrome
• Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome
• Heredity hemorrhagic telangiectasia or Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome
• Nevus flammeus such as port-wine stain
• Sturge-Weber disease
• Spider angiomas

No treatment is needed unless the appearance is troublesome.

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What is Strep Throat?

Colloquially called as strep throat, streptococcal pharyngitis is a contagious bacterial infection affecting the pharynx, tonsils and larynx and is caused by group A streptococcus bacteria specifically the Streptococcus pyogenes.

The infection can be spread from human-to-human contact, or contact with infected saliva or nasal secretions usually in the form or respiratory droplets released by an ill person through coughing, talking and sneezing. Food-borne outbreaks are infrequent modes.

Symptoms vary from mild to severe in form. Commonly, the individual starts to feel ill two to five days after exposure to the bacteria. Patient may have fever with temperature greater than 38 degrees Celsius, sore throat, headache, nausea and vomiting, general feeling of illness, loss of appetite due to abnormal taste, tonsilar exudates, swollen and tender lymph nodes on the side of the neck and difficulty swallowing.

The first line of treatment is usually penicillin or amoxicillin. The antibiotic therapy lasts for 10 days, and even though the symptoms are already gone, the prescribed drug should still be taken until the time the doctor has advised. Other tips to relieve the sore throat include drinking warm liquids, gargling with warm salt water several times a day, drinking cold liquids, OTC pain medications and the use of cool-mist vaporizer to help moisten the dry throat.

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What is Stickler Syndrome?

Stickler syndrome, otherwise known as hereditary progressive arthro-ophthalmopathy, is a collection of hereditary disorders which affects the connective tissues characterized by characteristic facial irregularities, serious eye problems, loss of hearing and joint problems. It was named after Dr. Gunnar B. Stickler, the pediatrician who first described this sex independent autosomal dominant condition in medical literature.

Stickler is believed to occur from genetic mutations of a number of collagen genes all through fetal development. Collagen is a naturally occurring fibrous protein which supports the internal structures of the body. The types of collagen mostly involved in the disorder are the cartilage and the vitreous types, the former is the tissue which cushions the bones within joints and the latter which is a thick fluid the fills the center of the eyes.

Affected individuals frequently have distinct facial characteristics such as prominent eyes, flattened facial structures with small nose, flat nasal bridge, receding chin and Pierre Robin sequence. They may also suffer eye disorders like severe nearsightedness, cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachments. Hearing difficulties may include inability to hear high frequency sounds. Bones and joints of the affected individuals; they may have excessive joint flexibility, premature osteoarthritis, long fingers, enlarged knuckles, and scoliosis.

Even if this condition has no cure at present, there are available treatments which help control the severity of the symptoms and prevent further complications. Surgical procedures may be desired to correct some correctible physical deformities related to Stickler syndrome. Surgery includes tracheostomy, jaw surgery, cleft palate repair, ear tubes, eye surgeries and joint replacement.

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What is Steven Johnson’s Syndrome?

Stevens–Johnson syndrome is an atypical life-threatening immune-complex-mediated hypersensitivity disorder wherein cell necrosis causes the epidermis to detach from dermis. Significantly affected areas which may progress to tissue necrosis include the skin, mouth, nose, eyes, reproductive organs, urethra, gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. SJS is considered to be a minor form of toxic epidermal necrolysis with less than 10% of the body surface area detachment.

In about half of the reported cases of SJS, the primary etiology is not yet identified. Some possible causes may include medications such as cocaine, antidepressant mirtazapine and tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonist, viral infections and malignancies.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome causes facial swelling, tongue enlargement, hives, skin pain and red to purple skin rash that spreads within hours. Skin blisters appear on the skin and in the mucous membrane that may become bullous and later rupture, causing a denuded skin. Extensive sloughing of skin will result. There is also sheet-like desquamation on the feet.

This condition is a dermatological crisis. The most important initial step is to discontinue all medications especially those that initiate Stevens-Johnson syndrome. For the treatment, methods are done similarly with patients with thermal burns. Sustained care is focused as being supportive such as administration of fluids, and parenteral feeding, maintenance of a warm environment and symptomatic such as the use analgesics and wound care. He ophthalmologist should also be collaborated in the care as scar tissue formation occurs inside the eyelids leading to visual problems.

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What is a Stem Cell?

Found in all multicellular organisms, a stem cell is an unspecialized biological cell that may divide by way of mitosis and develop into several different kinds of specialized cells. Other types of cells have the ability to reproduce their own copies of themselves, but only the stem cells can create copies of other cells. In short, the stem cell is the source of all body tissues. The two major sources of stem cells are the embryonic and the adult stem cells.

Classically, a stem cell should be able to self-renew and must be potent. It should have the capability to get through several series of cell division at the same time, retaining its undifferentiated characteristic. Furthermore, to be potent, it should have the ability to differentiate into specialized cell.

These cells can be classified into five classes depending on their potential to develop into other cell types; namely, totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, oligopotent and unipotent.

Researchers are very much interested as to what possibilities this stem cell can offer. Because of the unique properties of stem cells, they are powerful enough to restore damaged tissues. In the field of research, the most significant possible application of a stem cell is organ and tissue regeneration. Other possibilities may include cell deficiency therapy, blood diseases treatment, and brain disease treatment where replacement cells will be used to treat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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