Causes-Of

The staff at the Mayo Clinic explain that anemia is a condition where a healthy person does not have enough red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to their tissues and the most prevalent symptom is feeling tired all the time.  Further, they report, “There are many forms of anemia, each with its own cause.  Anemia can be temporary or long term, and it can range from mild to severe.”

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the three main causes of anemia are:

1. Blood loss – If a lot of blood is lost, the body may lose enough red blood cells to cause anemia.
2. Lack of red blood cell production – Both acquired and inherited conditions and factors can prevent your body from making enough red blood cells. Examples of acquired conditions and factors that can prevent your body from making enough red blood cells include diet, hormones, some chronic (ongoing) diseases, and pregnancy.
3. High rates of red blood cell destruction – Both acquired and inherited conditions and factors can cause your body to destroy too many red blood cells. One example of an acquired condition that can cause your body to destroy too many red blood cells is an enlarged or diseased spleen. Examples of inherited conditions that can cause your body to destroy too many red blood cells include sickle cell anemia, thalassemias, and lack of certain enzymes.

Additionally, they note that some people have anemia due to more than one of these factors.

More of a Symptom than a Problem
Dr. Andrew Artz, a hematologist from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine believes that, “Anemia is often considered to be relatively harmless, but should always prompt further evaluation as to what caused it.  Worsening anemia may lead to considerable problems.” The National Anemia Action Council reports, “A lack of iron, known as iron deficiency, is the most common cause of anemia. Your doctor may conduct some blood tests to check the level of iron in your blood and the level of other proteins which help move iron within your body.”

The experts at Merck confirm that the causes and severity of the anemia is will affect the symptoms:

Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the anemia and how rapidly it develops. Some people with mild anemia, particularly when it develops slowly, have no symptoms at all. Other people may experience symptoms only with physical exertion. More severe anemia may produce symptoms even when people are resting. Symptoms are more severe when mild or severe anemia develops rapidly, such as with bleeding that occurs when a blood vessel ruptures.

Mild anemia often causes fatigue, weakness, and paleness. In addition to these symptoms, more severe anemia may produce faintness, dizziness, increased thirst, sweating, a weak and rapid pulse, and rapid breathing. Severe anemia may produce painful lower leg cramps during exercise, shortness of breath, and chest pain, especially if people already have impaired blood circulation in the legs or certain types of lung or heart disease.

Sometimes anemia is detected before people notice symptoms, when routine blood tests are done.

Low levels of hemoglobin and a low hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in the total blood volume) found in a blood sample confirm the anemia. Other tests, such as examining a blood sample under a microscope and less often examining a sample taken from the bone marrow, help determine the cause of the anemia.

Because of the many causes of anemia and high potential for serious trouble, the Mayo Clinic doctors urge patients to “See your doctor if you suspect you have anemia, because anemia can be a sign of serious illnesses. Treatments for anemia range from taking supplements to undergoing medical procedures. You may be able to prevent some types of anemia by eating a healthy, varied diet.

Sources Include

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anemia/ds00321

http://www.anemia.org/

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec14/ch172/ch172a.html

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/anemia/anemia_causes.html

The Center for Disease Control estimated in 2005 that chest pain is the second most common complaint in Emergency Departments in the United States and causes about 6 million visits annually.  Many emergency room patients presenting the most at-risk and life-threatening type chest pain may appear quite healthy and without extreme distress so determining the cause of chest pain can be extremely critical.

Leading causes of chest pain in ambulatory care include musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and pulmonary disorders; as well as a combination of these and psychiatric diagnoses such as panic disorders (PDs). Rarely, life-threatening causes are the source of chest pain in outpatient settings, but must be excluded.

Accute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or coronary vascular disease continues to lead the cause of death of adults in developed countries at approximately 10 percent during a 28 day case mortality rate for ACS, but can vary with disease severity and patient treatment received.  However, statistics show that:

“less than 15 to 30 percent of patients who present to the emergency department with non-traumatic chest pain have ACS, which includes myocardial infarction and unstable angina.”

always get chest pain checked out

“Chest pain can be a clue to underlying coronary artery disease, but it can also be caused by non-cardiac conditions, most of which are less serious.  Proper attention to the quality of the pain and the factors that preceded it can be used as a tool to determine whether the origin is cardiac or not. A stress test is indicated when there is doubt,”  reports Peter F. Cohn, MD, Stony Brook University Health Sciences Center in New York.

