. How can I keep from getting kidney failure? You can do some things to keep from getting kidney failure or interstitial nephritis:

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Karin Baker
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On these sheets you will find Information that will help you answer questions on your DISEASE LOG!

The Marfan syndrome is a heritable condition that affects the connective tissue of the body.

In the Marfan syndrome, the connective tissue is defective and does not act as it should.

1 On these sheets you will find Information that will help you answer questions on your DISEASE LOG! Just like with the other work you are doing, ALL WORDS must be your OWN not those of your partner s or the Information Sheet! The Marfan syndrome is a heritable condition that affects the connective tissue of the body. The primary purpose of connective tissue is to hold the body together and provide a framework for growth and development. In the Marfan syndrome, the connective tissue is defective and does not act as it should. Because connective tissue is found throughout the body, the Marfan syndrome can affect many body systems, including the skeleton, eyes, heart and blood vessels, nervous system, skin and lungs. The Marfan syndrome affects men, women and children, and has been found among people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. It is estimated that at least 1 in 5,000 people in the United States have the disorder. The Marfan syndrome affects people in different ways. Some people have only mild symptoms, while others are more severely affected. In most cases, the disorder progresses as the person ages. The body systems most often affected by the Marfan syndrome are: Skeleton- People with the Marfan syndrome are typically, but not always, very tall or taller than unaffected people in their family, slender and loose jointed. The Marfan syndrome affects the long bones of the skeleton. Therefore the arms, legs, fingers, and toes may be disproportionately long in relation to the rest of the body. A person with the Marfan syndrome often has a long, narrow face, and the roof of the mouth may be arched, causing the teeth to be crowded. Also, the chest may be concave. Eyes- More than half of all people with the Marfan syndrome experience dislocation of one or both lenses of the eye. The lens may be slightly higher or lower than normal and may be shifted off to one side. The dislocation may be minimal, or it may be pronounced and obvious. Heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular system)- Most people with the Marfan syndrome have problems associated with the heart and blood vessels. The valve between the left chambers of the heart is defective and may be large and floppy, resulting in an abnormal valve motion when the heart beats. In some cases, the valve may leak, creating a "heart murmur," which a doctor can hear with a stethoscope. Small leaks may not cause any symptoms, but larger ones may result in shortness of breath, fatigue and palpitations (a very fast or irregular heart rate). Because of faulty connective tissue, the wall of the aorta (the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body) may be weakened and stretch, a process called aortic dilation. Aortic dilation increases the risk that the aorta will tear (called an aortic dissection) or rupture, causing serious heart problems or sometimes sudden death. Skin- Many people with The Marfan syndrome develop stretch marks on their skin, even without any significant weight change or pregnancy. These stretch marks can occur at any age and pose no health risk. The stretch marks tend to appear at sites subject to stress such as shoulders, hips and lower back. Lungs- Restrictive lung disease, occurs in 70 percent of persons with MFS. Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as snoring and sleep apnea, are also associated with Marfan syndrome.

Chronic Kidney Disease The kidneys are a pair of organs located just behind the stomach. They filter bacteria and extra salt and water from the body.

In kidney failure, these bacteria and salts build up and can have bad effects on the heart, brain, lungs, and other organs.

2 Chronic Kidney Disease The kidneys are a pair of organs located just behind the stomach. They filter bacteria and extra salt and water from the body. The kidneys stop working when illness or injury keeps them from filtering properly. In kidney failure, these bacteria and salts build up and can have bad effects on the heart, brain, lungs, and other organs. This may even cause serious illness or death Having chronic kidney disease means that for some time your kidneys have not been working the way they should. Normally, your kidneys remove waste products from your blood. They also help keep the right balance of fluid and salts called electrolytes in your body. The wastes and extra fluid are flushed from your body as urine. When your kidneys are damaged, the wastes build up in your blood and make you sick. Each of your kidneys has about a million tiny filters, called nephrons. When some of the nephrons are damaged and stopped working, the healthy ones take over their work. If the damage continues, more and more nephrons shut down. After a certain point, the kidneys become unable to do their job. Kidney failure can happen quickly (days) or more slowly (months or years). Many illnesses can cause kidneys to fail, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Most people with chronic kidney failure need to take medicines, and many need dialysis. You may be able to keep kidney damage from getting worse by taking medicines and making lifestyle changes. To do best, you will need to partner with your doctor and carefully follow all treatment steps. Diabetes During physical exams, patients' urine samples are tested for the presence of glucose. Sugar in urine is a symptom of the disease diabetes, in which body cells are unable to absorb glucose from the blood. (Note that there are two diseases called diabetes: diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. Here the term refers to diabetes mellitus.) More than 5 percent of the United States population suffers from this disease. The symptoms of diabetes occur when there is not enough insulin in the blood or when body cells do not respond normally to insulin. As a result, body cells cannot obtain enough glucose. Starved for fuel, body cells will burn fat and protein supplies. Meanwhile, glucose accumulates in the blood. This excess glucose is excreted in urine and can be detected in a simple test. There are two types of diabetes mellitus. Type I diabetes (also called insulin-dependent diabetes) is an autoimmune disease in which white blood cells (T cells) attack pancreas cells. As a result, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, and glucose builds up in the blood. Type I diabetes often develops before the age of 15 and requires daily doses of insulin to regulate glucose levels. In type II diabetes, cells fail to respond to insulin. A tendency for this disease seems to be inherited through a gene that codes for malfunctioning insulin receptors. Ninety percent of diabetes in the United States is type II. Most cases appear after age 40 in overweight individuals. People with this form of diabetes can help manage their disease by exercising and by controlling sugar intake.. How can I keep from getting kidney failure? You can do some things to keep from getting kidney failure or interstitial nephritis: DO NOT use any prescription medicines, over-thecounter medicines, herbal or nutrition supplements without talking to your doctor. Take your medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure regularly, and follow your doctor's instructions. Let your doctor know about any reactions or allergies to medicines.

