Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is
bleeding in the urine
(hematuria). Most often the bleeding is "gross" (visible to the naked eye),
episodic (occurs in episodes), and is not associated with pain (painless
hematuria). However, sometimes the bleeding may only be visible under a
microscope (microscopic hematuria) or may be associated with pain due to the
blockage of urine by formation of blood clots. There may be no symptoms or
bleeding for prolonged periods of time between episodes, lulling the patient into
a false sense of security ("I don't know what the problem was, but it is fine
now!"). Some types of bladder cancer may cause irritative symptoms of the
bladder with little or no bleeding. The patients may have the desire to urinate
small amounts in short intervals (frequency), inability to hold the urine for
any length of time after the initial desire to void (urgency), or burning
sensation while passing urine (dysuria). These symptoms occur more commonly in
patients with high-grade, flat urothelial cancers called "carcinoma in situ" or
"CIS" (described subsequently in the section on staging of bladder cancer).
Rarely, patients may present with signs and symptoms of more advanced disease
such as a distended bladder (due to obstruction by a tumor at the bladder neck),
pain in the flanks (due to obstruction of urine flow from kidney to the bladder
by the growing tumor mass in the bladder), bone pains, or
cough/blood in the
phlegm (due to spread to cancer cells to bones or lungs).
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Hydronephrosis is a condition in which the kidney swells, due to a backup of urine. Hydronephrosis generally occurs with another disease.Symptoms of hydronephrosis include nausea, vomiting, urinary tract infection, fever, painful urination, increased urinary frequency and urgency, flank pain, and swelling of the abdomen. Treatment of hydronephrosis depends on the cause.
Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Arsenic comes in two forms, inorganic and organic. Organic arsenic poisoning is usually not poisonous to humans; however, inorganic arsenic in large enough amounts can lead to shock and death. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning include nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dehydration, dark urine, vertigo, delirium, shock, and death. Treatment for arsenic poisoning includes Hemodialysis and a variety of drugs.
Schistosomiasis (snail fever), a disease caused by parasites, causes a variety of symptoms and signs, such as cough, rash and bloody diarrhea. Praziquantel is used in the treatment of schistosomiasis.
Tumor grade is a system used to classify cancer cells in how likely the tumor is to grow, and how abnormal they look under a microscope. Tumor grade is not the same as tumor stage. A biopsy is taken to determine if the tumor is benign (non cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Urethral cancer is a rare form of cancer that primarily affects white females, people over 60 years of age, and those who have stds or who experience frequent urinary tract infections. Symptoms and signs of urethral cancer include blood in the urine, interrupted urine flow and discharge from the urethra. Treatment involves surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Smokeless tobacco can have negative health effects such as cancers, poor oral health (gum disease and tooth decay), infertility, pregnancy complications, and nicotine addiction.
Most often, caregivers take care of other adults who are ill or disabled. Less often, caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The majority of caregivers are middle-aged women. Caregiving can be very stressful, so it's important to recognize when it's putting to much strain on you and to take steps to prevent/relieve stress.
Disease prevention in men includes routine screening tests that are part of basic prevention medicine. Take an active role in your own health care and discuss screening tests with your doctor early in life. Age of screening and timing of screening depends upon the condition being assessed.
Disease prevention in women includes screening tests that are a basic part of prevention medicine. All screening tests
are commonly available through your general doctor. Some specialized tests may be available elsewhere.
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