Glossary

A Subdural Heamatoma is a serious condition, usually a result from a severe head injury, which can cause confusion, sickness, tiredness, personality disorder and mood swings. In some cases the condition will develop after a minor head injury over a few days. If you have a headache which won’t disappear you should seek medical advice.

An inherited condition which sees iron levels build up in the body over a period of years known as iron overload.

If haemochromatosis is left untreated this can cause damage to the liver, joints, pancreas and heart.

A condition which attacks the thyroid through the immune system. Also known as lymphocytic thyroiditis.

Initial signs of Hashimoto’s disease may appear as a swelling at the front of the throat, although the illness can take years to progress.

Symptoms include fatigue, sensitive to colds, puffy face, enlargement of the tongue, weight gain, constipation, brittle nails, hair loss, muscle aches, depression, memory loss and depression.

Hearing Loss usually deteriorates as we become older. One in Six of us will start to lose our hearing before we are called ‘numerous’ times to pick up our old age pensions. People with hearing loss have trouble hearing conversations and may have to ask others to repeat themselves. Hearing Loss usually happens when someone is exposed to loud music.

Heart attacks are brought on when the blood supply becomes suddenly blocked which can seriously damage the heart muscle.

Symptoms can include difficulty breathing, anxiety, chest pain and weakness.

In medical terms heart attacks are referred to as MI or myocardial infarction.

A weakness or inability to move on one side of the body making it difficult to perform daily tasks such as eating, washing or dressing. Most cases are caused by a stroke, but hemiparesis can also develop from certain disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and some cancers.

Hemiplegia is caused by a tumor or a stroke and paralysis one side of the body. Either side of the body can be affected and can occur before, during or after birth. It’s more common in premature babies.

The condition is caused by brain damage. Injury to the right side to the brain will affect the left side of the body and vice versa.

Symptoms of hemiplegia include poor balance, speech impediment, visual impairment, behavioral problems, epilepsy, learning difficulties and loss of co-ordination.

Hemiplegia is a condition caused by a brain injury which can cause weakness, stiffness and lack of control in one side of the body.

The definition comes from the Greek word ‘hemi’ which means half.

A rare form of migraine which brings on weakness on one side of the body, known as hemiplegia, as well as the headache attack.

A hiatal hernia is the term given to when part of the stomach squashes up into the chest through an opening called the hiatus.

The condition can affect anybody, although it’s more common in pregnant women, people over the age of 50 and those who are overweight.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Viruses) is a disease which damages the immune system which weakens your body abilities to fight common infections and illnesses.

HIV can lead to AIDS, a life threatening infection.

There is currently no cure for HIV, although there are a number of drugs which, in most cases, stops the virus progressing to AIDS.

A structural malformation of the brain which can affect facial features such as a small head, cleft lip and closely spaced eyes.

The condition falls into three classifications - alobar holoprosencephaly – the most serious which results in severe facial abnormalities, semilobar holoprosencephaly and lobar holoprosencephaly – the least sincere form where in some cases the patient’s brain is almost normal.

An inherited condition where the body can’t process the amino acid methionine which can cause harmful build-up of substances in the blood and urine.

Usually our bodies are able to dispose amino acids in a safe process.

Homocystinuria, also known as HCU, is diagnosed in babes by examining their blood at around 5 days old, though at that age it’s unlikely they will show any symtoms.

Although in later life people with HCU may have vision loss, weak bones, joint problems and will be at risk of developing blood clots and strokes.

A disease which affects certain nerve cells in the brain which can deteriorate movement, awareness, judgement, thinking, perception and behaviour as the illness progresses.

Signs of Huntington’s disease can include moods swings, change in behaviour, mood swings and personality disorder.

The term was originally referred to as Huntington’s chorea – Chorea is the Greek word for dancing. The title was changed because the illness is more complicated than just suffering from jerky movements.

An inherited condition which damages certain nerve cells in the brain affecting behaviour, movement and cognition.

Early symptoms include irregular behaviour, mood swings and changes in personality.

The term was originally known as Huntington’s chorea, because ‘chorea’ is the Greek word for dancing.