What causes limb deformities in rheumatoid arthritis ? What are the measures to prevent such deformities ?

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I have RA, so deformities are my main concern. It really is all about joint protection, easier said than done. I do not have any deformity yet and hope to keep it that way. Therefore I wear splints on the hands at night while in bed, to rest and relax the hands in the correct alignment. Next is Occupational Therapy, as it suggests Occupational work related, therapy helps assistance. So from small simple things like a Kettle Cradle so I no longer have to lift the empty kettle to the tap, fill with water and lug the heavy kettle back to boil water and then lift and pour the boiling water. Cradle takes all the strain out of that task. Lever style taps, no turning, let alone tightening, thereby damaging joints, tendons, muscles. Shredder rather than screwing up paper and throwing it into the waste bin. It is the small things that make all the difference and most of it really is common sense. Where ever you can avoid stress and strain on the hands, then splint them at night. I now have special cutlery, so my hands are not abused, stressed or strained while I am preparing food, let alone eating it.  (+ info)

My 9 year old daughter has an extreme fear of people with missing limbs or deformities. How can I help her?

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Everywhere we go, when ever we see a person with missing limbs, or some sort of deformity or handicap, my daughter turns white, starts to panic, and get sick to her stomach. How can I help her overcome it? It has gotten to the point where her fear is interfering with basic tasks like going to the store. It has even caused us to go home early from a very fun birthday party. Any advice?
There is a therapy approach called 'systematic desensitization" which id very effective for phobias -- and it does NOT cause the person to experience undue anxiety or fear. A behavioral therapist could do this. If you don't have access to a good cognitive or behavioral therapist, you *could* do something similar yourself, but you'd need to understand the process really well before you start to keep from reinforcing her fear. This should be your last choice, but it's do-able if she trusts you and you really understand the process. You'd also need access to a person with a limb missing.

A library may have a book on behavioral therapy techniques. The internet may also help. Again, I'd really, really recommend a competent, experienced therapist as a first choice. Best wishes!  (+ info)

Do amputees with congenital birth defects ever feel "phantom" sensations in their missing limbs?

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I'm writing a story and want to be as respectful and accurate as possible. Thanks!
One NIH study (see source) found that phantom limbs are experienced by at least 20% of congenitally limb-deficient subjects and by 50% of subjects who underwent amputations before the age of 6 years.

So yes, at least a small subset of individuals with congenital birth defects experience phantom limb sensation. The researchers believe that these phantom experiences provide evidence of a distributed neural representation of the body that is in part genetically determined.  (+ info)

Why do you never see a wealthy family with a child with a congenital disorder?

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I'm not referring to the chinless wonders who appear in the hooray set. No, I'm asking about Downes Syndrome, or with a cleft palate, misshapen limbs that are all present at birth.

Any ideas?
It was a perfectly simple question!
Why did so many of you jump to so many conclusions, i.e., that I'm not well-read, I just don't read trash!
Also, someone assumed I'm American! Yeugh! (I don't mean that, I do have American muchachos!)
Also, I didn't ask why we 'never saw', but 'never see'! Many went into hysterical historical diatribes mainly to do with the in-breeding that was prevalent in the old European royal families - I didn't mention them!
And what the flick's Jordan got to do with anything?
And - ooops - it's Down Syndrome - I stand corrected, but where on earth did you get the idea that I believed only the poor were born with DS?
I asked why you never see such a child born to a wealthy family. I didn't suggest they don't have them. I presume they do!
I just wish to know if, perhaps, they're still hidden away, like the Queen Mother's sister was!
By the way, I just googled 'Down Syndrome', and everything came back as 'Down's syndrome'!
So there! d:-p
I have come across wealthy people with severely disabled children, such people usually live a more secluded life and therefore their children are not on public view.  (+ info)

What causes congenital cateracts and How dangerous are they?

