Within the body, several sensitive nerves branch away from the spinal column through foraminal canals before travelling to peripheral regions of the body. These nerves relay sensory information to and from the central nervous system and enable us to interact with the world around us. Sometimes, however, nerves can begin to operate ineffectively or improperly relay information because they are being compressed and damaged as they exit the spine. The medical term for this painful condition is known as “radiculopathy.”

When radiculopathy is experienced, one or more nerves becomes diseased or aggravated as the result of abnormal pressure, which generally develops in or near the foraminal canals. Nerves can become irritated or pinched in any section of the spine, but radiculopathy is most frequently seen in the lumbar (lower back) and cervical (neck) regions of the back. These two regions are most susceptible to injury because the lower back bears much of the upper body’s weight and because the upper spine is sensitive and almost constantly in motion. Radiculopathy can usually be treated through a combination of conservative methods, although surgery may be recommended in extreme cases.

Radiculopathy Causes

There is a diverse array of causes for radiculopathy, usually discovered in conjunction with an injury or other spinal condition. Some of the most common factors that may contribute to nerve compression include:

• Frequent, improper movements, including those that might occur in heavy lifting, highly physical or manual labor and contact sports
• Degenerative, age-related diseases
• Genetic predisposition, congenital spine difficulties or a family history of radiculopathy
• Overly thickened ligaments
• Other spinal conditions, such as scoliosis, bone spurs and disc herniation
• Other health issues, including diabetes, tumors and infection
• Inflammation or displaced materials that may result from a sudden injury like a traumatic fall, motor vehicle accident or sports incident

All of these elements may also narrow the foraminal canals, leading to restricted nerves and debilitating symptoms. To care for your spine and the nerves that surround it, avoid activities that overly strain the backbone and seek prompt, professional medical attention if an issue is suspected.

Radiculopathy Symptoms

Symptoms of this condition are often shared with the other, underlying issues causing the radiculopathy to occur in the first place.

• Pain, numbness and tingling in the back, arms or legs
• Sciatica (discomfort that radiates through the lower back and limbs)
• A hypersensitivity to light touch and tenderness in the region in question
• Weakness in the affected area and associated extremities
• An inability to perform everyday activities or movements

Because any of the nerves leaving the spinal canal may suffer from radiculopathy, symptoms vary widely depending on the location of the affected region. If you are unsure where your pain is stemming from, we offer advanced pain-mapping procedures to pinpoint the precise site of your hurting nerve.

If you or a loved one encounter incontinence of the bladder or bowels in tandem with back pain, These symptoms are indicators of a life-threatening ailment known as “cauda equina syndrome”.

Treatments:

Taking the first step toward relief is as simple as scheduling a consultation at our state-of-the-art-facilities. During this appointment, one of our spine experts will carefully and compassionately evaluate your medical history, physical state and symptoms. To confirm a diagnosis of radiculopathy, imaging tests like a C.T. scan, MRI or X-ray may be requested, as well as a pain-mapping procedure. Once the location and severity of your compressed nerve has been ascertained, we will work with you to design a treatment plan that meets your unique needs and goals.

Whenever possible, we encourage patients to consider conservative, non-invasive treatment options before resorting to surgical intervention. Some of the non-surgical methods of care commonly implemented to treat radiculopathy include:

• Physical Therapy and Specialized Exercises: Oftentimes, physical therapists are able to strengthen the spine and reduce pressure on certain nerves by guiding the body through therapeutic movements.
• Pain-Relieving and Anti-Inflammatory Medication: When used temporarily, certain medications can reduce the amount of pain experienced by a patient and allow them to take up other treatment modalities, such as physical therapy, without being extremely uncomfortable.
• Injections: Localized injections can sometimes eliminate a patient’s pain for as long as 6 months at a time, often allowing compressed nerves to recover and thus reducing the need for surgery.
• Limited activity for a set period of time
• Heating and cooling treatments to maximize blood flow and the transmission of nutrients
• Spinal decompression therapy

Typically, radiculopathy will clear up when conservative treatment methods are dedicatedly employed. In severe cases, however, minimally invasive surgery may be needed to obtain full pain relief. Our expert spine surgeons can oftentimes treat radiculopathy with a posterolateral lumbar fusion or other advanced minimally invasive technique.

