Here is a collection of papers written by college students on health and disease topics. Each paper is a short synopsis of each topic written for the average person who wants to learn more about a particular health or disease-related topic. Please feel free to leave comments.
Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy by Emily Greer
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is the third most common human myopathy affecting approximately 1 in every 20,000 people. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is in most cases an inherited autosomal dominant pattern disease characterized by muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy). Generally, an affected person inherits…
Sickle Cell Anemia by Tiffany Hawkins
The National Institutes of Health explains that Sickle Cell Anemia is a genetic disease where the sickle hemoglobin gene is passed down from both parents to the child. According to the Mayo Clinic, the abnormal gene that is passed down from each parent creates a “condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout your …
What is Post-Polio Syndrome? by Kristen Coleman
Symptoms of post-polio tend to show up in a patient gradually. There may be long periods of time when symptoms are stabilized and no sign of increased muscle weakness occurs. The symptoms of PPS include weakness and pain in muscles, fatigue, joint pain, breathing, swallowing, and intolerance to…
Schizophrenia by Mike Kocur
Schizophrenia affects just over 1% of the American population and only 2.5% of the global population. The prevalence of schizophrenia is relatively equal in men and women. While the amount of men and women diagnosed with schizophrenia is equivalent; the ages at which the condition becomes apparent differs. Generally, males begin to exhibit schizophrenic behavior around…
Immunizations: How Vaccines Work by Lareina Hembrock
To understand how vaccines work, it is beneficial to first understand how the body fights illness, or the immune response. The immune response is how your body recognizes and defends itself against bacteria, viruses, and substances that appear foreign and harmful to the body (“Understanding” 2). When a germ, bacterium, or virus, enters the body they attack and multiplies. The invasion is called an infection, and the infection is what can cause…
Scleroderma and Stem Cells by Alex Carmody
Although there is no cure for systematic or localized scleroderma, there are ways to alleviate some of the symptoms. These approaches range from oral medication to drastic means such as, chemotherapy (low to high doses) and stem cell transplants. Every scleroderma patient is unique, so not every procedure will work and/or be as effective. Doctors will either use a
What is Crohn’s Disease by Aisha Colclasure
Crohn’s Disease is one of two types of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel disease simply put is an inflammation of some part of the gastrointestinal tract. The other type of IBD is Ulcerative Colitis which generally affects the colon and rectum only (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). Crohn’s Disease most generally affects the small intestine and/or colon. It is not unheard of though for Crohn’s to affect someone’s entire…
Diabetes Type II by Lacey Stewart
Diabetes occurs when the body is no longer able to absorb the amount of glucose in the bloodstream due to a lack of insulin or due to the body becoming resistant to insulin. The normal range of insulin in the bloodstream is 70-110mg/dL; when this level rises in the pancreas the islets of Langerhans produce cells called beta cells which produce insulin. The insulin then converts glucose in the blood into forms of energy and is then stored as…
What is Barrett’s Esophagus by Brian Ly
Barrett’s esophagus does not have any symptoms. All the symptoms that are associated with Barrett’s esophagus are related to gastroesophageal reflux disease. People with Barrett’s esophagus suffer from heartburn. It is advised that people who constantly suffer from heartburn for long periods of time get tested. Testing for Barrett’s esophagus is called an endoscopy. A thin tube with a camera on the end is inserted into the mouth and pas
Melanoma by Jane Rolley
In the early stages, melanoma is confined to the epidermis or top layer of skin and is often described as an unusual mole that grows in size, shape, or color. Melanoma mostly appears in shades of tan and black, though it has been reported to appear in shades of red, white, and blue. The shape of Melanoma averages…
Asthma by Emily Meininger
There are many types of asthma a person can have. There is allergic asthma, exercise-induced asthma, cough-variant asthma, occupational asthma, nighttime asthma, and certain health conditions that…
Esophageal Cancer by Jenny Gavwiner
It is not known what causes esophageal cancer exactly, but it is known that errors in the DNA cause the cells to grow rapidly creating a tumor in the esophagus that can in turn spread to nearby structures and then travel to other parts of the body. Risk factors that may contribute to esophageal cancer are: drinking alcohol, chewing tobacco, smoking tobacco, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), and Barrett’s Esophagus. Esophageal cancer is also…
Cold vs. Flu by Megan Karr
The differences between a cold and the flu are not many and can be complicated to sort out. A cold is less severe than the flu. The flu can lead to other…
Chickenpox by Matt Peifer
Chickenpox is a viral infection in which the infected individual develops blisters all over the body. These blisters are extremely itchy and I remember them being a huge nuisance when I had them as a child. The culprit of Chickenpox is the varicella-zoster virus, a member of the herpes virus family. This is the same virus that also causes shingles in adults. Chickenpox is a very contagious virus and can be easily spread to others. It can be spread from
Risk Factors of Colon Cancer by Mary Jo Ahr
Other factors, in addition to older age, also play a role in the possibility of developing colon cancer. These risks include being African-American, having a personal history of polyps of cancer, having inherited gene mutations, being obese, being diabetic, smoking, having a low activity level, drinking lots of…
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) by Kimberly Murphy
The common symptom of pinkeye is also where it gets its common name, red or pink eye. Other symptoms that can occur simultaneously are eye soreness, more tearing than normal, feeling like there is a foreign object in the eye, an itching or burning sensation, drainage, and mild sensitivity to light. Pinkeye can also be much more problematic if …
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