The thyroid is a small gland located below the skin and muscles at the front of the neck, just at the spot where a bow tie would rest. It’s brownish red, with left and right halves (called lobes) that look like a butterfly’s wings. It’s light like a butterfly, too, …
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Turner Syndrome
Turner syndrome, a medical disorder that affects about 1 in every 2,500 girls, is a genetic condition in which a female does not have the usual pair of two X chromosomes. Girls who have this condition usually are shorter than average and infertile due to early loss of ovarian function. …
What Is Epigenetics?
I have heard a little about “epigenetics” and how the genes of even great-grandparents can affect their descendants. But it seems complicated — can you explain the basics? – Leona Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance — or epigenetics, for short — doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Yet this idea that environmental factors …
Acanthosis Nigricans
Acanthosis nigricans (ah-kan-THO-sis NY-gruh-kans) is a skin condition. It causes thicker and darker patches or streaks around joints and body areas with many creases and folds (such as knuckles, armpits, elbows, knees, and the sides and back of the neck). Some people also develop acanthosis nigricans on their palms, groin, lips, …
Can Diabetes Be Prevented?
Parents want to protect their kids from everything, which is virtually impossible, of course. But can you prevent your child from getting diabetes? About Diabetes Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, the main type of sugar in the blood. Glucose, which comes from the foods …
Failure to Thrive
Most kids steadily gain weight and grow quickly within the first few years of life. But in some cases, kids don’t meet these expected standards of growth. When this happens, it’s called “failure to thrive.” Doctors say children “fail to thrive” when they don’t gain weight as expected. Often, these kids also …
Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
Babies come in all sizes. Some are just naturally larger or smaller than others. But in certain cases, babies in the womb are smaller than they should be. When this happens, it is called intrauterine growth restriction, or IUGR. About IUGR IUGR is when a baby in the womb fails to …
Klinefelter Syndrome
Some boys are slower to develop than their peers, and many boys are quiet and shy. There’s a normal range when it comes to physical and social development. But sometimes these qualities show up alongside learning problems or trouble paying attention in school. When this happens, it could be an …
Metabolic Syndrome
As a parent, you know that life is full of cause-and-effect scenarios: If you don’t go to work, then you can’t pay the bills. If you ignore that sound the car is making, then you could end up on the side of the road with engine trouble. Unfortunately, this concept …
Pancreatitis
It’s a familiar scene: Your child wakes up in the middle of the night feeling feverish, nauseated, and complaining of a stomach ache. Then come the tears, the vomiting, and the inability to keep fluids down. Usually, these symptoms add up to nothing more than a 24-hour stomach bug. But …