A leading cause of dementia in the US. The disorder is progressive and causes deterioration of mental abilities caused by the loss of essential nerve cells as well as the important connections between these cells. Commonly occurs near the age of 70.

Sadly the progression is rapid as a person with this disorder can only survive 3 to 5 years.

The first stage of the disease is seen with loss of short term memory such as forgetting birthdays and current events.

In the second stage the person loses the ability to care for themselves. They may also have problems communicating.

In the third stage there is a loss of nearly all capacity and they will depend on others for care. In the end stages of Alzheimers the persons body becomes prone to other diseases and infections. The most common cause of death is Pneumonia.

Caused by coronary heart disease. Angina is chest discomfort triggered by walking. Anger and anxiety can also trigger Angina. Men tend to experience this during physical activity while women experience Angina at rest. There are different grades of Angina – stable and unstable. Stable is the most common and is called stable as there are key triggers that cause Angina and can be avoided. Unstable can range from mild to a heart attack. Often requires hospitalization. Treated with medications and very often it is treated with bypass surgery.

An arrhythmia is a change in normal heartbeat which affects over 3 million americans! There are three major types of arrhythmias – Atrial Fibrilation which is the most common and consists of rapid heart beats and irregular heart pumping rates. This can cause blood clots which can become loged in arteries and cause a stroke. Milder arrhythmias are commonly called skipped heart beats. Ventricular arrhythmias are the most serious as they are caused by damaged heart muscles. This can results in congestive heart failure. Treatment is with medications and artificial pacemakers.

This is an inflammatory disease that causes changes to the lungs and essential airways. People who have Asthma also can have problems such as hearburn. When someone has an Asthma attack it can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. A dehumidifier in the home has been proven to be helpful for those who have Asthma. Medications available for Asthma are very effective in helping to control the symproms.

A disorder in the PDD classification. It is the most physically disabling of the disorders on the Autism Spectrum. Signs with this syndrome include – autism like symptoms – poor motor coordination problems – cold extremities – small feet – slow growth – toe walking – swallowing problems. Many doctors consider this untreatable and there is currently no know cure. The treatments that are available involve managing the symptoms. A combination of physical therapy and medications are typically used.

SID is the inability to process information from the senses such as sight – hearing – smell – taste and touch. A child with this disorder can either be very sensitive to things involving one or more of their senses – or undersensitive. A child can have an aversion to certain sensory activites such as disliking the texture of certain foods or the smell of certain rooms or even people. Often they are confused by sensory activities that involve sound or motion. They may not know where sounds are coming from and have the inability to sense when they are being touched in physical play. This is a neuroligical disorder and there is no known cause or cure. Sensory Integration Therapy can help a child with SID.

An Anxiety disorder characterized by changing speech patters and habits when in social situations – a child will choose not to speak in a social situation when they are fully able to speak. They will also avoid eye contact. The child fears rejection as well as fearing they will do something embarassing. Situations where this occurs often is in school and other social situations. It is not considered a disorder while it does not affect their daily lives. Considered a disorder when they are unable to function in school and other social areas. Treatable with early intervention. In therapy speech is encouraged and not forced.

There are no known tests for this disorder – it is diagnosed by observation. Commonly thought of as uncontrolable speech. It is a disorder where there are tics – which are rapid or sudden movements of the body or voice. An example would be fast eye blinking or a perioid of time. Very few people who have Tourette Syndrome will have the vocal outbursts which is called coprolalia. Tourettes Syndrome is often a rapid or sudden shrug – sniffing or blinking. There are many symptoms of this disorder that involve nearly every part of the body. Treatment involves therapy and medication. There is no known cure.

This is a condition that a child can have which causes problems in social interactions. Reactive Attachment Disorder will inhibit the formation of social relationships – especially with their primary caregiver. Commonly experienced with children who are orphans. The mother and child relationship is the primary cause of this disorder. Could also stem from physical abuse in the home. This can be treated with therapy but in some cases the child will never show noticable improvement.

This stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. There are many disorders that fall into the PDD category but there are some who have a PDD but cannot be classified as a particular disorder such as Autism.

Many children with this disorder are either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. This is a spectrum disorder – meaning that there can be different levels of problems with each child. This disorder is caused by a neurological abnormality.

Chromosome tests can be preformed to rule out genetic disorders. Treatment can be done with the use of IEP – Individualized Education Programs. This is a lifelong disability with no  know cure but the disorder does not affect life span.

Prognosis – A child can lead a life on their own – depending on the severity and the treatment received. Some children may eventually require long term care.