Symptoms

Hernias are a common ailment among Americans; more than 4 million people develop the painful condition. And although both men and women develop hernias, female patients may be harder to diagnose. Doctors and patients may not realize the abdominal pain a woman is feeling is because of a hernia. Dr. Hien Nguyen, assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said the pain can be mistaken for other conditions with similar symptoms, such as adhesions from prior surgery, endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts.

Apparently Tavon White, the leader of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang at the Baltimore City Detention Center, has been running the prison for some time ("Corruption alleged at jail," April 24). To connect the dots between violent crime, simply follow the money - it leads to the group's drug trafficking. Power, and the money that generates it, drive illegal businesses. Excitement, money and power are pumped up on sound systems and flat screen TVs across the country. That makes it sexy to sell and use drugs and even to be a gang member.

Eight-year-old Justus Brown has had allergy problems before, but nothing like he experienced Sunday on the way to church in Towson - an attack that his parents blame on last week's record pollen counts. "He told me on Sunday morning he made a `funny noise' when he breathed," recalled his mother, Kenya Brown, 37, of Owings Mills. Justus was wheezing, and he knew something was wrong. "I thought I was going to die," he said. "It felt horrible every time I walked. Every second I had to bend down and catch my breath."

Let me start with this: If not for the absurd war on drugs — by far, the nation's longest war — we would not have had so many killings on the streets of Baltimore over the years. The United States leads the world in incarceration. Without the war on drugs, thousands of men and women would be home with their families instead of in cellblocks; they might even be employed. There would be less social dysfunction and community upheaval. There would be less crime overall. If not for the war on drugs, now in its fifth decade, we would not have gangsters, like the reputed Black Guerrilla Family leaders Eric Brown and Tavon White.

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexually transmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don't seek testing because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing. Public health officials nationally and in particularly affected cities like Baltimore, however, say they've found a method that seems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies free in-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reported STDs. "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Although about 20 million people in the United States suffer from migraine headaches, doctors say relatively few suffer from the ailment cited by Joe Gibbs when he retired yesterday as head coach of the Washington Redskins.When announcing his retirement, Gibbs said that he had "migraine equivalent" and that, while he didn't have headaches, at the end of last season he didn't feel well and suffered from "other nervous reactions."The 52-year-old Gibbs probably has what's known as "acephalic migraine," which indeed means "having the neurological syndrome of migraine without the headache," said Dr. William G. Speed III, associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Symptoms of sleep apnea: Excessive daytime sleeping Loud snoring Gasping or choking awakening Awakenings for uncertain reasons Restless sleep Nonrefreshing sleep Poor memory Poor intellectual function irritability Personality changes Morningheadaches Confusion Grinding teeth at night

When cancer experts announced yesterday that they had identified certain symptoms that might indicate ovarian cancer, they sent a pointed message to patients and clinicians: Scrutiny of seemingly benign physical complaints can save lives. The "first national consensus on ovarian cancer symptoms" urged women and clinicians to regard bloating, abdominal pain, eating difficulties and urinary symptoms as possible early warning signs. According to the statement by the American Cancer Society, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, women should contact their doctors if they experience such symptoms almost daily for a few weeks.

LOS ANGELES -- The number of passengers from an Aerolineas Argentinas flight from South America showing symptoms of cholera grew to 23 yesterday, ands health officials worked furiously to locate other passengers to limit the repercussions of the disease.Nearly half of the 52 passengers contacted thus far in Los Angeles County have shown symptoms of the disease in the current outbreak, which is known to have killed one and infected five others, local health officials said.There were 336 people aboard last Friday's Flight 386 from Buenos Aires and Lima, Peru, to Los Angeles.

Something in the air at Mount Airy Elementary School appears to be making children sick with such symptoms as extreme fatigue, headaches, trouble concentrating, sinus problems and rapid heart rate, said a school official and a parent."

Area hospitals are coping with a surge of patients with achy bodies, fevers and sore throats as the nation grapples with a flu season that has hit earlier and harder than usual. The flu virus is unpredictable, so no one knows when the outbreak will peak or how bad the season will be, but a doctor said the pieces are in place to potentially make it one of the worst influenza seasons in recent years. The principal strain infecting people this year is one generally associated with more severe symptoms, said Dr. Andrea Dugas, an emergency room physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital who is leading research on the flu virus.