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I had an eye appointment yesterday and the Dr. said I have astigmatism (which I already knew) and he also said it looks like I have a congenital cateract in my left eye. My right eye is fine but he says there is "no correcting the left eye with prescription" He referred me to speacialist but said the probably would not do surgery becasue of my age....? If anyone knows anything about congenital cateracts please let me know!

P.S I'm 20 years old.
As the eye develops while you are a fetus alot of things have to happen just right for all the components to develop just right. Thankfully, almost always, these things do happen just right. In some cases, though, as the eye is developing one or both eyes may not develop exactly as we would like. When this involves the lens of the eye it many times will cause a congenital cataract. Congenital cataracts, then, are present from birth but because the lens structure is not quite normal many times a congenital cataract will worsen or time. As to how dangerous are they, as long as the lens structure is intact, the lens capsule is intact, and the lens does not begin to sluff tissue as it becomes hyper mature, then the cataract itself is not dangerous. Of course, if it becomes more dense then your vision will continue to become worse. Once you and your doctor decide the time is right for a cataract operation and lens implantation then you should see a dramatic improvement in your vision. Without examining you I really can't be very specific in my recommendations so I think it would be best to ask these questions of your specialist so he can give you his impressions, expectations, and treatment plan. Hope this helped.  (+ info)

Do you find people with deformities or missing limbs attractive?

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Not my thing, but hey - whatever floats your boat.
(scars can be kind of cool I think)  (+ info)

What is the difference between CORONARY and CONGENITAL heart disease?

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I'm filling out a family health history form for my doctor and it's asking if anyone in my family has had coronary or congenital heart disease. I know my mom has heart disease but I don't know which kind it is. One of the arteries to her heart was becoming blocked and they had to put a stent in that artery to open it back up - it's called angioplasty. Is that coronary or congenital? Thanks.
Congenital means "from birth." Congenital heart disease is something you are born with, such as a murmur. If her artery is becoming slowly blocked, she does not have congenital disease. Coronary is the build up of plaques inside the artery walls. See attached link :)  (+ info)

What kind of congenital heart research should i do?

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I am really in doing congenital heart research in China. I have been working with the China California Heart Watch, a non for profit organization designed to help diagnose, treat, and help aid children with Congenital heart disease get the surgeries they need. I am a student at UCI and plan to apply for a research scholarship, what kind of research could I do which could be done with a 5,000 scholarship?

Thanks!
i have no idea, only kind of research i know is to find the cause or a cure or prevention for congenital heart disease, or a treatment(new surgeries or medicine to treat it) but there are at least 35 known types, so there may be more then one cure/prevention/cause. I would like to say thank you for helping though, Congenital heart disease doesnt get as much money as it need for research. I really hope one day there is a cure or prevention found for it so kids wont have to go through the same thing as me and my friends.  (+ info)

How is congenital heart disease related to a faulty signal transduction pathway?

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I can find plenty of information on congenital heart disease and plenty of information on cell signaling/signal transduction but i cant find out how they are related can anyone help?
In some cases of congenital heart disease there are physical malformations that can cause electrical signals from one area of the heart to another area to be attenuated or timed incorrectly. The signal transduction pathway may be operating at the cellular level as it should. If the signals received to initiate the complex process are weak or not timed properly the resulting release of glucose to power the heart muscle may not be sufficient to sustain normal heart function. Muscle contractions may be either weak or not timed properly to co-ordinate with other heart muscles. In some cases there may be a lack of sufficient amount of a particular enzyme which may result in the signal transduction pathway within the cell to function improperly. As you may be aware from your research, normal heart function is a very complex process involving a great number of steps which all must take place in proper sequence. The number of steps within the cell alone are very complex. I hope that gives you some insight on the subject.  (+ info)

What's the difference between cretinism and congenital hypothyroidism?

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Is congenital hypothyroidism a TYPE of cretinism? Or vice-versa?

I'm doing a research project and I'd appreciate anyone who can help! Thank you in advance!
Cretinism is caused by extreme hypothyroidism during fetal (congenital), infancy or childhood.
So congenital cretinism is the same as congenital (severe) hypothyroidism.  (+ info)

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