If a mosquito bites this infected person and ingests certain types of malaria parasites ("gametocytes"), the cycle of transmission continues. What is malaria?

3 If a mosquito bites this infected person and ingests certain types of malaria parasites ("gametocytes"), the cycle of transmission continues. What is malaria? Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite. Patients with malaria typically are very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. Infection with any of the malaria species can make a person feel very ill; infection with P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may be fatal. Although malaria can be a fatal disease, illness and death from malaria are largely preventable. Because the malaria parasite is found in red blood cells, malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant, or the shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood. Malaria may also be transmitted from a mother to her fetus before or during delivery ("congenital" malaria). Malaria is not transmitted from person to person like a cold or the flu. You cannot get malaria from casual contact with malaria-infected people. Is malaria a common disease? Yes. The World Health Organization estimates that each year million cases of malaria occur and more than 1 million people die of malaria. About 1,300 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants returning from malaria-risk areas, many from sub-saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Is malaria a serious disease? Yes. Malaria is a leading cause of death and disease worldwide, especially in developing countries. Most deaths occur in young children. For example, in Africa, a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. Because malaria causes so much illness and death, the disease is a great drain on many national economies. Since many countries with malaria are already among the poorer nations, the disease maintains a vicious cycle of disease and poverty. How is malaria transmitted? Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and they must have been infected through a previous blood meal taken on an infected person. When a mosquito bites, a small amount of blood is taken in which contains the microscopic malaria parasites. The parasite grows and matures in the mosquito s gut for a week or more, then travels to the mosquito s salivary glands. When the mosquito next takes a blood meal, these parasites mix with the saliva and are injected into the bite. Once in the blood, the parasites travel to the liver and enter liver cells to grow and multiply. During this "incubation period", the infected person has no symptoms. After as few as 8 days or as long as several months, the parasites leave the liver cells and enter red blood cells. Once in the cells, they continue to grow and multiply. After they mature, the infected red blood cells rupture, freeing the parasites to attack and enter other red blood cells. Toxins released when the red cells burst are what cause the typical fever, chills, and flu-like malaria symptoms. What are the signs and symptoms of malaria? Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.

4 SYMPTOMS FAMILIAL HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA Familial Hypercholesterolemia is a dominantly inherited genetic disorder. Affected people have consistently high levels of low-density lipoprotein, which leads to premature atherosclerosis (clogging) of the arteries. Typically in affected men, heart attacks occur in their 40s to 50s, and 85% of men with this disorder have experienced a heart attack by age 60. The incidence of heart attacks in women with this disorder is also increased, but delayed 10 years later than in men. Individuals from families with a strong history of early heart attacks should be evaluated with a lipid screen. Proper diet, exercise, and the use of newer drugs can bring lipids down to safer levels. It is possible for a person to inherit two genes for this disorder. This magnifies the severity of the condition. Cholesterol values may exceed 600 mg/cc. Affected individuals develop waxy plaques (xanthomas) beneath the skin over their elbows, knees, buttocks. These are deposits of cholesterol in the skin. In addition, they develop deposits in tendons and around the cornea of the eye. Atherosclerosis begins before puberty and heart attacks and death may occur before age 30. a strong family history or familial hypercholesterolemia or early heart attack elevated and therapy-resistant levels of LDL in either or both parents xanthomas (lesions caused by cholesterol rich lipoprotein deposits) cholesterol deposits in the eyelids (xanthelasmas) chest pain associated with coronary artery disease evidence of obesity Signs and tests A physical examination may reveal xanthomas, xanthelasmas and cholesterol-laden deposits called a corneal arcus. Laboratory testing may show: elevated triglycerides (fats) total plasma cholesterol that is greater than 300 mg/cc (adult) total plasma cholesterol that is greater than 250 mg/cc (children) serum LDL that is higher than 200 studies of heart function, such as a stress test, may be abnormal special studies of patient cells (fibroblasts) may show decreased uptake of LDL cholesterol genetic testing for mutations in the LDL receptor gene

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the No. 1 cause of adult disability. 80% of strokes are preventable. What is a stroke?

body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

The underlying condition for this type of obstruction is the development of fatty deposits lining the vessel walls. This condition is called atherosclerosis.