Because we offer some of the most state-of-the-art surgical options available, patients realize many benefits when compared to traditional open surgery. Some of these benefits include:

• Tiny incisions
• Less blood loss and scarring
• Minimal trauma to surrounding muscles and tissue
• Quicker recovery times that allow patients to return to work, school and other daily activities sooner
• Faster pain relief

A boil is a skin infection that starts in a hair follicle or oil gland. At first, the skin turns red in the area of the infection, and a tender lump develops. After four to seven days, the lump starts turning white as pus collects under the skin.

• The most common places for boils to appear are on the face, neck, armpits, shoulders, and buttocks. When one forms on the eyelid, it is called a sty.
• If several boils appear in a group, this is a more serious type of infection called a carbuncle.

Causes of Boils

Most boils are caused by a germ (staphylococcal bacteria). This germ enters the body through tiny nicks or cuts in the skin or can travel down the hair to the follicle.

These health problems make people more susceptible to skin infections:

• Diabetes
• Problems with the immune system
• Poor nutrition
• Poor hygiene
• Exposure to harsh chemicals that irritate the skin

Symptoms of Boils

A boil starts as a hard, red, painful lump usually about half an inch in size. Over the next few days, the lump becomes softer, larger, and more painful. Soon a pocket of pus forms on the top of the boil. These are the signs of a severe infection:

• The skin around the boil becomes infected. It turns red, painful, warm, and swollen.
• More boils may appear around the original one.
• A fever may develop.
• Lymph nodes may become swollen.

When to Seek Medical Care

• You start running a fever.
• You have swollen lymph nodes.
• The skin around the boil turns red or red streaks appear.
• The pain becomes severe.
• The boil does not drain.
• A second boil appears.
• You have a heart murmur, diabetes, any problem with your immune system, or use immune suppressing drugs (for example, corticosteroids or chemotherapy) and you develop a boil.
• Boils usually do not need immediate emergency attention. However, if you are in poor health and you develop high fever and chills along with the infection, a trip to a hospital’s emergency room is needed.

Medical Treatment for Boils

If there are concerns about the seriousness of the infection, additional bloodtests will be performed. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the infection is severe. If the boil is drained, a culture may be done to determine the type of bacteria causing the infection and to assess if an appropriate antibiotic was given.

Next Steps — Follow-up

Whether the boil is drained at home or is lanced by a doctor, you will need to clean the infected area two to three times a day until the wound is healed. Apply an antibiotic ointment after washing and cover with a bandage. If the area turns red or looks as if it is getting infected again, contact your doctor.

The hip joint can withstand repeated motion and a fair amount of wear and tear. This ball-and-socket joint — the body’s largest — fits together in a way that allows for fluid movement.

Whenever you use the hip (for example, by going for a run), a cushion of cartilage helps prevent friction as the hip bone moves in its socket.

Despite its durability, the hip joint isn’t indestructible. With age and use, the cartilage can wear down or become damaged. Muscles and tendons in the hip can get overused. Bones in the hip can break during a fall or other injury. Any of these conditions can lead to hip pain.

If your hips are sore, here is a rundown of what might be causing your discomfort and how to get hip pain relief.

Hip fractures. With age, the bones can become weak and brittle. Weakened bones are more likely to break during a fall.

Bursitis. Bursae are sacs of liquid found between tissues such as bone, muscles, and tendons. They ease the friction from these tissues rubbing together. When bursae get inflamed, they can cause pain. Inflammation of bursae is usually due to repetitive activities that overwork or irritate the hip joint.

Tendinitis. Tendons are the thick bands of tissue that attach bones to muscles. Tendinitis is inflammation or irritation of the tendons. It’s usually caused by repetitive stress from overuse.

Muscle or tendon strain. Repeated activities can put strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the hips. When they become inflamed due to overuse, they can cause pain and prevent the hip from working normally.

Hip labral tear. This is a rip in the ring of cartilage (called the labrum) that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint. Along with cushioning your hip joint, your labrum acts like a rubber seal or gasket to help hold the ball at the top of your thighbone securely within your hip socket. Athletes and people who perform repetitive twisting movements are at higher risk of developing this problem.