Once as much of a test of a civilian government's effectiveness as collecting the garbage and keeping the peace in the streets, the delivery of packages and letters via a government postal service has undergone tremendous changes since the days when Benjamin Franklin got the unenviable task of being the nation's first postmaster general. In the United States, it became evident nearly a century ago that there was money to be made by delivering packages more quickly and reliably than the U.S. Postal Service.

Op-ed contributor Mickey Fenzel recently wrote about "the malady of America's soul" and whether we have the will to heal it ("The malady of America's soul," Dec. 18). The tragedy in Newtown should challenge us all to begin a conversation has long been needed. My first thought on reading his commentary was of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's most famous quote: "Some are guilty, all of us are responsible. " The culture of the United States has changed in the last several decades.

A junior at Glen Burnie High School in Anne Arundel County died Tuesday after becoming ill the day before with symptoms associated with bacterial meningitis, school officials said Wednesday. A letter was sent home to students' parents Wednesday outlining the girl's death and providing facts about bacterial meningitis, which is less contagious than viral meningitis but still deadly, said Bob Mosier, a school system spokesman. The girl's illness has not been confirmed by doctors or a medical examiner to have been from meningitis, but the school system - in consultation with the county health department - decided to move proactively to alert the school community in case meningitis is confirmed, Mosier said.

A Baltimore County teacher has been diagnosed with a probable case of pertussis, better known as whooping cough, school and health officials say. The fifth-grade teacher at Harford Hills Elementary School in Carney was sent to the hospital Monday after complaining she felt ill. The school sent home a letter informing parents to keep an eye out for symptoms of the disease, which include a low fever, runny nose, vomiting and a distinctive cough...

Days after shedding the red, non-contact mesh he wore during Thursday's practice, Sean Considine declared himself healthy and available to play in Monday's regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I feel good, and I'm real excited for Monday night football to open the season,” said the backup strong safety, who appeared to fully participate in his second consecutive day of practice. “Can't get any better than that. It's been a good, productive, long preseason, and I think everybody's ready to get into the season and start playing some meaningful games.” Considine was initially reported to have suffered concussions in the second and third games of the preseason - first against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 17 and then against the Jacksonville Jaguars six days later.

Researchers have clarified the vague warning signs of ovarian cancer - the so-called "silent killer" - which could lead to earlier detection and improved survival rates among women with the disease. Many healthy women experience at least some of the symptoms associated with the cancer, which is generally diagnosed only after it has reached an advanced stage. But scientists at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle found that the symptoms - which include bloating, constipation, fatigue and urinary problems - occurred more frequently and with more severity in women with malignancies.

A ganglion cyst is an abnormal growth or mass adjacent to any joint in the body. It is most commonly seen around the wrist or digits, but can develop near the shoulder, knee or foot. Depending on the location of the cyst, various names have been used to describe the mass. A ganglion adjacent to the nail of the finger is called a mucous cyst, and one behind the knee is called a Baker's cyst. Dr. Keith Segalman, hand surgeon at the Curtis National Hand Center at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, discusses what to do about this kind of inflammation: * A ganglion cyst is the most common tumor or growth that occurs in the hand and wrist.

Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, delusions, hallucinations, yelling, wandering and aggression, affect 80-90 percent of individuals with dementia at some point during the course of their illness. For the vast majority of individuals with dementia, these troubling symptoms are short-lived and can be successfully managed by caregivers who use behavioral modifications and non-pharmacological interventions such as reassurance, social activities to relieve boredom or agitation, reminiscence, and exercise.

If the NFL is feeling pressure about facing hundreds of concussion-related lawsuits now, Troy Polamalu's startling admission Wednesday might have league officials feeling even more stressed about what the future holds. In a radio interview with Dan Patrick, the Pittsburgh Steeler's hard-hitting safety copped to having suffered at least eight or nine concussions during his career. And he added he expected the number to be higher by the time he retires. He also told Patrick that he had lied about having a concussion in order to get back into a game.