Understanding Hives

Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population gets hives, also called urticaria, at least one time in their life. Hives are red, swollen welts and can appear anywhere on your body. They are sometimes itchy. Hives can last anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks, however, each individual welt should disappear within 24 hours.

Causes of Hives

Usually, hives are caused by an allergic reaction to either a drug or certain foods. If you have other allergies, you are more likely to get hives. For some, the cause of the hives is obvious. An allergic reaction to certain foods, such as peanuts or shellfish, may cause hives within minutes or hours of eating the food.

In other cases, the cause is not so obvious. Some of the other reasons hives may occur are:

Insect bitesAllergies to pollen, animals, latex or other substancesInfections and illnesses, such as thyroid disease or hormonal problemsSun exposure or exposure to heat or coldStress

You may need to work closely with your doctor to determine the cause of your hives.

Diagnosing the Cause of Hives

If you have one episode, your doctor probably will not dig too deep to find out what caused the hives, however, if you have chronic hives, he may refer you to an allergy specialist for testing. In addition to taking a detailed medical history, the specialist may request the following:

Details on substances in your home and work environmentA list of all medication you are taking, including vitamins, over-the-counter medications and supplementsLab tests, including blood or urine analysisAllergy skin testing

There are many possible causes of hives. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, approximately 20 percent of all cases of hives can be attributed to a specific cause. The other cases either require testing and research or will never be known.

Treatment

Many cases of hives need no treatment at all. The red welts often disappear on their own, sometimes within minutes or a few hours. If your hives are itchy, cool compresses or taking a cool shower will often relieve the itch. Antihistamines may also be recommended to control the allergic reaction and to reduce the itchiness.

If you have more than one episode or if you have chronic hives (lasting more than six weeks), the best treatment is to find the cause and avoid the triggers. For some people, a daily dose of antihistamine is needed to help control the hives. Because some antihistamines can make you drowsy, it is important to talk with your doctor about the different antihistamines and their side effects. Your doctor may also recommend cortisone treatment or other medications that reduce inflammation.

What Are The Four Stages of Mesothelioma Cancer?

Brighan staging system, on the other hand, determines whether the Mesothelioma can be surgically removed or not and whether the lymph nodes are affected or not. In stage I Mesothelioma, the lymph nodes are not yet affected and the patient can still recover through surgery.

One rare form of cancer is called Mesothelioma, a malignant tumor in the mesothelial tissues of the lungs and the abdomen, arising from the inhalation of asbestos. Its rarity is one of the reasons why a lot of people are not aware of this kind of fatal disease. In fact, many people die of Mesothelioma undiagnosed.

Although there is now a growing awareness of the hazards of asbestos to health, still many have not heard of Mesothelioma and thus, have not understood its nature, cause, signs and treatment. Even some physicians find it hard to detect Mesothelioma because its symptoms are akin to other diseases like lung cancer and pneumonia. Furthermore, it takes decades for a patient who was exposed to asbestos to develop Mesothelioma ? fifty years, at most.

Being unaware of Mesothelioma poses higher risks since it deters diagnosis and treatment. A person undergoing treatment must know the different stages of the cancer or the extent of the disease. Chances of recovering from Mesothelioma and the kind of treatment depend on the stage of the illness. There are basically two staging systems used for Pleural Mesothelioma (lungs): TNM system and Brighan system. These staging systems are also used in other kinds of cancers; however, the first is commonly used. There is no established method in determining the stage of the Peritoneal Mesothelioma cancer (abdominal) so the TNM system is used.

There are three variables in the TNM system: tumor, lymph nodes and metastasis. In the earliest stage of Mesothelioma, stage I, the malignant Mesothelioma cells start to grow and multiply only one layer of the pleura. The pleura is the membrane that encloses the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. However, there are some instances wherein the pericardium (membrane that covers the heart) and diaphragm cover are already affected. In this case, the cancer patient is still in stage I Mesothelioma.

In the second stage, the two layers of the pleura are already affected by Mesothelioma. Take note, however, that in this stage, only one side of the body is affected. Normally, the pleura produces only small amount of lubricating fluid that allows easy expanding and contracting of the lungs. The excess fluid is absorbed by the blood and the lymph vessels so there?s a balance between the amount of fluid produced and removed.

During the second stage Mesothelioma, fluid starts to build up between the membrane of the lungs and the membrane of the chest wall, resulting to pleural effusion. The increase in the volume of fluid produced causes shortness of breath and chest pain. Other Mesothelioma cancer patients experience dry and persistent cough. Diagnosis of the pleural effusion is achieved through a chest x-ray.

