Nothing Good About Gout

From what we learned in class, we know that there are three different kinds of arthritis. There is osteoarthritis which is a degenerative joint disease. The second type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, and the third type of arthritis is gouty arthritis (also know as gout). Gout is a painful disorder that is caused by the build-up of crystallized uric acid in the joints. Normally, uric acid dissolves in the blood. However people who suffer from gout cannot properly metabolize the uric acid. The area that is attacked by this build-up will become red, swollen, painful, and stiff. Gout attacks can be brought on by several different things, including stress and diet. I am including two pictures with this post showing what gouty arthritis could look like.
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Gout/gout_ff.asp

Senile Purpura: That annoying bruise that will be hard to lose.

With age, the connective tissues that hold blood vessels together weaken, and these weaker connective tissues could result in senile purpura. I’m glad that we learned about this disease because I see this regularly in old people and have always wondered why this happens. From my own experience the people I’ve seen have this are quite old and they are usually fair skinned. Bruising is most commonly seen on the hands and forearms and is likely to fade away to a yellow brown color. Sometimes the bruises will be permanent. These bruises can be caused by light contact with the skin, or no trauma at all. Besides old age being a cause for senile purpura, it can also be caused by excessive sun exposure or the overuse of blood thinners. Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything one can do to treat senile purpura. These bruises aren’t dangerous so there isn’t much reason to worry. Below is a picture of senile purpura on the hands of and elderly person. 

A look at your nails, a look at your health.

To the trained eye the nail bed can be a quick way to evaluate a person’s overall health. The nails can show signs of both physical and mental disease. A bluish tint could be a sign that the affected person is suffering from some kind of lung disorder. This is because of how clear the fingernails are. They can show if a person’s blood isn't getting enough oxygen. Similarly, especially red nail beds could be a sign of heart disease. Something that I found particularly interesting is that a skin disease called Psoriasis can also show on the nail surface. This would like rippling on the nail surface. According to Joshua Fox, MD, director of Advanced Dermatology, obsessive compulsive disorder is likely to be the cause of persistent nail-biting or nail picking. Make sure you pay attention to the changes in your nail, they could be a give away to problems with your health.

 http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/guide/what-your-nails-say-about-your-health

Orange skin from something other than the tanning bed.

Jaundice shows itself as a yellow-orange tint in a the skin and eyes of the affected person. Jaundice is a build up of bilirubin which would come from a problem involving the liver or break down of red blood cells. In people over the age of 65 this is likely to be a problem involving gallstones or cancer.The most common forms of treatment for jaundice include medications and gallstone treatment. Jaundice in newborns is a bit different. For newborns, the build up of bilirubin is most commonly caused by their livers not being fully developed. I was born nearly two months early, and as a result my liver wasn't fully grown and could not properly process the bilirubin in my body. I was an orange tinted baby that was placed in the windows sunlight as a way to get rid of the tint. This sunlight treatment is called phototherapy. A baby's skin can absorb the light waves from sitting near the windows sun. These absorbed light waves can change bilirubin into products that can pass through the baby's system.
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/umphototherapy.htm