Glossary

The condition is triggered when an outbreak of shingles affects the facial nerve next to one of the ears which can lead to facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.

Ramsay Hunt is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.

The condition should be treated as soon as possible to lower the risk of complications which could lead to permanent facial muscle weakness and hearing loss.

Raynaud’s can cause serious complications if it doesn’t go away.

The condition affects blood circulation and when the body is cold or you feel stressed your toes and fingers could change colour.

Other symptoms include numbness, pins & needles, difficulty moving the affected area and pain. These can last between a couple of minutes to a few hours.

A common condition which features a burning pain (heartburn) in the lower chest which is caused when stomach acid travels back up the food pipe

A medical condition, also known as RTA, where the kidneys are unable to separate acids into the urine which causes the blood to be too acidic.

The term given to a group of inherited eye conditions that affect the retina.

Retina Pigmentosa causes permanent levels of vision loss, but varies from person to person.

A genetic disorder which causes loss of vision. Symptoms include decreased peripheral vision (side vision), and difficulty seeing at night.

As the condition deteriorates patients may develop tunnel vision, but it is unlikely they will lose all their sight.

A rare condition which affects brain development during the early years of childhood in girls. The disability can be broken down into four stages. During the first six – 18 months the child may have difficulty feeding, no interest in toys, floppiness, lack of co-ordination and abnormal hand movements. Stage Two – known as ‘regression’ will see problems sleeping and eating, abnormal breathing patterns, deterioration in hand movements, loss of balance, social withdrawal, slowing of head growth and distress for no apparent reasoning.

As the condition progresses when the child is aged between two and 10 Stage Three – ‘Plateau’ may include symptoms including a lack of weight gain, grinding of the teeth, further deterioration of hand movements and floppiness of the limbs. Most children will develop seizures around this stage although there behaviour should start to show signs of improvement. The fourth and final stage will see deterioration in movement.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.

A rare condition which can cause an abnormal palate, abnormality of the ureter, an upturned nasal tip, abnormal positioning of the fingers and folded eyes (Epicanthus).

A skin condition, usually appears on the face and starts off with flushing so people with the illness probably look  a tad embarrassed. Rosacea can come and go, so there maybe periods where the symptoms don’t seem so severe. The redness can burn and sting, appear as spots or small blood vessels in the skin. 

Also known as RTS, Rubinstein Taybi syndrome is a condition which can affect physical appearance and intelligence.

Those with Rubinstein Taybi syndrome can be born with distinctive facial features, oversized thumbs and toes as well as a degree of a learning disability.

The condition is caused by the mutation in the EP300 or CREBBP gene or a small loss of genetic material from the chromosome 16 which represents around 3% of the total DNA in cells.