Medical Conditions

About 1% to 3% of the Canadian population suffers from the chronic skin condition called psoriasis. This condition is more common among Caucasian people than among …

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a new name for a very old condition. In the earlier 1900s, it was known as "shell shock" or "battle …

Fibrosis refers to scar tissue that has replaced healthy tissue. This is what happens in the lungs of people with pulmonary fibrosis. Inflammation (swelling) in the …

Pyloric stenosis describes a condition in newborn babies. Specifically, pyloric stenosis occurs when the muscle (pyloric muscle or pylorus) that allows food to move …

Rabies is a viral disease that is spread most often from the bite of a rabid animal to another animal or to a human.The rabies virus affects the central nervous …

Raynaud's disease occurs when the small arteries (arterioles) that serve the fingers, toes, ears, or nose go into spasm. When arterioles go into spasm, they cut off …

Renovascular disease is a progressive condition that causes narrowing or blockage of the renal arteries or veins. These are the blood vessels that take blood …

Most infants are exposed to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and almost all children are infected at least once by the age of 2. RSV can cause a serious …

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurological (nervous system) disorder. It is characterized by an urge to move the legs in …

The retina is the coating of the back of the eye made of specialized cells that process light and colour for us to see. Uncontrolled growth of …

Retinopathy, as it relates to the conditions covered in this article, refers to damage to the blood vessels of the retina. The retina, at the back of the eye, …

Reye's syndrome is an extremely serious acute condition that may attack all major organs of the body, but particularly the brain and liver. Rapid buildup of …

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can happen after a person becomes infected with the Streptococcus bacteria. Rheumatic fever was once a common cause …

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that causes the lining of your joints or other body areas to become inflamed. As it progresses, it further …

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition in which the facial skin appears red. Small red bumps filled with what looks like pus may accompany the skin redness. For …

Roseola is a viral infection that begins with a sudden high fever and is followed by the appearance of a rose-coloured rash. It used to be referred to as …

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection causes infections of the lungs and airways particularly in infants, young children and older adults. Like other …

Rubella, also known as German measles or "three-day measles," is a contagious viral infection that brings on a rash as well as other symptoms. But …

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is a severe pneumonia-like respiratory disease that first came to worldwide attention in southeast Asia in February 2003. …

Scabies is caused by a mite (a tiny insect-like organism) that's hardly visible without a microscope. The mite is disc-shaped, pearly-white in colour, with 4 pairs …

Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic medical condition. It is a disorder of the message system in the brain. Someone with schizophrenia loses the ability to act …

Sciatica is a pain that shoots along the sciatic nerve, radiating through the buttocks and down the back of the leg and as far as the foot. The two sciatic nerves …

Putting the two Greek words sclero (meaning hard) and derma (meaning skin) together paints a picture of the condition known as scleroderma. In this condition, the …

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. The spine bends to one side of the body, causing the torso to compress on that side. The ribs on that side will be …

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that seems to be related to the amount of daylight to which people are exposed. For most people in …

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a group of infections similar to one another only in that they can be acquired through sexual contact. STIs is …

Shingles are caused by varicella-zoster, the same virus that causes chickenpox. If you've ever had chickenpox (typically during childhood), this virus is quietly …

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes chronic anemia, periodic episodes of pain, and other complications. In sickle cell anemia, the red …

Sinus Infection The Facts (1, 7-9) The sinuses are hollow spaces in the bones behind the face. Directly behind the nose is the nasal cavity. On either side of …

Sjögren's syndrome (pronounced "show-grens") occurs when the body's immune system attacks the glands that produce moisture in the mouth, eyes, …