Cancers. Tumors that start in the bone or that spread to the bone can cause pain in the hips, as well as in other bones of the body.

Avascular necrosis (also called osteonecrosis). This condition happens when blood flow to the hip bone slows and the bone tissue dies. Although it can affect other bones, avascular necrosis most often happens in the hip. It can be caused by a hip fracture or dislocation, or from the long-term use of high-dose steroids (such as prednisone), among other causes.

Symptoms of Hip Pain

Depending on the condition that’s causing your hip pain, you might feel the discomfort in your:

• Thigh
• Inside of the hip joint
• Groin
• Outside of the hip joint
• Buttocks

Sometimes pain from other areas of the body, such as the back or groin (from a hernia), can radiate to the hip.

You might notice that your pain gets worse with activity, especially if it’s caused by arthritis. Along with the pain, you might have reduced range of motion. Some people develop a limp from persistent hip pain.

Hip Pain Relief :

If your hip pain is caused by a muscle or tendon strain, osteoarthritis, or tendinitis, you can usually relieve it with an over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as Motrin or Aleve.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatments also include prescription anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate and sulfasalazine, and biologics, which target the immune system.

Another way to relieve hip pain is by holding ice to the area for about 15 minutes a few times a day. Try to rest the affected joint as much as possible until you feel better. You may also try heating the area. A warm bath or shower can help ready your muscle for stretching exercises that can lessen pain.

If you have arthritis, exercising the hip joint with low-impact exercises, stretching, and resistance training can reduce pain and improve joint mobility. For example, swimming is a good non-impact exercise for arthritis. Physical therapy can also help increase your range of motion.

When osteoarthritis becomes so severe that the pain is intense or the hip joint becomes deformed, a total hip replacement(arthroplasty) may be a consideration. People who fracture their hip sometimes need surgery to fix the fracture or replace the hip.

Get medical help right away if:

• The hip pain came on suddenly.
• A fall or other injury triggered the hip pain.
• Your joint looks deformed or is bleeding.
• You heard a popping noise in the joint when you injured it.
• The pain is intense.
• You can’t put any weight on your hip.
• You can’t move your leg or hip.

Any time an internal body part pushes into an area where it doesn’t belong, it’s called a hernia.

The hiatus is an opening in the diaphragm — the muscular wall separating the chest cavity from the abdomen. Normally, the esophagus (food pipe) goes through the hiatus and attaches to the stomach. In a hiatal hernia(also called hiatus hernia) the stomach bulges up into the chest through that opening.

There are two main types of hiatal hernias: sliding and paraesophageal (next to the esophagus).

In a sliding hiatal hernia, the stomach and the section of the esophagus that joins the stomach slide up into the chest through the hiatus. This is the more common type of hernia.

The paraesophageal hernia is less common, but is more cause for concern. The esophagus and stomach stay in their normal locations, but part of the stomach squeezes through the hiatus, landing it next to the esophagus. Although you can have this type of hernia without any symptoms, the danger is that the stomach can become “strangled,” or have its blood supply shut off.

Many people with hiatal hernia have no symptoms, but others may have heartburn related to gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Although there appears to be a link, one condition does not seem to cause the other, because many people have a hiatal hernia without having GERD, and others have GERD without having a hiatal hernia.

People with heartburn may experience chest pain that can easily be confused with the pain of a heart attack. That’s why it’s so important to undergo testing and get properly diagnosed.

What Causes a Hiatal Hernia?

Most of the time, the cause is not known. A person may be born with a larger hiatal opening. Increased pressure in the abdomen such as from pregnancy, obesity, coughing, or straining during bowel movements may also play a role.

Who Is at Risk for Hiatal Hernia?

Hiatal hernias occur more often in women, people who are overweight, and people older than 50.

How Is a Hiatal Hernia Diagnosed?

A hiatal hernia can be diagnosed with a specialized X-ray (using a barium swallow) that allows a doctor to see the esophagus or with endoscopy.

How Are Hiatal Hernias Treated?

