Panic Attack

Symptoms of a Panic Attack:

racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations);
chest pains;
stomach upset;
dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea;
difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered;
tingling or numbness in the hands;
hot flashes or chills;
dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions;
terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it;
a need to escape;
fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing; and
fear of dying.
A panic attack typically lasts for several minutes, is one of the most distressing conditions that a person can experience, and its symptoms can closely mimic those of a heart attack. Typically, most people who have one attack will have others, and when someone has repeated attacks with no other apparent physical or emotional cause, or feels severe anxiety about having another attack, he or she is said to have panic disorder. A number of other emotional problems can have panic attacks as a symptom. Some of these illnesses include post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and intoxication or withdrawal from certain drugs of abuse .

Anxiety attacks that take place while sleeping, also called nocturnal panic attacks, occur less often than do panic attacks during the daytime, but affect about 40%-70% of those who suffer from daytime panic attacks. Nocturnal panic attacks tend to cause sufferers to wake suddenly from sleep in a state of sudden anxiety for no apparent reason and can have all the other symptoms of a panic attack. The duration of nocturnal panic attacks tends to be less than 10 minutes, but it can take much longer to fully calm down for those who experience them.

What are panic attacks?

Panic attacks may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder. These attacks are a serious health problem in the U.S. At least 1.7% of adult Americans, or about 3 million people, will have panic attacks at some time in their lives, with the peak age at which people have their first panic attack (onset) being 15 to 19 years. Another fact about panic is that this symptom is strikingly different from other types of anxiety; panic attacks are so very sudden and often unexpected, appear to be unprovoked, and are often disabling.

Once someone has had a panic attack, for example, while driving, shopping in a crowded store, or riding in an elevator, he or she may develop irrational fears, called phobias, about these situations and begin to avoid them. Eventually, the pattern of avoidance and level of anxiety about another attack may reach the point where the mere idea of doing things that preceded the first panic attack triggers future panic attacks, resulting in the individual with panic disorder being unable to drive or even step out of the house. At this stage, the person is said to have panic disorder with agoraphobia. Thus, there are two types of panic disorder: panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. Like other major illnesses, panic disorder can have a serious impact on a person's daily life unless the individual receives effective treatment.

Panic attacks in children may result in the child's grades declining, avoiding school and other separations from parents, as well as substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or actions.

Dehydration

The majority of the body is made up of water, with up to 75% of the body's weight due to H2O. Most of the water is found within the cells of the body (intracellular space). The rest is found in the so-called extracellular space, which consists of the blood vessels (intravascular space) and the spaces between cells (interstitial space).

Total body water = intracellular space + intravascular space + interstitial space

Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in. The body is very dynamic and always changing. This is especially true with water in the body. We lose water routinely when we: breathe, as humidified air leaves the body, when we sweat to cool the body, and when we urinate or have a bowel movement to rid the body of waste products.
In a normal day, a person has to drink a significant amount of water to replace this routine loss. If intravascular (within the blood vessels) water is lost, the body can compensate somewhat by shifting water from cells into the blood vessels, but this is a very short-term solution. Signs and symptoms of dehydration will occur quickly if the water is not replenished. The body is able to monitor the amount of fluid it needs to function. The thirst mechanism signals the body to drink water when the body is dry. As well, hormones like anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) work with the kidney to limit the amount of water lost in the urine when the body needs to conserve water.

Dehydration occurs because there is too much water lost, not enough water taken in, or most often a combination of the two.

Diarrhea: Diarrhea is the most common reason a person loses excess water. A significant amount of water can be lost with each bowel movement. Worldwide, more than four million children die each year because of dehydration from diarrhea.

Vomiting: Vomiting can also be a cause of fluid loss; as well, it makes it difficult to replace water by drinking it.

Sweat: The body can lose significant amounts of water when it tries to cool itself by sweating. Whether the body is hot because of the environment (for example, working in a warm environment), intense exercising in a hot environment, or because a fever is present due to an infection, the body uses a significant amount of water in the form of sweat to cool itself. Depending upon weather conditions, a brisk walk will generate up to 16 ounces of sweat (a pound of water).

Diabetes: In people with diabetes, elevated blood sugar levels cause sugar to spill into the urine and water then follows. Significant dehydration can occur. For this reason, frequent urination and excessive thirst are among the symptoms of diabetes.