Two Major Categories of Chest Pain

According to the Mayo Clinic staff, there are two major categories for the causes of chest pain – cardiac and non-cardiac as follows:

Cardiac causes of chest pain may include:

• Heart Attack—blood clot blocks blood flow to heart
• Angina—temporarily restricted blood flow from arteries to your heart
• Other Cardiac Causes—pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding your heart); a rare, life-threatening condition called aortic dissection; and coronary spasm (Prinzmetal’s angina)
• Heart-Related Conditions—metabolic syndrome and endothelial dysfunction.

Non-cardiac causes of chest pain may include:

• Heartburn
• Panic Attacks
• Pleurisy
• Costochondritis
• Pulmonary Embolism
• Other Lung Conditions—collapsed lung (pneumothorax), high blood pressure in the arteries carrying blood to the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) and asthma
• Sore Muscles—chronic pain syndromes
• Injured Ribs or Pinched Nerves
• Swallowing Disorders—painful muscle spasms
• Shingles—produce pain and a band of blisters from back around to chest wall
• Gallbladder or Pancreas Problems— abdominal pain radiates to chest
• Cancer—rarely, may spread from another part of the body

Gender Differences & Chest Pain

Additionally, there are gender differences in the causes of chest pain that should be addressed according to Brenda M. Eden APRN, BC, MS, in “The Nurse Practitioner: The American Journal of Primary Health Care.”

Chest Pain in Women
Chest pain is the cause of 1% (2.9 million) of total visits to primary care clinicians, and is often difficult to diagnose due to variability in symptoms, especially in women.  Up to one-half of women with chest pain who undergo coronary angiography do not have coronary artery disease (CAD).  In recent years, researchers have explored the differences between men and women in how chest pain is described and reported.

Women are less likely to seek medical care when the symptoms initially present, which delays diagnosis and early intervention. Reasons women delay seeking medical care are related to knowledge deficits, cost, transportation, previous experiences with the healthcare system, perception of pain, fear of not being taken seriously, and self-doubt about the severity of their symptoms.

Although only a limited number of studies have explained a physiologic basis that accounts for gender differences, it is evident that women must be evaluated uniquely. An accurate diagnosis depends on the practitioner’s ability to elicit pertinent information through the patient’s history and physical examination. Algorithms and tools may help determine priority differential diagnoses and appropriate selection of diagnostic tests. Primary care practitioners must integrate gender-specific assessment strategies to successfully treat the underlying cause of chest pain in women.

Whether or not the cause is known, experts agree:

“Patients with chest pain should go immediately to the nearest emergency room, preferably traveling by ambulance. They should not drive themselves. Call 911 or the local emergency number.”

Sources Include

[1] http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~/BLiwvS.f48

[1] http://www.circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/5/530

[1] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chest-pain/DS00016/DSECTION=causes

[1] http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/cearticleprint.asp?CE_ID=773072

[1] http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_serious_coronary_artery_disease_000003_2.htm

According to James Hansen, the head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA’s top institute studying the climate, global warming is accelerating as recent research reports massive losses of ice to the sea from the melting arctic and to Antarctica.

“Climate change is really happening,” reports Ralph Cicerone, president of the nation’s leading institute of science, the National Academy of Sciences.  Cicernone explains that greenhouse gases are causing the changes: “Carbon dioxide and methane, and chlorofluorocarbons and a couple of others, which are all — the increases in their concentrations in the air are due to human activities.  It’s that simple.”

“Climate change is really happening.”

In an article published May 15, 2008, in the journal Nature, a NASA-led study has shown the reality of human-caused climate change impacting a wide range of earth’s natural systems “from permafrost thawing to plants blooming earlier across Europe to lakes declining in productivity in Africa.”