Most people do not experience any symptoms of their hiatal hernia so no treatment is necessary. However, the paraesophageal hernia (when part of the stomach squeezes through the hiatus) can sometimes cause the stomach to be strangled, so surgery is sometimes recommended. Other symptoms that may occur along with the hernia such as chest pain should be properly evaluated.Symptoms of GERD, such asheartburn, should be treated.

When Is Hiatal Hernia Surgery Necessary?

If the hiatal hernia is in danger of becoming constricted or strangulated (so that the blood supply is cut off), surgery may be needed to reduce the hernia, meaning put it back where it belongs.

Hiatal hernia surgery can often be performed as a laparoscopic, or “minimally invasive,” procedure. During this type of surgery, a few small (5 to 10 millimeter) incisions are made in the abdomen. The laparoscope that allows the surgeon to see inside the abdomen and surgical instruments are inserted through these incisions. The surgeon is guided by the laparoscope, which transmits a picture of the internal organs to a monitor. The advantages of laparoscopic surgery include smaller incisions, less risk of infection, less pain and scarring, and a more rapid recovery.

What Is Gout?

Gout is a kind of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Uric acid is a breakdown product of purines that are part of many foods we eat. An abnormality in handling uric acid and crystallization of these compounds in joints can cause attacks of painful arthritis, kidney stones, and blockage of the kidney filtering tubules with uric acid crystals, leading to kidney failure. Gout has the unique distinction of being one of the most frequently recorded medical illnesses throughout history.

Symptoms of Gout

Acute gout attacks are characterized by a rapid onset of pain in the affected joint followed by warmth, swelling, reddish discoloration, and marked tenderness. The small joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site for an attack. Other joints that can be affected include the ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows. In some people, the acute pain is so intense that even a bed sheet touching the toe causes severe pain. These painful attacks usually subside in hours to days, with or without medication. In rare instances, an attack can last for weeks. Most people with gout will experience repeated bouts over the years.

 

Risk Factors for Gout

Obesity, excessive weight gain, especially in youth, moderate to heavy alcohol intake, high blood pressure, and abnormal kidney function are among the risk factors for developing gout. Certain drugs and diseases can also cause elevated levels of uric acid. Also, there is an increased prevalence of abnormally low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism) in patients with gout.

How Are Gout Attacks Prevented?

Maintaining adequate fluid intake helps prevent acute gout attacks and decreases the risk of kidney stone formation in people with gout. Alcohol is known to have diuretic effects that can contribute to dehydration and precipitate acute gout attacks. Alcohol can also affect uric acid metabolism and cause hyperuricemia. It causes gout by slowing down the excretion of uric acid from the kidneys as well as by causing dehydration, which precipitates the crystals in the joints.

Treating Gout with Medications

Certain medications reduce the pain and inflammation of gout attacks, such as anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen and others), colchicine, and corticosteroids. Other medications decrease the level of uric acid in the blood and prevent the deposit of uric acid in joints (gouty arthritis), the kidneys (stones), and in tissue (tophi), helping to prevent further attacks and complications. These drugs include allopurinol, febuxostat, lesinurad, and probenicid.

Schizophrenia most commonly strikes between the ages of 16 and 30, and males tend to show symptoms at a slightly younger age than females. In many cases, the disorder develops so slowly that the individual does not know that they have had it for many years. However, in other cases, it can strike suddenly and develop quickly.

Schizophrenia affects approximately 1 percentof all adults, globally. Experts say schizophrenia is probably many illnesses masquerading as one.

Some research suggests that schizophrenia may be the result of faulty neuronal development in the brain of the fetus, which later in life emerges as a full-blown illness.

Individuals with schizophrenia may hear voices that are not there. Some may be convinced that others are reading their minds, controlling how they think, or plotting against them. This can distress patients severely and persistently, making them withdrawn and, at times, frantic.

Symptoms of schizophrenia

A sizable proportion of people with schizophrenia have to rely on others because they are unable to hold a job or care for themselves. Many may also resist treatment, arguing that there is nothing wrong with them.

Some patients may present clear symptoms, but on other occasions, they may seem fine until they start explaining what they are truly thinking. The effects of schizophrenia reach far beyond the patient – families, friends, and society are affected too.

