Addison’s Disease:
|
A rare condition that
develops when the adrenal glands are not able to produce enough of
the hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
|
Allergies:
|
The immune system
overreacts to certain substance causing inflammation (swelling) or
irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin, or digestive
system. Examples include hayfever, and allergy to mold, dander,
pollen, dust, drugs, or food.
|
Ankylosing Spondylitis:
|
A form of inflammatory
arthritis that causes inflammation (swelling) of the joints
between the vertebrae of your spine and the joints between your
spine and pelvis (at the hip). The disorder gets worse over time
and often causes pain and stiffness in the back, hips, and
shoulders. More severe forms of the disease causes fatigue,
weight loss and can affect the eyes and heart.
|
Anxiety Disorder:
|
A psychiatric disorder
characterized by feelings of anxiety, fear, or worrying. Types of
anxiety disorders include: panic attacks, separation anxiety,
obsessive, compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
|
Aplastic Anemia:
|
Low levels of red blood
cells because the bone marrow is unable to produce enough blood
cells. Initial symptoms include: weakness, fatigue, recurrent or
persistent infections, and/or easy bruising and bleeding.
|
Asperger’s
Syndrome:
|
Asperger syndrome, one of
the autistic spectrum disorders, is a pervasive developmental
disorder characterized by difficulty communicating or relating
socially with others. Other symptoms may include being
uncoordinated, unusual interests, repetitive routines or rituals,
different ways of speaking or using language. See Autism Spectrum
Disorders.
|
Asthma:
|
A condition
that causes wheezing or difficulty breathing. Treatment may
involve using steroid inhalers or tablets. Symptoms may get worse
with exposure to pollen, mold or tobacco smoke.
|
Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD):
|
A behavior disorder that
causes a person to have great trouble paying attention, to be
hyperactive or impulsive to a point that causes problems for the
individual in school, work, or social situations.
|
Autism:
|
See Autism Spectrum
Disorders.
|
Autism Spectrum
Disorders
|
A neurodevelopmental
disorder that causes a person to have problems socially
interacting with other people, talking or communicating with
others, and behavioral development that requires routines
schedules and predictable conditions. Autism spectrum disorders
include Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder –
Not Otherwise Specified, and Asperger’s Syndrome.
|
Autoimmune Hepatitis:
|
A disease in which the
body's immune system attacks liver cells causing the liver to
become inflamed (swollen, irritated). Symptoms often include
excess hair growth, acne, arthritis, and an enlarged liver.
|
Bipolar Disease:
|
A psychiatric disorder that
causes mood swings from mania (exaggerated feeling
of well-being, energy, and confidence) to depression (saddness,
lack of self-esteem).
|
Birth Defect:
|
A malformation or defect
that is present when a child is born, usually recognized before or
at birth, such as limb defects, cleft lip and cleft palate and
heart defects.
|
Bleeding/Clotting
Disorders:
|
Bleeding disorder: A group
of conditions of the blood clotting (coagulation) system in which
bleeding following an injury is prolonged and excessive. Clotting
disorder: A group of conditions of the blood clotting
(coagulation) system in which potentially dangerous blood clots
can form.
|
Cancer:
|
Develops
when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control.
Types include: breast, bone, bladder, brain, leukemia,
lymphomia.
|
Cardiovascular
Condition:
|
A problem affecting the
heart, blood vessels, or circulation of the blood.
|
Celiac Disease (sprue):
|
Digestive condition in
which eating the protein gluten (found in wheat, barley or rye)
causes damage to small intestines.
|
Cerebral Palsy:
|
A disorder that affects a
person's ability to move and to maintain balance and posture,
usually diagnosed in the first year of life.
|
Crohn’s Disease:
|
Chronic form of
inflammatory bowel disease; causes severe irritation in the
gastrointestinal tract; usually affecting lower-intestine and/or
colon.
|
Childhood Disintegrative
Disorder:
|
Disorder characterized as
marked regression after a period of 2 years of normal development;
significant loss of skills in at least two of the following areas:
use or understanding of language, social skills, bowel or bladder
control, or motor skills.
|
Cystic Fibrosis:
|
A chronic, progressive
disease that causes mucus to become thick and build up, which
clogs the passages to organs, mainly the lungs and the pancreas.