Linking physical and biological impacts since 1970 with temperature increases, Cynthia Rosenzweig of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science in New York and scientists at 10 other institutions reported, “This is the first study to link global temperature data sets, climate model results, and observed changes in a broad range of physical and biological systems to show the link between humans, climate, and impacts.”

glaciers and global warming

Causes of Global Warming

Primarily, humans cause global warming by burning fossil fuels that increase the amount of carbon in the atmosphere leading to an increase in the Greenhouse Effect. Experts at the Woods Hole Research Center report:

While the concentrations of almost all greenhouse gases have been increasing since the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide has had the greatest effect on changing the climate. During the 1980’s humans released 5.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) for heat, transportation, and electricity. An additional 1.6 billion tons was released from anthropogenic (human-induced) changes in land-use (i.e. clearing land for agriculture, pastures, etc.) mostly through deforestation in the tropics. Where does that 7.2 billion tons of atmospheric carbon go? Ocean modelers find that the ocean takes up approximately 2 billion tons a year. Around 2 billion tons are taken up by a presently unidentified “sink” or reservoir of carbon. This leaves a remainder of 3.2 billion tons of CO2, and global atmospheric measurements indicate that this amount is simply being added to existing concentrations already present in the atmosphere. The result is that the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is increasing at a rate of approximately 1.5 ppm (parts per million) per year and overall it has increased about 30% since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

According to reports by the Ecobridge Organization, Carbon Dioxide emissions from the following sources are major causes of global warming:

Power Plants
In 2002 about 40% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions stem from the burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation. Coal accounts for 93 percent of the emissions from the electric utility industry.

Car Emissions
About 33% of U.S carbon dioxide emissions comes from the burning of gasoline in internal-combustion engines of cars and light trucks (minivans, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and jeeps). The United States is the largest consumer of oil, using 20.4 million barrels per day.  If car manufacturers were to increase their fleets’ average gas mileage about 3 miles per gallon, this country could save a million barrels of oil every day, while US drivers would save $25 billion in fuel costs annually.

Airplane Emissions
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that aviation causes 3.5 percent of global warming, and that the figure could rise to 15 percent by 2050.

Buildings
Buildings account for about 12% of carbon dioxide emissions.

Methane
The Ecobridge study adds, “While carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas, methane is second most important. According to the IPCC, Methane is more than 20 times as effective as CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere.  Methane is derived from sources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel production.

In some recent studies reported by PlanetSave, the food industry, with the meat industry taking the lead as major contributor, is a primary source of greenhouse gases. They estimate that the average food item travels at least 1000 miles from the farm to your able. While agricultural uses massive amounts of petroleum-based fertilizers, cows are emitting a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon, Methane.

According to the National Climate Data Center (NCDC), water vapor is the most prevalent greenhouse gas on the planet, but its increase is the result of warming caused by carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases, and it holds onto two-thirds of the heat trapped by all the greenhouse gases. The NCDC further explains, “future monitoring of atmospheric processes involving water vapor will be critical to fully understand the feedbacks in the climate system leading to global climate change.”

Nitrous Oxide
The National Climate Data Center (NCDC) claims “Concentrations of nitrous oxide also began to rise at the beginning of the industrial revolution and is understood to be produced by microbial processes in soil and water, including those reactions which occur in fertilizer containing nitrogen. Increasing use of these fertilizers has been made over the last century. Global concentration for N2O in 1998 was 314 ppb, and in addition to agricultural sources for the gas, some industrial processes (fossil fuel-fired power plants, nylon production, nitric acid production and vehicle emissions) also contribute to its atmospheric load.”

Deforestation
The EcoBridge Organization also explains how deforestation is the second leading cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide after carbon emissions caused by humans:

After carbon emissions caused by humans, deforestation is the second principle cause of atmospheric carbn dioxide. (NASA Web Site) Deforestation is responsible for 20-25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, by the burning and cutting of about 34 million acres of trees each year. We are losing millions of acres of rainforests each year, the equivalent in area to the size of Italy. [22]  The destroying of tropical forests alone is throwing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. We are also losing temperate forests. The temperate forests of the world account for an absorption rate of 2 billion tons of carbon annually. [3] In the temperate forests of Siberia alone, the earth is losing 10 million acres per year.

Other Major Factors

Other major factors reported in various studies that should be further examined in the study and consideration of the causes of global warming include both controllable and uncontrollable factors.

City Gridlock
1996 Texas A&M study reports drivers in Los Angeles and New York City alone wasted 600 million gallons of gas annually while just sitting in traffic. The 600 million gallons of gas translates to about 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide in just those two cities.

Carbon in Atmosphere and Ocean
U.S.Global Change Research Information Office reports the atmosphere contains about 750 billion tons of carbon, while 1020 billion tons are dissolved in the surface layers of the world’s ocean.

