Category: Diseases & Conditions
Treatment works best when autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed early. With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can usually be controlled. In fact, studies show that sustained response to treatment stops the disease from getting worse and may reverse some of the damage.
The primary treatment is medicine to suppress, or slow down, an overactive immune system.
Both types of autoimmune hepatitis are treated with daily doses of a corticosteroid called prednisone. Treatment may begin with a high dose of 30 to 60 mg per day and be lowered to 10 to 20 mg per day as the disease is controlled. The goal is to find the lowest possible dose that will control the disease.
A person’s eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is the best indicator of how well the kidneys are working. An eGFR of 90 or above is considered normal. A person whose eGFR stays below 60 for 3 months or longer has CKD (chronic kidney disease). As kidney function declines, the risk of complications rises.
Unfortunately, chronic kidney disease (CKD) often cannot be cured. But people in the early stages of CKD may be able to make their kidneys last longer by taking certain steps. They will also want to minimize the risks for heart attack and stroke because people with CKD are susceptible to these problems.
- People with reduced kidney function should see their doctor regularly. Their doctor may refer them to a nephrologist, a doctor who specializes in kidney disease.
Diagnosing Barrett’s esophagus is not easy. At the present time, it cannot be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, physical exam, or blood tests. The only useful test is upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy.
In this procedure, a flexible tube called an endoscope, which has a light and miniature camera, is passed into the esophagus. If the tissue appears suspicious, then biopsies must be done. A biopsy is the removal of a small piece of tissue using a pincher like device passed through the endoscope. A pathologist examines the tissue under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis.
A kidney transplantation is a procedure that places a healthy kidney from another person into your body. This one new kidney takes over the work of your two failed kidneys.
A donated kidney may come from an anonymous donor who has recently died or from a living person, usually a relative. Kidneys from living, related donors appear to be the best match for success, but kidneys from unrelated people also have a long survival rate.
The kidney must be a good match for your body. The more the new kidney is like your kidney, the less likely your immune system will reject it.
Autoimmune diseases can affect anyone.
One job of your immune system is to protect your body from germs… viruses, bacteria, and other living organisms.
Your immune system has the ability to tell the difference between what’s you and what’s foreign. A flaw can make your body unable to tell the difference between what’s you and what’s not you.
The immune system usually does not react against your body’s own cells, but sometimes it attacks the cells it is supposed to protect. This response is called autoimmunity.
There is no cure for lupus. Treatment is based on symptoms. With a combination of medication, rest, exercise, proper nutrition, and stress management, most individuals with lupus can often achieve remission or reduce their symptom levels. Medications used in the treatment of lupus may include:
Aspirin and Other Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are used to reduce pain and swelling in joints and muscles. They can help with mild lupus – when pain isn’t too bad and vital organs are not affected. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are some over-the-counter NSAIDs. You need a prescription for stronger NSAIDs. NSAIDs can cause stomach upset, heartburn, drowsiness, headache, fluid retention, and other side effects. NSAIDs also can cause problems in your blood, liver, and kidneys if overused.
A stroke occurs either when the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked, called ischemic, or when a blood vessel in or around the brain bursts, called hemorrhagic, spilling blood into the spaces surrounding brain cells. Brain cells die when they no longer receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood or there is sudden bleeding into or around the brain. A stroke is also sometimes called a brain attack.
Symptoms of a Stroke
The symptoms of a stroke include:
- Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech.
Barrett’s esophagus does not cause symptoms itself and is important only because it seems to precede the development of a particular kind of cancer – esophageal adenocarcinoma.
The risk of developing adenocarcinoma is 30 to 125 times higher in people who have Barrett’s esophagus than in people who do not. This type of cancer is increasing rapidly in white men. The increase is possibly related to the rise in obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
For people who have Barrett’s esophagus, the risk of getting cancer of the esophagus is small: less than 1 percent (0.4 percent to 0.5 percent) per year.
Esophageal adenocarcinoma is often not curable, partly because the disease is frequently discovered at a late stage and because treatments are not effective.
A person can have kidney disease without any symptoms.
A doctor may first detect kidney disease through routine blood and urine tests. The National Kidney Foundation recommends three simple tests to screen for kidney disease.
- A Blood Pressure Measurement
High blood pressure can lead to kidney disease. It can also be a sign that the kidneys are already impaired. The only way to know whether a person’s blood pressure is high is to have a health professional measure it with a blood pressure cuff. The result is expressed as two numbers. The top number, which is called the systolic pressure, represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart is beating. The bottom number, which is called the diastolic pressure, shows the pressure when the heart is resting between beats. A person’s blood pressure is considered normal if it stays below 120/80, stated as “120 over 80.” The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommends that people with kidney disease use whatever therapy is necessary, including lifestyle changes and medicines, to keep their blood pressure below 130/80.