Blocked pathways to the lungs can create breathing problems.
|
Depression:
|
Severe,
depressed mood that interferes with normal living. Symptoms
incude extended saddness, lack of self-esteem, loss of interest or
pleasure in normal activities, decreased energy, changes in sleep
and appetite, and feelings of guilt or hopelessness that are
present for at least two weeks.
|
Dermatitis Herpetiformis
(celiac disease of the skin):
|
Chronic dermatitis
(swelling of the skin) characterized by of itching, raised, areas
of the skin and swollen or infected areas on the skin that
resemble clusters of hives.
|
Diabetes:
|
A problem with controlling
insulin levels and processing sugars that results in high or low
blood-sugar. The three main types of diabetes are Type 1, also
known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile diabetes;
Type 2, also known as adult onset, non-insulin dependent diabetes;
and Gestational diabetes which usually occurs just during
pregnancy.
|
Down Syndrome:
|
Down syndrome is a genetic
condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual
development.
|
Eating Disorder:
|
A disorder involving
unhealthy weight control practices that may include extremely low
food or calorie intake (anorexia) or vomiting (bulimia) to lose
weight.
|
Eczema/Psoriasis:
|
Eczema is a chronic skin
condition that causes the skin to become dry, itchy, or scaly.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition in which the
skin develops pink or silvery-white scaly patches, often over the
scalp and knee and elbow joints.
|
Endocrine Disorder
(hormonal disorder):
|
Problems in organs or
glands that make hormones, which results in problems with
reproduction, metabolism (food burning and waste elimination), and
growth.
|
Fragile X Syndrome:
|
Fragile X syndrome is a
hereditary condition which causes a wide range of mental
impairment, from mild learning disabilities to severe mental
retardation.
|
Gastrointestinal
Disorder:
|
Condition related to the
gastrointestinal tract. Conditions might be related to the small
and large intestine, rectum, and stool patterns.
|
Giant Cell Arteritis
(temporal arteritis and cranial arteritis):
|
Disorder that results in
swelling of arteries in the head (most often the temporal arteries
located on each side of the head), neck, and arms.
|
Graves’ Disease
(diffuse toxic goiter):
|
Over-activity of the
thyroid gland that becomes enlarged into a goiter. Graves’
disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.
|
Guillain-Barré
Syndrome (Landry’s ascending paralysis):
|
A disorder in which the
body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous
system. The first symptoms include weakness or tingling sensations
in the legs.
|
Hashimoto’s
Thyroiditis:
|
A type of autoimmune
thyroid disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys
the thyroid gland. The thyroid helps set the rate of metabolism -
the rate at which the body uses energy.
|
Hearing Impairment:
|
A reduction in the ability
to perceive sound; range from slight inability to complete
deafness.
|
Hemolytic Anemia:
|
Disorder in which the red
blood cells are destroyed faster than the bone marrow can produce
them. TYPES: intrinsic or extrinsic relating to way the cell is
destroyed.
|
High Blood Pressure:
|
Occasional or constant
elevation of systemic arterial blood pressure to a level likely to
induce cardiovascular damage or other adverse consequences
(usually over 140/90).
|
Hyperthyroidism:
|
Condition in which there is
too much thyroid hormone in the body.
|
Hypothyroidism:
|
This condition is
characterized by having too little thyroid hormone in the body.
|
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
|
Disorder of the large and
small intestines that causes abdominal pain or discomfort,
constipation or diarrhea.
|
Learning Disability:
|
A disorder in one or more
of the basic cognitive and psychological processes involved in
understanding or using written or spoken language.
