Cervical Spondylosis

Cervical spondylosis is also known as arthritis of the cervical vertebrae. Cervical spondylosis is more commonly found in individuals fifty and over. It is caused by possible spurs that have developed on the the cervical vertebrae or possible by issues with disks or ligaments. This causes neck discomfort; people find it difficult to move their neck and function correctly throughout the day.

When I mention functioning correctly, I mean this can cause discomfort in other areas of the body. Symptoms of this disease would be neck pain, difficulty in walking, loss of balance, neck popping, headaches, neck stiffness, and muscle spasms found in the neck; all these can be from cervical arthritis. All of these symptoms can occur from other diseases, so with that various studies need to be done in order to rule out other diseases. After all the other diseases are ruled out, than the individual may receive proper treatment for their illness.

If the pain lasts longer than a few months, than it is most likely that they have chronic cervical spondylosis. Non surgical treatment includes wearing a soft neck brace; this limits neck motion. Another non surgical treatment would be medication and physical therapy. If the individual has bone spurs than surgery may be the answer in removing these spurs. All of these treatments are options to relieve pain.

Information: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00369

Carotid body tumor

A carotid body tumor is basically a tumor located in the superior portion of the neck, in one of the two carotid arteries. The carotid arteries are two of the larger arteries that supply blood to the anterior portion of the brain. These tumors do not typically cause death, however they are known to keep coming back after being removed.

Carotid body tumors are seen more in females. They are also linked to people who live at higher altitudes. They can make the neck feel tender and sore. They may cause dysphagia. They range to about 5 cm or larger. These tumors do need treatment in order to retain the normal blood flow needed to the brain.

Treatment would involve possible radiation due to the fact that these tumors may keep reappearing after being removed. Another treatment possiblity would be a transcathater embolization, which would reduce the blood flow going to the tumor. This is done by inserting a catheter and injecting medication that would occlude these vessels linked to the tumor. Treatments for the carotid body tumor are usually very successful however may cause nerve damage or a stroke. However, these risks appear to be very low. Treatment would be the best option for this tumor.

Information: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/vascular/carotid_body_tumors.aspx

Sjogren's syndrome

Sjogren's syndrome is when a person's autoimmune system produces defected antibodies in the blood and begins to fight against tissues in the body. This can occur in the salivary glands, lacrimal glands, and other locations in the body. It is a syndrome that decreases water production of these glands. The production of defected antibodies causes inflammation to these glands. Sjogren's syndrome is connected with other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, erythematosus, systemic lupus, and scleroderma. Ninety percent of people who have this syndrome are female. It is unsure what causes this syndrome, however they believe that genetics are linked. They say this because usually if a person has this diagnosis, more times than not, another family member has already has it or one of the following dieseases mentioned above.

Symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome includes dryness of the tear duct and salivary gland. With this, a person's eyes will not be able to produce proper tears, which in return dries out the eye. This can irritate the eye, meaning it may become itchy and red. As far as the salivary glands go, it causes the mouth and lips to be very dry. This makes it hard to swallow and chew, can cause tooth decay, gum disease, mouth sores, and infection of the cheeks. So, while dryness of the eyes and mouth seem so simple, it can be difficult to live with.

Treatment for Sjogren's syndrome is pretty simple. As far as the eyes go, eye drops, staying away from hair dryers and heaters, and closing the tear duct so the tears that are produced stay there for a longer period of time. Now, as far as salivary glands go, a person can get over-the-counter toothpaste and mouth wash that stimulates more saliva production, suck on sugarless lemon drops, drink lots of fluids, take prescribed medications, or use glycerin swabs. While this syndrome is not a convient one, it isn't really life or death. However at least these are simple treatments and inexpensive ones that may use to treat this syndrome.

Information: http://www.medicinenet.com/sjogrens_syndrome/page2.htm

Images: http://www.nature.com/nrrheum/journal/v2/n5/images/ncprheum0165-f3.jpg

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