MAYBE IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!
Confused by the different jargons that you hear the doctors throw around? Not anymore! Here are a few medical terms that people often get confused with.
HEART ATTACK AND CARDIAC ARREST
Just because the heart’s involved in both, doesn’t mean they’re the same!
While ‘ Heart Attack ’ is a circulatory disorder, ‘ Cardiac Arrest’ is completely electrical. A heart attack occurs when one or more regions in the heart do not get oxygen due to some restriction in blood flow. Arteries get blocked mainly due to the deposition of cholesterol on the inner arterial walls, which makes a blood clot in the blood vessel that supplies blood to various parts of the body.
Cardiac arrest happens when the heart muscles quit working all of a sudden. In this disorder, the muscles stop beating which results in irregular heartbeats called arrhythmia. Now this is pretty dangerous, and in more than 95% of cases the patient dies before reaching the hospital. CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is one of the immediate measures that can be taken to save the patient.
TUMOR AND CANCER
Two of the most frequently used terms used that are often interchanged.
Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy other, normal body tissue. A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue which can be of two types: Benign and Malignant. Only the latter has the potential to be cancerous as it multiplies uncontrollably and invades other parts of the body. Once removed, benign tumors don’t grow back, but malignant ones sometimes do.
DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Dementia is the term for a group of diseases that adversely affects a person’s ability to think and remember, the most common type of which is Alzheimer’s disease. A series of other diseases can also lead to dementia.
Does Lalettan’s ‘Thanmathra’ ring any bells? ‘Rameshan Nair’ portrayed by Mohanlal is diagnosed with Familial Alzheimer’s disease, which progressively led to the loss of his memory and cognitive abilities.
Moreover, Alzheimer’s is incurable as such, but some forms of dementia are actually reversible!
OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Arthritis is an umbrella term used to refer to the pain in joints due to inflammation, which can worsen with age.
Although both of them affects joints, Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks itself by mistaking the soft lining around joints as threats like bacteria or virus. (The body goes crazy in short ;))
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disorder which is caused because of the breakdown of cartilage that cushions the joints. Both of these are chronic diseases with generally no cure.
PIMPLES AND ACNE
The unwanted guest who makes his arrival known before every festivities!
Acne is a skin disease whereas a pimple is one of the symptoms for the same. The former is a broader term and pimple is a type of acne.
Pimples are caused when an excess of sebum and dead cells, get trapped in the pores of the skin and the redness is due to the bacterial growth inside. Acne is mainly caused due to the blockage of hair follicles and it’s a long-term condition, unlike pimples which are temporary. Acne can be a result of genetic factors but pimples are usually not caused by genetic factors.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more!
