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Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
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Swelling may be severe enough to put pressure on the eye and distort vision. Some patients first thought to have dacryoadenitis may turn out to have a malignancy of the lacrimal gland.
Sialadenitis (sialoadenitis) is inflammation of a salivary gland. It may be subdivided temporally into acute, chronic and recurrent forms.
Dacryoadenitis is inflammation of the lacrimal glands (the tear-producing glands).
In chronic recurrent sialadenitis or chronic sclerosing sialadenitis, acute attacks are managed with conservative therapies such as hydration, analgesics (mainly NSAIDs), sialogogues to stimulate salivary secretion, and regular, gentle gland massage. If infection is present, appropriate cultures should be obtained, followed by empirical antibiotic therapy initially, for example amoxicillin/clavulanate or clindamycin which cover oral flora.
If there are attacks more than approximately 3 times per year or severe attacks, surgical excision of the affected gland should be considered.
Sinusitis (or rhinosinusitis) is defined as an inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the paranasal sinuses and is classified chronologically into several categories:
- Acute rhinosinusitis – A new infection that may last up to four weeks and can be subdivided symptomatically into severe and non-severe. Some use definitions up to 12 weeks.
- Recurrent acute rhinosinusitis – Four or more full episodes of acute sinusitis that occur within one year
- Subacute rhinosinusitis – An infection that lasts between four and 12 weeks, and represents a transition between acute and chronic infection
- Chronic rhinosinusitis – When the signs and symptoms last for more than 12 weeks.
- Acute exacerbation of chronic rhinosinusitis – When the signs and symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis exacerbate, but return to baseline after treatment
All these types of sinusitis have similar symptoms, and are thus often difficult to distinguish. Acute sinusitis is very common. Roughly ninety percent of adults have had sinusitis at some point in their life.
Headache/facial pain or pressure of a dull, constant, or aching sort over the affected sinuses is common with both acute and chronic stages of sinusitis. This pain is typically localized to the involved sinus and may worsen when the affected person bends over or when lying down. Pain often starts on one side of the head and progresses to both sides.
Acute sinusitis may be accompanied by thick nasal discharge that is usually green in color and may contain pus (purulent) and/or blood. Often a localized headache or toothache is present, and it is these symptoms that distinguish a sinus-related headache from other types of headaches, such as tension and migraine headaches. Another way to distinguish between toothache and sinusitis is that the pain in sinusitis is usually worsened by tilting the head forwards and with valsalva maneuvers.
Infection of the eye socket is possible, which may result in the loss of sight and is accompanied by fever and severe illness. Another possible complication is the infection of the bones (osteomyelitis) of the forehead and other facial bones – Pott's puffy tumor.
Sinus infections can also cause middle ear problems due to the congestion of the nasal passages. This can be demonstrated by dizziness, "a pressurized or heavy head", or vibrating sensations in the head. Post-nasal drip is also a symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis.
Halitosis (bad breath) is often stated to be a symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis; however, gold standard breath analysis techniques have not been applied. Theoretically, there are several possible mechanisms of both objective and subjective halitosis that may be involved.
A 2004 study suggested that up to 90% of "sinus headaches" are actually migraines. The confusion occurs in part because migraine involves activation of the trigeminal nerves, which innervate both the sinus region and the meninges surrounding the brain. As a result, it is difficult to accurately determine the site from which the pain originates. People with migraines do not typically have the thick nasal discharge that is a common symptom of a sinus infection.
Symptoms, if any, can be mild even in the presence of significant swelling or masses.
Lacrimal gland involvement may cause swelling of the upper eyelid, or proptosis if there is severe swelling. Other orbital masses or inflammation can result in visual disturbance (blurred vision, double vision, visual field impairment), restricted eye movements, pain or discomfort, numbness in the distribution of the supraorbital and/or infraorbital nerves, or proptosis.
IgG4-related ophthalmic disease has been estimated to account for approximately 25% of all cases of proptosis, eyelid swelling and other features of orbital swelling.
Among the causes of chronic pancreatitis are the following:
The relationship between etiologic factors, genetic predisposition, and the pace of disease progression requires further clarification, though recent research indicates smoking may be a high-risk factor to develop chronic pancreatitis. In a small group of patients chronic pancreatitis has been shown to be hereditary. Almost all patients with cystic fibrosis have established chronic pancreatitis, usually from birth. Cystic fibrosis gene mutations have also been identified in patients with chronic pancreatitis but in whom there were no other manifestations of cystic fibrosis. Obstruction of the pancreatic duct because of either a benign or malignant process may result in chronic pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis is a long-standing inflammation of the pancreas that alters the organ's normal structure and functions. It can present as episodes of acute inflammation in a previously injured pancreas, or as chronic damage with persistent pain or malabsorption. It is a disease process characterized by irreversible damage to the pancreas as distinct from reversible changes in acute pancreatitis.
Not all acute diseases or injuries are severe, and vice versa. For example, a mild stubbed toe is an acute injury. Similarly, many acute upper respiratory infections and acute gastroenteritis cases in adults are mild and usually resolve within a few days or weeks.