Permafrost & Tundra
Permafrost and Tundra are two more sources of releasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Permafrost is a solid structure of frozen soil, extending to depths of 2,200 feet in some areas of the arctic and subarctic regions,  containing grasses, roots, sticks, much of it dating back to 30,000 years.  About 25% of the land areas of the Northern Hemisphere hold permafrost, which is defined as soil whose temperature has been 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) for a period of at least 2 years. In a study reported in the journal Science June 16, 2006 (see San Francisco Chronicle article) researchers say that thawing permafrost may add to the buildup in atmospheric greenhouse gases significantly, stating that present climate models do not include releases of Siberian carbon dioxide from permafrost.

Estimates of 50 billion tons of carbon are held in a frozen state in the tundra. Experiments in the 1970s and 1980s conducted by University of California biologist Walter Oechel found the tundra had already warmed and dried enough, that its historic role as a carbon sink had reversed and changed. It was now losing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Oechel adds, “That was totally unexpected.”

Sources Include

http://www.causesofglobalwarming.net/global_warming_research.html

http://esciencenews.com/dictionary/permafrost.thaw

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2008/human_impact.html

http://whrc.org/resources/online_publications/warming_earth/culprits.htm

http://whrc.org/resources/online_publications/warming_earth/culprits.htm

http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/04/18/human-global-warming-what-are-the-main-causes/

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html#wv

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html#wv

http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_cse.htm

http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_cse.htm

Dementia can be described as:

“the loss of mental functions—such as thinking, memory, and reasoning—that is severe enough to interfere with a person’s daily functioning.”

Not A Disease
Dementia has not been recognized as an actual disease, “but rather a group of symptoms that are caused by various diseases or conditions. Symptoms can also include changes in personality, mood, and behavior.”  In severe cases dementia can “impair the ability to carry out everyday activities such as driving; household chores; and even personal care such as bathing, dressing, and feeding.”  

Alzheimer’s & Vascular Dimentia
“Alzheimer’s disease causes 50 percent to 70 percent of all dementia.  “Vascular dementia is estimated to cause from 5–30% of all dementia.  It occurs from decrease in blood flow to the brain, most commonly due to a series of small strokes (multi-infarct dementia).”  These two forms often take place collectively, “and vascular dementia may speed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”   Although neither can be identified until an autopsy has been done. 

However, researchers are finding that some of what was previously considered Alzheimer’s disease is really one of two other degenerative diseases:  Lewy body disease and Pick’s disease.”  

Pick’s disease has been classified under the term Fronto-Temporal Dementia.  Specifically, Pick’s occurs when cells in the frontal and temporal areas of the brain get bigger and contain “round, silver ‘Pick’s bodies.”   Frontol-Temporal Dementia can also occur when the cells in this area of the brain shrink or die. “Researchers estimate that approximately 2% of all dementia cases are Frontotemporal Dementia.” 

Treatable Causes of Dementia
Dementia can be caused by treatable problems which include alcohol and drug use as well as psychiatric disorders.  “Reversible dementias have a number of causes, including alcohol abuse, infections such as AIDS or neurosyphilis, brain tumors, and reactions to certain medications.”   Alcohol and drug abuse can easily lead to symptoms of dementia.  

“Alcohol abuse increases the chances of head injuries, vitamin B1 deficiency, infections, and liver disease, all of which can cause dementia symptoms.  Abuse of illegal drugs can also cause damage to the brain that result in dementia.”  

Age
Most cases of dementia occur in the elderly as “about 5 percent to 8 percent of all people over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, and this number doubles every five years above that age.   It is estimated that as many as half of people 85 or older suffer from dementia.”  

Lifestyle Choices = Best Prevention
While you cannot control most causes of dementia you can, at least minimize your risk through lifestyle choices.  Eating properly and moderate alcohol consumption as well as “lifestyle measures, such as weight control and exercise, may help forestall the development of vascular dementia; however, most types of irreversible dementia are not preventable.”  