Symptoms and signs of schizophrenia will vary, depending on the individual.

The symptoms are classified into four categories:

• Positive symptoms – also known as psychotic symptoms. For example, delusions and hallucinations.
• Negative symptoms – these refer to elements that are taken away from the individual. For example, absence of facial expressions or lack of motivation.
• Cognitive symptoms – these affect the person’s thought processes. They may be positive or negative symptoms, for example, poor concentration is a negative symptom.
• Emotional symptoms – these are usually negative symptoms, such as blunted emotions.

Below is a list of the major symptoms:

• Delusions – the patient displays false beliefs, which can take many forms, such as delusions of persecution, or delusions of grandeur. They may feel others are attempting to control them remotely. Or, they may think they have extraordinary powers and abilities.
• Hallucinations – hearing voices is much more common than seeing, feeling, tasting, or smelling things which are not there, however, people with schizophrenia may experience a wide range of hallucinations.
• Thought disorder – the person may jump from one subject to another for no logical reason. The speaker may be hard to follow or erratic.

Other symptoms may include:

• Lack of motivation (avolition) – the patient loses their drive. Everyday actions, such as washing and cooking, are neglected.
• Poor expression of emotions – responses to happy or sad occasions may be lacking, or inappropriate.
• Social withdrawal – when a patient with schizophrenia withdraws socially, it is often because they believe somebody is going to harm them.
• Unawareness of illness – as the hallucinations and delusions seem so real for patients, many of them may not believe they are ill. They may refuse to take medication for fear of side effects, or for fear that the medication may be poison, for example.
• Cognitive difficulties – the patient’s ability to concentrate, recall things, plan ahead, and to organize their life are affected. Communication becomes more difficult.

What are the causes schizophrenia?

fig: looks images in both sides of eye becomes more dark

Experts believe several factors are generally involved in contributing to the onset of schizophrenia.

Evidence suggests that genetic and environmental factors act together to bring about schizophrenia. The condition has an inherited element, but environmental triggers also significantly influence it.

Below is a list of the factors that are thought to contribute towards the onset of schizophrenia:

Genetic inheritance

If there is no history of schizophrenia in a family, the chances of developing it are less than 1 percent. However, that risk rises to 10 percent if a parent was diagnosed.

Chemical imbalance in the brain

Experts believe that an imbalance of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is involved in the onset of schizophrenia. Other neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, may also be involved.

Family relationships

There is no evidence to prove or even indicate that family relationships might cause schizophrenia, however, some patients with the illness believe family tension triggers relapses.

Environmental factors

Although there is no definite proof, many suspect trauma before birth and viral infections may contribute to the development of the disease.

Stressful experiences often precede the emergence of schizophrenia. Before any acute symptoms are apparent, people with schizophrenia habitually become bad-tempered, anxious, and unfocused. This can trigger relationship problems, divorce, and unemployment.

These factors are often blamed for the onset of the disease, when really it was the other way round – the disease caused the crisis. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to know whether schizophrenia caused certain stresses or occurred as a result of them.

Drug induced schizophrenia

Marijuana and LSD are known to cause schizophrenia relapses. Additionally, for people with a predisposition to a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia, usage of cannabis may trigger the first episode.

Some researchers believe that certain prescription drugs, such as steroids and stimulants, can cause psychosis.

Treatments for schizophrenia

With proper treatment, patients can lead productive lives. Treatment can help relieve many of the symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the majority of patients with the disorder have to cope with the symptoms for life.

Psychiatrists say the most effective treatment for schizophrenia patients is usually a combination of:

• medication
• psychological counseling
• self-help resources

Anti-psychosis drugs have transformed schizophrenia treatment. Thanks to them, the majority of patients are able to live in the community, rather than stay in a hospital.