5 Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the No. 1 cause of adult disability. 80% of strokes are preventable. What is a stroke? A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs. Ischemic stroke accounts for about 83 percent of all cases. Ischemic strokes occur as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. The underlying condition for this type of obstruction is the development of fatty deposits lining the vessel walls. This condition is called atherosclerosis. These fatty deposits can cause two types of obstruction: Cerebral thrombosis refers to a thrombus (blood clot) that develops at the clogged part of the vessel. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged. For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability. Cerebral embolism refers generally to a blood clot that forms at another location in the circulatory system, usually the heart and large arteries of the upper chest and neck. A portion of the blood clot breaks loose, enters the bloodstream and travels through the brain's blood vessels until it reaches vessels too small to let it pass. A second important cause of embolism is an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation. It creates conditions where clots can form in the heart, dislodge and travel to the brain. Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease. It affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.

6 have AD, and nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease. It is important to note, however, that AD is not a normal part of aging. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person s ability to carry out daily activities. The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer s disease (AD), which initially involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Although scientists are learning more every day, right now they still do not know what causes AD, and there is no cure. AD is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles). Today, these plaques and tangles in the brain are considered signs of AD. Scientists also have found other brain changes in people with AD. Nerve cells die in areas of the brain that are vital to memory and other mental abilities, and connections between nerve cells are disrupted. There also are lower levels of some of the chemicals in the brain that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells. AD may impair thinking and memory by disrupting these messages. Interesting note about Alzheimer s: Alzheimer's Disease, a degenerative neurological disorder characterized by progressive memory loss, personality deterioration and loss of functional motor capabilities, is far more common in individuals with Down syndrome than the general population. However, not all individuals with Down syndrome will develop Alzheimer's disease, and even those showing Alzheimer's-type symptoms may not have Alzheimer's disease since other conditions can mimic the symptoms. Scientists think that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from AD. The disease usually begins after age 60, and risk goes up with age. While younger people also may get AD, it is much less common. About 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 Estimates vary, but a reasonable conclusion is that 25 percent or more of individuals with Down syndrome over age 35 show clinical signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's-type dementia. The percentage increases with age. In the general population, Alzheimer's disease does not usually develop before age 50, and the highest incidence (in people over age 65) is between five and 10 percent. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease in the Down syndrome population is estimated to be three to five times greater than in the general population.

Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. Cells make up tissues, and tissues make up the organs of the body.

7 Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. Cells make up tissues, and tissues make up the organs of the body. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old and die, new cells take their place. Sometimes this orderly process breaks down. New cells form when the body does not need them, or old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant: Benign tumors are not cancer. Usually, doctors can remove them. In most cases, benign tumors do not come back after they are removed. Cells from benign tumors do not spread to tissues around them or to other parts of the body. Most important, benign tumors are rarely a threat to life. Malignant tumors are cancer. They are generally more serious and may be life threatening. Cancer cells can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Also, cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. That is how cancer cells spread from the original cancer (primary tumor) to form new tumors in other organs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis. Most pancreatic cancers begin in the ducts that carry pancreatic juices. Cancer of the pancreas may be called pancreatic cancer or carcinoma of the pancreas. A rare type of pancreatic cancer begins in the cells that make insulin and other hormones. Cancer that begins in these cells is called islet cell cancer. Pancreatic cancer is sometimes called a "silent disease" because early pancreatic cancer often does not cause symptoms. But, as the cancer grows, symptoms may include: Pain in the upper abdomen or upper back Yellow skin and eyes, and dark urine from jaundice Weakness Loss of appetite Nausea and vomiting Weight loss These symptoms are not sure signs of pancreatic cancer. An infection or other problem could also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can diagnose the cause of a person's symptoms. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor so that the doctor can treat any problem as early as possible. The pancreas makes insulin and other hormones. These hormones enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. They help the body use or store the energy that comes from food. For example, insulin helps control the amount of sugar in the blood. The pancreas also makes pancreatic juices. These juices contain enzymes that help digest food. The pancreas releases the juices into a system of ducts leading to the common bile duct. The common bile duct empties into the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine. This picture shows the pancreas, common bile duct, and small intestine

Heart Disease. Signs and Symptoms

Heart Disease. Signs and Symptoms Heart Disease The term "heart disease" refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary artery disease, which can cause heart attack, angina, heart failure, and arrhythmias.