Burns: Burn victims become dehydrated because water seeps into the damaged skin. Other inflammatory diseases of the skin are also associated with fluid loss.

Inability to drink fluids: The inability to drink adequately is the other potential cause of dehydration. Whether it is the lack of availability of water or the lack of strength to drink adequate amounts, this, coupled with routine or extraordinary water losses, can compound the degree of dehydration.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia, an abnormally elevated body temperature with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Unlike heat cramps and heat exhaustion, two forms of hyperthermia that are less severe, heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated.

The body normally generates heat as a result of metabolism, and is usually able to dissipate the heat by either radiation of heat through the skin or by evaporation of sweat. However, in extreme heat, high humidity, or vigorous exertion under the sun, the body may not be able to dissipate the heat and the body temperature rises, sometimes up to 106°F (41.1°C) or higher. Another cause of heat stroke is dehydration. A dehydrated person may not be able to sweat fast enough to dissipate heat, which causes the body temperature to rise.

Those most susceptible to heart strokes include:
infants, the elderly (often with associated heart diseases, lung diseases, kidney diseases, or who are taking medications that make them vulnerable to heat strokes),
athletes, and outdoor workers physically exerting themselves under the sun.

Symptoms of heat stroke can sometimes mimic those of heart attack or other conditions. Sometimes a person experiences symptoms of heat exhaustion before progressing to heat strokes.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

nausea,
vomiting,
fatigue,
weakness,
headache,
muscle cramps and aches, and
dizziness.
However, some individuals can develop symptoms of heat stroke suddenly and rapidly without warning.
Different people may have different symptoms and signs of heat stroke. But common symptoms and signs of heat stroke include:
high body temperature
the absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin
rapid pulse
difficulty breathing
strange behavior
hallucinations
confusion
agitation
disorientation
seizure
coma

Anal Cancer

The anus is an organ that lies at the end of the digestive tract below the rectum. It consists of two sections: the anal canal and the anus (or anal verge). The anal canal is a 3-4 cm long structure that lies between the anal sphincter (one of the muscles controlling bowel movements) just below the rectum and the anal verge which represents the transition point between the digestive tract and the skin on the outside of the body. Muscles within the anal canal and anus control the passage of stool from the rectum to outside the body.

Anal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the anus.
The anus is the end of the large intestine, below the rectum, through which stool (solid waste) leaves the body. The anus is formed partly from the outer skin layers of the body and partly from the intestine. Two ring-like muscles, called sphincter muscles, open and close the anal opening to let stool pass out of the body. The anal canal, the part of the anus between the rectum and the anal opening, is about 1½ inches long.

The skin around the outside of the anus is called the perianal area. Tumors in this area are skin tumors, not anal cancer.

These and other symptoms may be caused by anal cancer. Other conditions may cause the same symptoms. A doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:

Bleeding from the anus or rectum.
Pain or pressure in the area around the anus.
Itching or discharge from the anus.
A lump near the anus.
A change in bowel habits.

Tests that examine the rectum and anus are used to detect (find) and diagnose anal cancer

The treatment of cancer of the anus is different than the treatment of cancers around the anus. True anal cancers arise from the lining cells of the anus, the last portion of the gastrointestinal tract after the rectum. Cancers that arise outside of the anus in the skin are termed perianal skin cancers or anal margin cancers. These are treated as skin cancers and not as true anal cancers.
Although anal cancer is rare (comprising only 1.8% of all malignancies of the digestive tract), its incidence is on the rise. While the exact cause of anal cancer hasn't been determined, researchers have shown that it is highly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV is the virus that is known to cause cervical cancer in women.

As with any cancer, treatment is dependent upon the type, size, and extent of spread (stage) of the particular tumor as well as the overall health status of the patient. Surgery is no longer the standard treatment for most forms of anal cancer, although this option was used routinely in the past. Formerly, anal cancers were treated with a surgical procedure known as abdominoperineal resection (APR). The procedure required removal of the anorectum and the creation of a permanent colostomy, an opening made in the abdomen through which feces pass out of the body to be collected in a special bag attached to the body.

Risk factors include the following:
Being over 50 years old.
Being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV).
Having many sexual partners.
Having receptive anal intercourse (anal sex).
Frequent anal redness, swelling, and soreness.
Having anal fistulas (abnormal openings).
Smoking cigarettes.