Stage III Mesothelioma means that the malignant cells have already spread to the chest wall, esophagus and the lymph nodes on one part of the chest. The patient may suffer severe pain near the parts affected. When not treated immediately or when the Mesothelioma patient doesn?t respond well to medication, the cancer may advance to the fourth stage.

The fourth stage Mesothelioma is formidable since at this stage the Mesothelioma cells have penetrated into the bloodstream and other organs in the body like the liver, the bones and the brain. The lymph nodes on the other side of the chest may also be affected by Mesothelioma in stage IV.

Brighan staging system, on the other hand, determines whether the Mesothelioma can be surgically removed or not and whether the lymph nodes are affected or not. In stage I Mesothelioma, the lymph nodes are not yet affected and the patient can still recover through surgery.

In stage II, surgery can still be executed but some lymph nodes have already been infiltrated by the cancer cells. In stage III, the heart and chest wall are already affected; thus, surgery is no longer advisable. The lymph nodes in this stage, however, may or may not be affected. In the final stage, stage IV Mesothelioma, cancer cells have already gone to the bloodstream and other parts of the body like the heart, brain, bone and liver. In most cases, a patient who has reached stage IV Mesothelioma only has four to twenty-four months to live.

Patients Of Gastric Cancer Therapy

Gastric cancer therapy is the most feasible option available for patients of gastric cancer to keep control on or eliminate malignant disorder in gastric region.
Therapy for gastric cancer can be of various forms and result into side-effects of various intensities depending upon certain basic aspects concerned with the victim. Undergoing proper and timely therapy helps to reduce chances of gastric cancer recurrence and also enables the victim to recover safely.

Gastric Cancer Therapy ? Meaning and Peculiarities
Therapy for gastric cancer is significant for varied reasons and gives immense advantage to victim in getting rid of infectious cells with least possible complications. Therapy can be used for both preventive and curative purposes and pattern may vary from person to person. Basic aspects considered before recommending a certain kind of therapy are age, personal medical background, gastric cancer stage a person is suffering from, gender, and type of cancerous growth.
Gastric or stomach cancer is prevalent in adults mostly older than 40 years and chances of infection are higher in males in comparison to females. Gastric cancer life expectancy is very less and it is very difficult to tackle the disorder in final stages. On an average, chances of survival are around 57-70% in the first stage which later drop to 33-45% in the second phase. Third stage rate of survival varies between 9-20% which later goes to mere 4% in the last or final phase. Majority of people suffering from gastric cancer die due to late or faulty gastric cancer diagnosis and late gastric cancer treatment.
Efficiency of treatment undergone in the past also plays an important role in deciding the chances of recurrence of malignant polyps. Those who have already gone through cure process for gastric or other kinds of cancerous growth need to be very careful while undergoing therapy once again as their body cells and tissues are weak and less resistant to infection. People suffering from serious non-cancerous disorders related to stomach or abdominal areas should be very particular about regular health checkups. Secondary form of gastric cancer is more difficult to cure in comparison to primary one.
Main Gastric Cancer Therapies
Surgery is a form of therapy useful to treat early stages of the gastric cancer. Gastrectomy is the most basic and standard surgical pattern to remove wither only the infected part of stomach (subtotal gastrectomy) or full stomach along with a part of esophagus, spleen, and small intestine (total gastrectomy). Other forms of surgery are endoluminal stent placement (stent is inserted to make bypass near blocked passages), gastrojejunostomy (removing infected portion of stomach that may be blocking opening of small intestine), and endoluminal laser therapy.
Other forms of therapies include cryosurgery (killing infected cells and tumors by exposing them to liquid nitrogen), chemoradiation (combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy), chemotherapy (exposing tumors to chemicals or recommending medically prescribed medicines to keep tumor-growth under control), and radiotherapy (killing tumors or burning the infected area by passage of strong radiations). Targeted therapy pattern can also be used to treat only the infected area without causing harm to nearby healthy tissues. Immunotherapy is a form of both curative and preventive way to deal with gastric cancer and needs to be supported by healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Gastric cancer therapy can be effective if habits like smoking, alcohol drinking, and chewing tobacco are avoided. One should also focus on eating nutritious diet that is easy to digest and puts less strain on the overall digestive system. Infections or inflammations in stomach or abdomen areas should be taken care of well in time and medication should be undergone only under expert medical supervision.