Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
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.
Visceral leishmaniasis is treated
with an intravenous medication called liposomal amphotericin B, which is the
only drug approved in the U.S. for this purpose. Amphotericin is generally safe
but may have side effects, including renal insufficiency. In developing countries
where the drug is not available, an older agent called pentavalent antimony
(SbV) may be used intravenously or intramuscularly. More recently,
paromomycin (Humatin) and miltefosine (Miltex) have been used, but neither is available in the United States.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is not always treated. Cases with few lesions that
are small and appear to be healing are sometimes simply monitored. More
significant disease is treated with medications, but treatment recommendations
vary with where the disease was acquired and the species of Leishmania (if
known). Possible treatments for cases arriving in the U.S. include oral
ketoconazole (Nizoral, Extina, Xolegel, Kuric), intravenous pentamidine, or liposomal amphotericin B. An antimonite called stibogluconate (pentostam) is available under an
investigational new drug protocol through the CDC. Because treatment must be
individualized according to the country of acquisition and the species,
consultation with public-health officials, infectious-disease consultants, and the
CDC is strongly recommended. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is less common, and
there is no clear consensus on treatment; as such, consultation with the CDC and an
infectious-diseases consultant is again recommended.
What is the prognosis of leishmaniasis?
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is rarely
fatal but may result in disfiguring scars. Untreated, severe cases of visceral
leishmaniasis are almost always fatal. Death can result directly from the
disease through organ failure or wasting syndromes. It may also occur as a
result of a secondary bacterial infection such as pneumonia. In people with
advanced HIV/AIDS, it is necessary to treat the underlying HIV infection along
with the leishmaniasis to avoid relapse of the leishmaniasis. For this reason,
patients with leishmaniasis should be tested for HIV.
The word "rash" means an outbreak of red bumps on the body. The way people use this term, "a rash" can refer to many different skin conditions. The most common of these are scaly patches of skin and red, itchy bumps or patches all over the place.
There are many symptoms involved in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. The first early pregnancy symptom is typically a missed period, but others include breast swelling and tenderness, nausea and sometimes vomiting, fatigue and bloating. Second trimester symptoms include backache, weight gain, itching, and possible stretch marks. Third trimester symptoms are additional weight gain, heartburn, hemorrhoids, swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face, breast tenderness, and trouble sleeping. Read more to learn about recommended procedures and tests for each stage of a healthy pregnancy.
Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is, therefore, decreased.
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.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, which infects humans when it comes in contact with a break in the skin or tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Drug addiction is a chronic disease that causes drug-seeking behavior and drug use despite negative consequences to the user and those around him. Though the initial decision to use drugs is voluntary, changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self-control and ability to make the right decisions and increase the urge to take drugs. Drug abuse and addiction are preventable.
Scar formation is a natural part of the healing process after injury. The depth and size of the wound incision and the location of the injury impact the scar's characteristics, but your age, heredity and even sex or ethnicity will affect how your skin reacts.
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