The most common schizophrenia medications are:

• Risperidone (Risperdal) - less sedating than other atypical antipsychotics. Weight gain and diabetes are possible side effects, but are less likely to happen, compared with Clozapine or Olanzapine.
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa) – may also improve negative symptoms. However, the risks of serious weight gain and the development of diabetes are significant.
• Quetiapine (Seroquel) – risk of weight gain and diabetes, however, the risk is lower than Clozapine or Olanzapine.
• Ziprasidone (Geodon) – the risk of weight gain and diabetes is lower than other atypical antipsychotics. However, it might contribute to cardiac arrhythmia.
• Clozapine (Clozaril) – effective for patients who have been resistant to treatment. It is known to lower suicidal behaviors in patients with schizophrenia. The risk of weight gain and diabetes is significant.
• Haloperidol – an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia. It has a long-lasting effect (weeks).

The primary schizophrenia treatment is medication. Sadly, compliance (following the medication regimen) is a major problem. People with schizophrenia often come off their medication for long periods during their lives, at huge personal costs to themselves and often to those around them.

The patient must continue taking medication even when symptoms are gone. Otherwise they will come back.

The first time a person experiences schizophrenia symptoms, it can be very unpleasant. They may take a long time to recover, and that recovery can be a lonely experience. It is crucial that a person living with schizophrenia receives the full support of their family, friends, and community services when onset appears for the first time.

What Is Polyarteritis Nodosa?

What Are the Symptoms of Polyarteritis Nodosa?

What Are the Causes of Polyarteritis Nodosa?

CAUSES OF HEARING LOSS IN ADULTS:

Hearing loss in adults has many causes such as, exposure to noise, disease or infection, ototoxic drugs, tumors, trauma and the aging process. Some examples of causes of hearing loss in adults are described below:

Presbycusis

Presbycusis is the most common cause of sensory hearing loss in the adult population. This loss is caused by some degenerative changes (in the auditory system) associated with the aging process. The hearing loss is progressive in nature with the high frequencies affected first. While the process begins after age 20-30, it is often at ages 55 to 65 that the high frequencies in the speech range begin to be affected.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

This is the second most common cause of acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Prolonged exposure to loud noise causes damage to the hair cells in the cochlea and results in this type of permanent hearing loss. The noise-induced hearing loss usually develops gradually and painlessly. Sometimes the hearing loss can occur as a result of an acoustic trauma, or a single exposure or very few exposures to very high levels of sound. When this happens, a complete breakdown of the Organ of Corti in the inner ear occurs. When the hair cells become damaged from prolonged exposure to loud noises such as music, machines, motors and other noise producing equipment or to a single but very loud noise exposure such as gunfire or an explosion, they are unable to be stimulated properly by an incoming sound signal. Once these hair cells have become damaged there is no way for them to be repaired.

Otitis Media

This is the condition often referred to as an ear infection. When otitis media occurs, fluid accumulates behind the eardrum in the middle ear space. This space is normally air filled in a healthy ear. The fluid arises because of the inability of the Eustachian tube to adequately function and keep the pressure equalized to atmospheric pressure in the middle ear space. The Eustachian tube dysfunction can be the result of allergies, infection in the upper respiratory tract.

Otosclerosis

This is a progressive ear disease involving the middle ear bony capsule, specifically affecting the movement of the stapes (one of the three small bones in the middle ear).

Meniere’s Disease

This is an inner ear disease and is characterized by progressive fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, vertigo (dizziness) , and tinnitus (ringing in the ear).

Ototoxic Drugs

Drugs used to treat some diseases are damaging to the auditory system (ototoxic) and cause hearing loss. The more common drugs that are particularly toxic to the ear are certain antibiotics (such as Streptomycin, Kanamycin, Neomycin), Salicylates in large quantities (drugs containing aspirin), and quinine. Some drugs used in chemotherapy regimens are reported to be ototoxic. The damage caused by these drugs often depends on the dose administered and length of time used and is usually permanent.

Acoustic Neuroma

This is an example of a tumor that causes sensorineural hearing loss. Acoustic neuromas arise in the 8th cranial nerve (acoustic nerve). The first symptom could be a unilateral hearing loss, tinnitus in one ear, or vertigo.

Trauma

Trauma can cause a conductive, sensorineural or even a mixed hearing loss. Damage can occur to the as a result of trauma to the ear itself or to the side of the head. Examples include fractures of the temporal bone, puncture of the ear drum by foreign objects, , and sudden changes in air pressure.