Sources Include

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-dementia

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-dementia

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/dementia_overview/article_em.htm

http://www.cchs.net/health/health-info/docs/2300/2340.asp?index=9170

http://www.cchs.net/health/health-info/docs/2300/2340.asp?index=9170

http://neurology.health-cares.net/dementia-causes.php

http://neurology.health-cares.net/dementia-causes.php

http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/disease/dementias-frontotemp.htm

http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/disease/dementias-frontotemp.htm

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/symptoms_remedies/dementia/79-1.html

http://www.about-dementia.com/articles/about-dementia/dementia-causes/index.php

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/symptoms_remedies/dementia/79-1.html

To determine the causes of deafness, one must establish the types of hearing loss.  There are two main categories of hearing loss:

• Conductive
• Neural (or nerve deafness)

Conductive Hearing Loss
“Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound vibrations don’t go from the air around a person to the moving bones of the inner ear as well as they should.”  This can be caused by earwax buildup, fluid retention such as an ear infection, or calcium buildup.

“Generally, conductive hearing loss doesn’t cause a total inability to hear, but it does cause a loss of loudness and a loss of clarity. In other words, sounds are heard, but they are weak, muffled, and distorted.”

"d-e-a-f" spelled in sign language

Neural Hearing Loss
“Neural hearing loss (Nerve deafness) occurs when the auditory nerve, which goes from the inner ear to the brain, fails to carry the sound information to the brain.  Neural hearing loss can cause a loss of loudness or a loss of clarity in sounds.”  Some people may also experience a mix of both conductive and neural hearing loss.

Ranges of Hearing Loss
“Deafness can range from mild to profound and the causes of deafness can include a multitude of events including injury, disease, and genetic defects.”  Hereditary and Genetic disorders, parental exposure to disease, noise, trauma, and disease are some causes that may lead to permanent hearing loss.  Some causes of temporary deafness include wax, foreign object, excess mucus, ear infections, and certain types of drugs such as aminoglycosides and chloroquine.

Age & Noise are the Leading Causes of Deafness
Although age is the most common reason for deafness, some individuals are born with partial and total hearing loss.  Deafness at birth is known as congenital deafness, while deafness that occurs after birth is called adventitious deafness.  The most common cause of adventitious deafness is noise, which accounts for over one quarter of people affected by hearing loss.

Sources Include

http://library.thinkquest.org/15390/causes.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/15390/causes.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/15390/causes.htm

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcArticles.nsf/pages/Deafness_-_a_range_of_causes?OpenDocument

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcArticles.nsf/pages/Deafness_-_a_range_of_causes?OpenDocument

“No simplistic answers about the causes of obesity exist.  Weight gain and loss depends on a number of factors.”  These Factors include genes and heredity, environmental causes, psychological factors, physical causes, and medications to name a few.  

Obesity Statistics
The latest obesity statistics, according to Wellness International Network Ltd are as follows: 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese, Eight out of 10 over 25’s Overweight, 78% of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations, 25% completely Sedentary, 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990.

Monitoring Calories is the Best Control
“Obesity results when there is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.”  Age, gender, and a person’s activity level are key factors in establishing an individual’s propensity to gain weight.

The good news is, regardless of the cause(s) — including any uncontrollable contributing factors — monitoring calorie intake and increasing activity levels is an effective way for almost anyone to reach and maintain a healthier weight.

More useful statistics from the Wellness International Network Ltd include:

Obesity Related Diseases 

• 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
• 70% of cardiovascular disease related to obesity
• 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
• 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
• 26% of obese people having high blood pressure 

Childhood Obesity Running Out of Control 

• 4% overweight 1982 | 16% overweight 1994
• 25% of all white children overweight 2001
• 33% african american and hispanic children overweight 2001
• Hospital costs associated with childhood obesity rising from $35 Million (1979) to $127 Million (1999) 

Childhood Metabolic and Heart Risks

• New study suggests one in four overweight children is already showing early signs of type II diabetes (impaired glucose intolerance)
• 60% already have one risk factor for heart disease 
• Surge in childhood diabetes 
• Between 8% – 45% of newly diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes are type II, associated with obesity
• Whereas 4% of childhood diabetes was type II in 1990, that number has risen to approximately 20%
• Depending on the age group (Type II most frequent 10-19 group) and the racial/ethnic mix of group stated
• Of children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese

The Take-Away
Regardless of the causes of obesity in any person or group, it should be taken seriously and the main way to combat obesity is through attention to the ratio of calories consumed versus energy spent.  

Sources Include

  http://www.obesityfocused.com/articles/about-obesity/causes-of-obesity.php

  http://www.weight.com/causes.asp

  http://weightloss.about.com/od/obesityhealth/a/blobcause.htm