Asthma is a relatively
common condition – around five to eight per cent of people in the UK are affected by it, and one in ten people suffer an asthma attack at some time
in their lives. Children are more vulnerable. With the right advice and medications, and an awareness of your symptoms, you
can build a personally tailored self-management plan.
BEDWETTING (nocturnal enuresis)
"Enuresis" is
an inability to control the flow of urine, and "nocturnal" means that this happens at night. The usual definition
of nocturnal enuresis is bedwetting over the age of five years.It's common for toddlers to wet the bed, as they have not yet learned to control the flow of urine effectively.
However, bedwetting can be a problem for older children too.It is rare that a child who wets the bed has any underlying illness.
However, other possible problems such as diabetes, infections, or abnormalities will need to be ruled out.
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Chronic
fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition that causes fatigue severe enough to interfere with a person’s normal life. It
is the term used to describe the symptoms formerly known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis).Some doctors believe that there
is a strong psychiatric or psychological element to CFS, and that some cases may be depression in another form.
DEPRESSION
At some point in
their life, everyone experiences some sort of unhappiness, which is often triggered by a traumatic event such as the break-up
of a relationship or a bereavement. Most people also feel "down" from time to time. However this unhappiness can
develop into a bout of depression. This is a real illness that often goes unrecognised.
Depression affects up to 40% of people at some point in their lives
ECZEMA
Eczema, also known as dermatitis, describes skin conditions where there is irritation
or inflammation of the skin. It affects 1 in 12 people in the UK
at some time in their life.Eczema makes the skin itchy and dry and sometimes scaly. The
skin can crack, becoming red and inflamed and leaving it prone to infection. Infection by bacteria living on the surface of
the skin can cause weeping of fluid ("wet" eczema) and crusting or scabbing. The areas of the body that are affected
differ depending on the type of eczema.
OSTEOARTHRITIS
The word "arthritis" means inflammation of the joints, and refers to a group of more than 200 diseases
of the joints, which affect more than 8 million people in the UK.Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, affecting around a million people. It is rare in
people under 40 but becomes more common with age – most people with the condition are over 65.SymptomsThe main symptoms of osteoarthritis
are pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints. The joint may have restricted movement, and there may be tenderness or deformity.
The joint may also crack or creak (called crepitation). Some people who have rheumatoid arthritis also develop so-called secondary
osteoarthritis in the joints where their rheumatoid arthritis was active.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is caused
by inflammation of the joints or the lining of the joints. It can occur at any age, but is more likely in people aged over
40. RA may be very mild with few symptoms, but for around 1 in 20 people it can be severe and disabling.Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. Normally cells called antibodies, produced by the
body's immune system, attack foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria. With autoimmune diseases, the immune system
mistakes the person's own tissue as foreign and attacks it. Losing weight if necessary is important, since extra weight
can put added pressure on the joints.