Sudden Hearing Loss

This is an abrupt loss of hearing. Sudden hearing loss of known causes may be due to drugs, trauma, infection, or disease. There are, however, many instances when no cause can be found. There are two theories as to what happens in these cases: Vascular Occlusion which is the abrupt interference of blood supply to the cochlea and Viral Labrynthitis (viral infection of the inner ear), which produces damage to the inner ear structures.

SYMPTOMS OF HEARING LOSS:

Why is folic acid important?

Vitamin B9 includes both folate and folic acid and is important for several functions in the body.

Folic acid is vital for making red blood cells, as well as:

• the synthesis and repair of DNA and RNA
• aiding rapid cell division and growth
• enhancing brain health, although the evidence is mixed and more research is needed
• age-related hearing loss

It is particularly important for women who are pregnant to consume enough folic acid. This helps prevent the fetus from developing major congenital deformities of the brain or spine, including neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly.

Women planning to get pregnant should take folic acid supplements for a full year before conception to reduce the risk of these developments.

Folic acid is thought to play a preventive role in a range of conditions.

Types of diseases which causes by deficiency of Folic acid as follows:

Autism

A recent study connected folic acid deficiency with autism. The investigators concluded: “Periconceptional folic acid [before conception and during early pregnancy] may reduce [autism spectrum disorder] risk in those with inefficient folate metabolism.”

Cleft lip and palate

A literature review carried out in 2014 concluded that folic acid supplementation might reduce the risk of a cleft palate.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Folic acid is often used to support a methotrexate prescription for rheumatoid arthritis.

Methotrexate is an effective medicine for this condition. However, it is also known to remove folate from the body. This can cause gastrointestinal symptoms for between 20 and 65 percent of people who use the drug.

However, folic acid supplements have been shown to reduce the gastrointestinal side effects of methotrexate by 79 percent. Speak to a doctor for recommendations on how much to take, and how often. 1 milligram (mg) per day is often prescribed.

Deficiency

Folic acid deficiency occurs when not enough folate or folic acid is present in the body.

Aside from anemia and congenital deformities, folic acid deficiency can result in other health problems, including:

• a higher risk of developing clinical depression
• possible problems with memory and brain function
• a higher risk of potentially developing allergic diseases
• a higher potential long-term risk of lower bone density

The Medical Journal of Australia advised in January 2011 that the prevalence of folate deficiency in the country had dropped considerably since introducing the compulsory fortification of wheat flour in breadmaking.

Deficiency anemia

Individuals can develop folic acid deficiency anemia if they do not consume enough folic acid.

As folate is important for producing and maintaining red blood cells, inadequate levels can mean that there are not enough red blood cells to supply the body with a healthy level of oxygen.

This condition can appear in people who require higher quantities of folate and are not taking supplements, such as women who are pregnant and lactating.

Folic acid deficiency anemia can occur in people with underlying conditions, such as sickle cell anemia. It can also affect people with conditions that affect folate absorption. Alcohol abuse or kidney disease can reduce the ability of the body to effectively absorb folate.

Some medications, such as those used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and seizures, may increase the risk of folic acid deficiency anemia.

The signs and symptoms of folic acid deficiency disease include:

• fatigue
• feeling weak
• sores around the mouth
• memory and cognition difficulties
• irritable mood
• loss of appetite
• weight loss

People with folic acid deficiency anemia are given folic acid pills for daily use. Once folate levels return to normal, the body can produce enough blood cells to allow normal function.

Side effects

There are no serious side effects when taking folic acid. In rare cases, individuals report an upset stomach.

Even if a person takes more folate than needed, there is no cause for concern. Because folic acid is water-soluble, any excess will be naturally passed in urine.

Who should take it?

All women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should consume more folic acid, according to March of Dimes, a research organization focused on preventing deformity and death in newborn infants.

They also recommend that women take folic acid before getting pregnant as well as during the first 4 weeks following conception.

Every woman capable of getting pregnant should be taking daily folic acid supplements. Women over the age of 14 years should take 400 micrograms (mcg) per day, and this should increase to 600 mcg during a pregnancy.

Women should maintain a daily intake of 500 mcg.