|
Lupus, or Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus (SLE):
|
Tissue disease, mostly
among women, characterized by fever, skin rash, and arthritis,
often by anemia, inflamed mucus membrane, and involvement of the
heart and kidneys.
|
Mental Retardation:
|
Mental retardation is
characterized both by a significantly below-average score on a
test of mental ability or intelligence and by limitations in the
ability to function in areas of daily life, such as communication,
self-care, and getting along in social situations and school
activities. Mental retardation is sometimes referred to as a
cognitive or intellectual disability.
|
Migraine Headaches:
|
Periodic headaches usually
on one side of the head that may be accompanied by nausea,
vomiting, increased sensitivity of the eyes to light and other
symptoms.
|
Mixed Connective Tissue
Disease:
|
Syndrome characterized by a
combination of scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosis,
polymyositis, or rheumatoid arthritis. Individuals with MCTD have
symptoms of each of these disorders including painful or swollen
joints, heart or lung problems, skin problems, kidney disease, and
muscle weakness.
|
Motor Problem/Movement
or Coordination Problems:
|
Problems
with both fine motor tasks (generally considered to involve skills
of the hands and ability to use small objects) and gross motor
tasks (generally considered to include activities such as walking,
running, postural control etc.).
|
Multiple Sclerosis:
|
A disorder of the brain and
spinal cord (central nervous system)) caused by progressive damage
to the outer covering of nerve cells (myelin); may result in
decreased nerve functioning, fatigue, dizziness, or difficulty
walking or using hands.
|
Myasthenia Gravis
(muscle fatigue disease):
|
A disease in which muscles
tire easily and become increasingly weak.
|
Narcolepsy:
|
A sleep disorder that
causes a person to fall asleep uncontrollably during the day.
|
Neurofibromatosis:
|
Neurofibromatosis Type 1
(NF-1), also called von Recklinghausen's Disease, is a rare
genetic disorder characterized by the development of multiple
non-cancer (benign) tumors of nerves and skin (neurofibromas) and
areas of abnormal skin color, including tan, brown, or white spots
in unusual places like under the arms and groin.
|
Neuromuscular Disorder:
|
Conditions that involve the
weakness or wasting of the body muscles. These problems may arise
in the spinal cord, the peripheral nerves or the muscle fibers;
Examples include: Muscular dystrophy and Myasthenia Gravis.
|
Obesity:
|
Excess fat; a body weight
that is 30% over the ideal body weight for your height.
|
Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder:
|
A psychiatric disorder in
which a person gets caught up in certain rituals, either thoughts
or ways of doing things, which interfere with normal social
interaction with others and cannot be suppressed. Examples
include constant worrying about germs or contamination or concern
with the exact order of things.
|
Optic Neuritis (optic
nerve inflammation):
|
Swelling or inflammation of
the optic nerve (located in the eye).
|
Pemphigus:
|
This is an uncommon
blistering disease occurring on skin and mucous membranes commonly
involving the mouth and scalp.
|
Personality Disorder:
|
General term for a group of
behavioral diseases characterized by usually lifelong ingrained
maladaptive patterns of strange internal experiences and abnormal
behavior, lifestyle, and social adjustment.
|
Pervasive Developmental
Disorder:
|
A group of mental disorders
of infancy, childhood, or adolescence characterized by lack of the
basic social skills, language skills, imagination, and need for
routine.
|
Pervasive Developmental
Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified:
|
See Autism Spectrum
Disorders.
|
Reading Difficulty:
|
Difficulty reading at the
level appropriate for a given age.
|
Recklinghausen’s
Disease:
|
See
Neurofibromatosis.
|
Reiter’s Syndrome
(reactive arthritis):
|
Arthritis of large
weight-bearing joints such as the knee and ankle with involvement
of the urethra, eye, and skin; more commonly found among men.