The term "acute" is also included in the definition of several diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, acute leukemia, acute myocardial infarction, and acute hepatitis. This is often to distinguish diseases from their chronic forms, such as chronic leukemia, or to highlight the sudden onset of the disease, such as acute myocardial infarct.
The extent of inflammation that can occur in IgG4-ROD is well demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Infraorbital nerve enlargement (IONE) is considered to be a particularly suspicious sign of IgG4-ROD, but seems to occur only when inflammation is in direct contact with the infraorbital canal. IONE is defined as the infraorbital nerve diameter being greater than the optic nerve diameter in the coronal plane.
The primary symptom of laryngitis is a hoarse voice. Because laryngitis can have various causes, other signs and symptoms may vary. They can include
- Dry or sore throat
- Coughing (both a causal factor and a symptom of laryngitis)
- Frequent throat clearing
- Increased saliva production
- Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
- Sensation of swelling in the area of the larynx (discomfort in the front of the neck)
- Globus pharyngeus (feeling like there is a lump in the throat)
- Cold or flu-like symptoms (which, like a cough, may also be a causal factor for laryngitis)
- Swollen lymph nodes in the throat, chest, or face
- Fever
- General muscle pain (myalgia)
- Shortness of breath, predominantly in children
Aside from a hoarse-sounding voice, changes to pitch and volume may occur with laryngitis. Speakers may experience a lower or higher pitch than normal, depending on whether their vocal folds are swollen or stiff. They may also have breathier voices, as more air flows through the space between the vocal folds (the glottis), quieter volume and a reduced range.
Many people who have chronic gastritis do not experience any noticeable symptoms. Those who do, claim to experience one or several of the following: upper abdominal pain, indigestion, bloating, nausea, vomiting, belching, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Stomach bleeding or black stool has been reported in extreme cases.
Affected individuals typically present with sudden painful proptosis, redness, and edema. Proptosis will vary according to the degree of inflammation, fibrosis, and mass effect. Occasionally, ptosis, chemosis, motility dysfunction (ophthalmoplegia), and optic neuropathy are seen. In the setting of extensive sclerosis there may be restriction, compression, and destruction of orbital tissue. Symptoms usually develop acutely (hours to days), but have also been seen to develop over several weeks or even months.Malaise, headaches, and nausea may accompany these symptoms. Other unusual presentations described include cystoid macular edema, temporal arteritis, and cluster headaches.
Pediatric IOI accounts for about 17% of cases idiopathic orbital inflammation. The most common sign is proptosis, but redness and pain are also experienced. Presentation varies slightly compared to adults with bilateral involvement, uveitis, disc edema and tissue eosinophilia being more common in this population. The presence of uveitis generally implies a poor outcome for pediatric IOI. Bilateral presentation may have a higher incidence of systemic disease.
A chronic condition is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term "chronic" is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include arthritis, asthma, cancer, COPD, diabetes and some viral diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.
In medicine, the opposite of chronic is acute. A chronic course is further distinguished from a recurrent course; recurrent diseases relapse repeatedly, with periods of remission in between.
The non-communicable diseases are also usually lasting medical conditions but are separated by their non-infectious causes. In contrast, some chronic diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are caused by transmissible infections.
In the United States 25% of adults have at least two chronic conditions. Chronic diseases constitute a major cause of mortality, with the World Health Organization (WHO) attributing 38 million deaths a year to non-communicable diseases.
In medicine, describing a disease as acute denotes that it is of short and, as a corollary of that, of recent . The quantitation of how much time constitutes "short" and "recent" varies by disease and by context, but the core denotation of "acute" is always qualitatively in contrast with "chronic", which denotes long-lasting disease (for example, in acute leukemia and chronic leukemia). In addition, "acute" also often connotes two other meanings: onset and , such as in acute myocardial infarction (EMI), where suddenness and severity are both established aspects of the meaning. It thus often connotes that the condition is fulminant (as in the EMI example), but not always (as in acute rhinitis, which is usually synonymous with the common cold). The one thing that acute MI and acute rhinitis have in common is that they are not chronic. They can happen again (as in recurrent pneumonia, that is, multiple acute pneumonia episodes), but they are not the same ongoing for months or years (unlike chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is).
A noncount sense of "acute disease" refers to the acute phase, that is, a short course, of any disease entity. For example, in an article on ulcerative enteritis in poultry, the author says, "in acute disease there may be increased mortality without any obvious signs", referring to the acute form or phase of ulcerative enteritis.
Chronic conditions have often been used to describe the various health related states of the human body such as syndromes, physical impairments, disabilities as well as diseases. Epidemiologists have found interest in chronic conditions due to the fact they contribute to disease, disability, and diminished physical and/or mental capacity.
For example, high blood pressure or hypertension is considered to be not only a chronic condition itself but also correlated to diseases such as heart attack or stroke. Additionally, some socioeconomic factors may be considered as a chronic condition as they lead to disability in daily life. An important one that public health officials in the social science setting have begun highlighting is chronic poverty and racism.
