VIRAL DISEASES

The factors that affect health are lifestyle, genetic constitution, immunity, environment and others. UAE has become a country where there is a population of 80% expatriates and 20% original inhabitants of the emirates. With this influx of a foreign population over the last decades there has been a considerable change in the pattern of lifestyle. Although over the years we have become an economic superpower but this has indirectly taken a toll on our health in our lives. Yes, we have imbibed the rich man’s disease – Diabetes. Diabetes type II is one of the commonest health problems that has affected our lives in a negative way. And this is on a rise. Although diabetes is not a disease in itself, yet it leads to kidney failure, blindness and paves the way to cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disorders are on a rise due to the lives we lead. Our jobs literally leaves no time for physical activities and day by day we are becoming couch potatoes. According to a study, Emirati wome...

10. Influenza (Flu) To most people flu is a pretty unpleasant illness contracted 2-3 times in a lifetime. However, influenza was responsible for one of the most destructive pandemics of all time – the Spanish Flu (1918-1919) which killed up to 100 million people. The particular type of flu strain (H1N1) was unusual in that most fatalities where amongst the young and healthy. It seems that the flu actually turned the healthy body’s immune system on itself creating a “cytokine storm” which attacked the lungs. The most recent flu to hit the headlines was Swine influenza. The alarms bells started ringing when it was found to be a new variant of the H1N1 strain. Deaths did occur and it did seem particularly virulent, but nothing compared to the scale of Spanish flu. I actually had Swine flu and it wasn’t nice. Perhaps the biggest reason to fear influenza is its ability to combine and mutate to form new strains. Chief amongst these fears is that a super-virulent strain will comb...

Respiratory System The respiratory system is vulnerable to a variety of diseases. Upper respiratory infections -- including head colds, throat infections and influenza -- are generally considered the most common diseases worldwide. Despite the availability of protective vaccines, pneumonia also remains a prevalent disease among Americans and a leading cause of both hospitalizations and death, as reported in July 2015 in "The New England Journal of Medicine." With regard to long-term respiratory diseases, hay fever, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) predominate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 25.2 million Americans have hay fever, 24.0 million have asthma and 12.1 million are living with COPD. Cardiovascular System According to a 2017 report from the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular diseases affect approximately 92.1 million Americans and are the leading cause of death. High blood pressure i...

(CNN)  -- Mad cow disease, SARS and now swine flu: Some diseases grab the headlines. But thousands of people worldwide suffer from very rare conditions, many of which few people have ever heard of. England's King George III may have suffered from porphyria, a disorder that affects the nervous system. more photos » From the Alice in Wonderland syndrome that might have inspired Lewis Carroll, to the disease that may have sent an English King mad, we take a look at some of these obscure illnesses. Morgellons According to the  Morgellons Research Foundation , crawling, biting and stinging sensations and the emergence of strange blue, black or red fibers from the skin characterize a disease that nearly 14,000 people suffer from, according to the Foundation. This is often accompanied by exhaustion, short-term memory loss, joint pain and changes in vision. The condition was named Morgellons in 2002 by a mother who believed her two-year-old son was suffering f...

 10. Malaria Malaria is a deadly disease caused by a parasite which is carried by the female Anopheles mosquito. This parasite gets transmitted through mosquito bites and travels to the human liver, where it matures. On maturity, it releases another parasite which infects the RBCs. These parasites rapidly multiply inside the bloodstream, and result in major health problems, claiming at least a million lives every year. Practicing anti-mosquito measures, taking medicine before, during and after travel, if traveling to an area where malaria is present, can prevent malaria.  9. Tuberculosis  Pulmonary Tuberculosis is a contagious infection caused by bacteria that mainly infects the lungs, but may involve other organs as well. The most common symptoms of this disease include fever, excessive sweating, fatigue, mucous and weight loss. These symptoms may become visible right away or may remain stagnant for many years. Infants, elderly and those having weak immunity are a...