|
Respiratory Condition:
|
Condition related to the
lungs, esophagus, or flow of air through the respiratory
passageway that may cause difficulty breathing.
|
Rett’s Syndrome:
|
A developmental disorder
primarily affecting girls after an apparently normal early
development. The syndrome is characterized by a slowing of the
rate of head growth, severely impaired language and social skills,
loss of purposeful hand movements, and a shaky torso.
|
Rheumatoid Arthritis:
|
A relatively common disease
where the tissues lining the joints become inflamed. Over time,
the inflammation may destroy the joint tissues, leading to
disability.
|
Schizophrenia:
|
A chronic mental illness
that can cause you to withdraw from the people and activities in
the world around you and retreat into a world of delusions and
hallucinations.
|
Scleroderma:
|
Disease that can cause
thickening, hardening, or tightening of the skin, blood vessels
and internal organs; chronic (life-long). TYPES: localized and
general.
|
Self-Injuring Behavior:
|
Deliberate attempt to cause
bodily harm to oneself. Examples include: biting the wrist,
banging the head, cutting through skin.
|
Seizure
Disorder/Epilepsy:
|
Disorders of the central
nervous system that are characterized by sudden seizures, muscle
contractions, and partial or total loss of consciousness.
|
Sickle
Cell/Thalassemia/Other Hereditary Anemias:
|
Inherited,
life-long disease in which the red blood cells, which are normally
disc-shaped, become crescent shaped and do not function normally.
Blood clotting occurs frequently. Thallasemias are hereditary
disorders characterized by defective production of
hemoglobin(protein inside blood cell that carries oxygen) which
leads to low production, and excessive destruction, of red blood
cells. This hereditary disorder is characterized by growth
failure, bone deformities, and enlarged liver and spleen. Other
hereditary anemias may include G-6-PD.
|
Sjögren’s
Syndrome:
|
An
inflammatory disorder affecting whole body that is characterized
by dry mouth, decreased tearing, and other dry mucous membranes
and often associated with autoimmune rheumatic disorders.
|
Sleep Disorder:
|
Disorder characterized by
difficulty beginning or continuing to sleep for at least one
month; associated with daytime fatigue (tired feeling); results in
distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important
areas of functioning.
|
Speech Problems:
|
Problems talking to
communicate with others. Difficulty expressing an understanding
of written or spoken language.
|
Stevens-Johnson
Syndrome:
|
Skin disorder, of unknown
cause, resulting from an allergic reaction to medications,
illness, or infections. The disorder is characterized by a rash,
skin peeling, or sores on the mucous membranes.
|
Sydenham’s Chorea
(St. Vitus’ Dance):
|
Disorder of the central
nervous system characterized by emotional instability, purposeless
movements, and muscular weakness.
|
Suicide Attempt:
|
The act of taking one’s
own life, or attempting to take one’s own life.
|
Thrombocytopenia,
(immune, idiopathic)
|
A condition in which there
is an abnormally small number of platelets in the circulating
blood.
|
Tourette’s
Syndrome:
|
Neurological disorder
characterized by tics - involuntary, rapid, sudden movements that
occur repeatedly in the same way.
|
Tuberous Sclerosis:
|
Rare genetic, neurological
disorder; characterized by seizures, mental retardation, and skin
and eye lesions. Small tumors may grow on the face and eyes, in
the brain, kidneys, and other organs. Seizures most often begin in
the first year of life.
|
Ulcerative Colitis:
|
A chronic (life-long),
episodic, inflammatory disease of the large intestine and rectum
characterized by bloody diarrhea.
|
Vision Impairment:
|
Vision impairment means
that a person's eyesight cannot be corrected to a "normal"
level. Vision impairment may be caused by a loss of visual
acuity, where the eye does not see objects as clearly as usual.
It may also be caused by a loss of visual field, where the eye
cannot see as wide an area as usual without moving the eyes or
turning the head.
|