The list below includes these chronic conditions and diseases:
In 2015 the World Health Organisation produced a report on non-communicable diseases, citing the four major types as:
- Cancers
- Cardiovascular diseases, including cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and ischemic cardiopathy
- Chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Diabetes mellitus
Other examples of chronic diseases and health conditions include:
- Addiction
- Alzheimer's disease
- Atrial fibrillation
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Autoimmune diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus, Crohn's disease, coeliac disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and relapsing polychondritis
- Bipolar disorder
- Blindness
- Cerebral palsy (all types)
- Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
- Chronic hepatitis
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic osteoarticular diseases, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
- Chronic pain syndromes, such as post-vasectomy pain syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome
- Depression
- Deafness and hearing impairment
- Eating disorders
- Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (various types)
- Endometriosis
- Epilepsy
- Fibromyalgia
- HIV/AIDS
- Huntington's disease
- Hypertension
- Lyme disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis ( chronic fatigue syndrome)
- Narcolepsy
- Obesity
- Osteoporosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Periodontal disease
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
- Sickle cell anemia and other hemoglobin disorders
- Sleep apnea
- Thyroid disease
- Tobacco Use and Related Conditions
Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a relatively rare condition that usually presents with an intermittent UTI-type picture. It is defined as recurrent urinary tract infections in men originating from a chronic infection in the prostate. Symptoms may be completely absent until there is also bladder infection, and the most troublesome problem is usually recurrent cystitis.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis occurs in less than 5% of patients with prostate-related non-BPH lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
Dr. Weidner, Professor of Medicine, Department of Urology, University of Gießen, has stated: "In studies of 656 men, we seldom found chronic bacterial prostatitis. It is truly a rare disease. Most of those were E-coli."
Untreated, acute epididymitis's major complications are abscess formation and testicular infarction. Chronic epididymitis can lead to permanent damage or even destruction of the epididymis and testicle (resulting in infertility and/or hypogonadism), and infection may spread to any other organ or system of the body. Chronic pain is also an associated complication for untreated chronic epididymitis.
Idiopathic orbital inflammatory (IOI) disease, or orbital pseudotumor, refers to a marginated mass-like enhancing soft tissue involving any area of the orbit. It is the most common painful orbital mass in the adult population, and is associated with proptosis, cranial nerve (Tolosa–Hunt syndrome), uveitis, and retinal detachment. Idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome, also known as orbital pseudotumor, was first described by Gleason in 1903 and by Busse and Hochhmein. It was then characterized as a distinct entity in 1905 by Birch-Hirschfeld. It is a benign, nongranulomatous orbital inflammatory process characterized by extraocular orbital and adnexal inflammation with no known local or systemic cause. Its diagnosis is of exclusion once neoplasm, primary infection and systemic disorders have been ruled-out. Once diagnosed, it is characterized by its chronicity, anatomic location or histologic subtype.
Idiopathic orbital inflammation has a varied clinical presentation depending on the involved tissue. It can range from a diffuse inflammatory process to a more localized inflammation of muscle, lacrimal gland or orbital fat. Its former name, orbital pseudotumor, is derived due to resemblance to a neoplasm. However, histologically it is characterized by inflammation. Although a benign condition, it may present with an aggressive clinical course with severe vision loss and oculomotor dysfunction.
This is the most common form of chronic gastritis. Involvement tends to occur in either an antral-predominant or multifocal atrophic pattern. "H. pylori" infection is also associated with development of peptic ulcer disease, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas.
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is characterized by pelvic or perineal pain without evidence of urinary tract infection, lasting longer than 3 months, as the key symptom. Symptoms may wax and wane. Pain can range from mild to debilitating. Pain may radiate to the back and rectum, making sitting uncomfortable. Pain can be present in the perineum, testicles, tip of penis, pubic or bladder area. Dysuria, arthralgia, myalgia, unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, constant burning pain in the penis, and frequency may all be present. Frequent urination and increased urgency may suggest interstitial cystitis (inflammation centred in bladder rather than prostate). Post-ejaculatory pain, mediated by nerves and muscles, is a hallmark of the condition, and serves to distinguish CP/CPPS patients from men with BPH or normal men. Some patients report low libido, sexual dysfunction and erectile difficulties.
Those ages 15 to 35 are most commonly affected. The acute form usually develops over the course of several days, with pain and swelling frequently in only one testis, which will hang low in the scrotum. There will often be a recent history of dysuria or urethral discharge. Fever is also a common symptom. In the chronic version, the patient may have painful point tenderness but may or may not have an irregular epididymis upon palpation, though palpation may reveal an indurated epididymis. A scrotal ultrasound may reveal problems with the epididymis, but such an ultrasound may also show nothing unusual. The majority of patients who present with chronic epididymitis have had symptoms for over five years.
Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis or chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a pelvic pain condition in men, and should be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis such as chronic bacterial prostatitis and acute bacterial prostatitis. This condition was formerly known as prostatodynia (painful prostate). CP/CPPS and interstitial cystitis are sometimes referred to jointly as "UCPPS" (urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome).