Health information about conditions, symptoms, medical care and appointments. These articles do not replace individual medical advice.
Abnormal uterine bleeding in teenagers refers to menstrual bleeding that is unusually heavy, prolonged or irregular or affects everyday wellbeing. Cycles may take time to become regular after the first period, but major blood loss must not be dismissed as normal for age.
Protein detected in a child’s urine is called proteinuria. It may occur temporarily during an illness or have other explanations, but a persistent finding may signal a kidney problem and deserves a structured assessment.
Pain, stinging or burning when passing urine is called dysuria. It can be caused by a urinary tract infection, urethral inflammation or another problem; the sensation alone does not identify the cause.
Eye pain with sensitivity to light can occur with corneal disease, inflammation, injury or an acute rise in eye pressure.
Pain or pressure behind the breastbone has several possible causes. Some symptoms require immediate help, while recurring non-emergency discomfort needs medical evaluation.
Pain beneath the breastbone or in the upper abdomen is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Its timing, severity and associated warning signs determine what evaluation is needed.
Ear pain may arise from infection, irritation or injury in the ear, but it can also be referred from the throat, teeth or jaw. Pain intensity alone cannot reliably identify the cause.
A child may develop throat pain suddenly with fever or gradually alongside a runny nose and cough. Viral infections are common, although bacterial pharyngitis is sometimes considered. A red throat alone does not prove which infection is present.
Pain near the anus may be sharp during bowel movements, burning afterwards or continuously throbbing. Its pattern can help guide examination but cannot, by itself, identify the cause.
Pain beneath the right ribs can come from different organs and tissues. Fever, jaundice or prolonged severe pain changes the urgency of assessment.
Neck or low-back pain may spread into an arm or leg with tingling or numbness. It does not necessarily mean a disc herniation or a need for surgery.
Neck pain and stiffness may follow sustained posture, muscle strain or changes involving the cervical spine. Pain alone does not prove a slipped disc or a vertebra that needs to be “put back into place”.
Feeling full after just a few bites or uncomfortable after a meal may reflect dyspepsia or another condition; persistent symptoms and weight loss should not be ignored.
Mucus, blood-stained fluid or pus from the anus can be associated with irritation, inflammation and diseases of the anorectal region. Assessment considers the discharge and accompanying symptoms together.
Some daily hair shedding is normal, but noticeable thinning or new bald patches may warrant assessment of hair growth and the scalp.
Rashes vary in appearance, location and accompanying symptoms. A photograph or one isolated sign may not identify the cause.
Genital-area skin changes may reflect irritation, dermatitis or infection; their appearance alone is not enough for a reliable diagnosis.
Headaches may be throbbing, pressing or severe and can have different causes. Their location alone cannot establish a diagnosis; a sudden unusual headache needs prompt assessment.
Acute diarrhoea means recently developed frequent loose stools. Infection, food exposure, medicines and other causes are possible. The most immediate risk for many patients is fluid loss.
Yellowing of the eyes or skin with dark urine or pale stools may indicate a bilirubin problem. New jaundice should be assessed promptly, even without pain.
Breathlessness in children is visible or perceived difficulty breathing with many possible causes. Sudden deterioration needs urgent assessment.
Shortness of breath is the feeling of not getting enough air or finding breathing difficult. Heart, lung and other conditions can cause it.
Nasal congestion is a symptom of restricted airflow through the nose, not a diagnosis. It may follow a respiratory infection, allergy, non-allergic rhinitis or an anatomical obstruction.
Dizziness can mean spinning sensations, poor balance or feeling about to faint. Distinguishing these experiences helps guide medical evaluation.
Bloating is the sensation of fullness, pressure or an enlarged abdomen after eating. It does not always mean excessive intestinal gas or a single gastrointestinal disease. Dietary patterns and bowel habits may contribute.
Many moles are benign, but a rapidly changing, bleeding or unusually shaped skin lesion should be assessed in person.
Hearing loss can make speech difficult to understand, especially in noise. Some people notice one ear becoming muffled, while children may turn up devices or seem not to respond to speech.
Coughing is a protective reflex rather than a diagnosis. It can occur with a respiratory infection, asthma, reflux or other conditions.
Coughing while running or playing actively has several possible explanations. Recurrent symptoms warrant clinical assessment.
Blood on toilet paper, on stool or in the toilet after a bowel movement is a symptom that deserves an explanation. Even a small amount cannot automatically be attributed to haemorrhoids.
Blood seen in a child’s stool deserves medical assessment. It can occur with a small anal fissure after constipation, intestinal infection or inflammation; its appearance alone does not establish the cause. Heavy bleeding or a child who becomes weak needs urgent help.
Haematuria means red blood cells are present in urine. Sometimes urine looks pink, red or brown; at other times blood is detected only under a microscope. A colour change alone cannot identify its cause.
A child’s urine may look pink, red or dark, or red blood cells may be found only on testing. This is called haematuria. Its cause cannot be determined from colour or a single dipstick result alone.
Difficulty lifting an arm, rising from a chair or holding objects may reflect measurable weakness or a more general feeling of fatigue. Examination can distinguish the two.
Puffiness around the eyes or swelling of the legs may have different explanations. Persistent oedema is a reason to assess the child’s overall health, urine output and sometimes kidney function, but swelling alone is not a kidney diagnosis.
With age and individual tissue changes, the upper eyelids may appear heavy and the lower eyelids may develop prominent fat pads or swelling. These appearances do not all have the same cause, and not everyone benefits from an operation.
After substantial weight loss or pregnancy, the skin of the abdominal wall may not contract fully. Skin, subcutaneous fat and the abdominal supporting tissues change in different ways; a visible fold is not enough to determine which approach, if any, is appropriate.
One weight reading cannot establish that a child has a medical problem. Doctors assess how weight and height change over time, together with age, development, feeding patterns and overall health. Some causes are digestive, but others are not.
Unintended weight gain has many possible causes; an endocrine disorder is only one possibility.
Nausea and vomiting can accompany a transient stomach upset, infection, medication effects or conditions requiring urgent care. Their severity, duration and associated symptoms matter more than assigning the label gastritis without assessment.
Children can lose fluid rapidly during diarrhoea, repeated vomiting, fever or when they cannot drink enough. Dehydration is assessed by several signs together, not by thirst or the absence of tears alone.
Numbness, pins and needles or reduced sensation in the hands or feet can arise from peripheral nerve, metabolic or central nervous system conditions. The distribution of symptoms matters.
Breast shape can change after breastfeeding, weight changes or with age. The degree of ptosis should be assessed before considering any correction.
Hoarseness is a change in the tone, strength or clarity of the voice. It may follow a viral illness, heavy voice use, irritation or a condition affecting the vocal folds.
A burning feeling behind the breastbone or a sour taste in the mouth often accompanies reflux, but these symptoms alone do not confirm GERD or exclude a heart problem.
Fever is a response that can accompany infection, inflammation or other conditions. The thermometer reading alone does not identify the cause or tell how ill a person is.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is measured in blood. An elevated result is a laboratory finding rather than a final diagnosis and should be interpreted in the context of prior results, symptoms and individual risk.
One elevated glucose reading should be interpreted alongside symptoms, the timing of meals and the measurement method.
Children may show a vision problem through behaviour rather than describing it; the cause can only be established with age-appropriate assessment.
Forgetfulness and concentration problems can be related to sleep, stress, medication effects or medical conditions. Sudden confusion is different from gradual change.
A change in articulation, word finding or understanding language should be assessed in the context of its onset and other neurological symptoms.
Semen analysis measures several characteristics of semen and sperm, including count, concentration, movement and shape. An abnormal value is a finding, not by itself a diagnosis of infertility.
Slouching, unequal shoulders or an unusual sitting position can reflect habits, fatigue or structural changes to the spine. Appearance alone cannot reliably distinguish scoliosis from other postural concerns.
Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance and vaginal dryness may occur during perimenopause or menopause; care should reflect individual needs and risks.
Itching around the anus can be related to skin irritation, moisture, changes in bowel habits or conditions affecting the anal canal. Repeated or persistent symptoms deserve an assessment of the cause.
Itching can be associated with dryness, inflammation, infection or other conditions. Identifying the cause matters more than temporarily masking the symptom.
Wheezing may indicate narrowed airways, but the sound alone does not establish a diagnosis of asthma.
Palpitations and a sensation of skipped beats may be brief or recurring. They do not always mean an arrhythmia, but some accompanying symptoms require urgent care.
Unusually strong thirst and frequent urination may indicate elevated glucose, but other causes are also possible.
Flashes and floating spots have different possible causes; new sudden symptoms require assessment for a retinal tear or detachment.
A seizure may involve involuntary movement, altered awareness or both. A single event does not automatically establish a diagnosis of epilepsy.
Hand shaking, twitching and other involuntary movements have different mechanisms. Knowing whether they occur at rest or during an action can help narrow the cause.
Persistent loose stools need attention to their duration, frequency, hydration and alarm features. Stress alone should not be assumed to explain recurring diarrhoea.
A cough lasting more than four weeks needs assessment using a child-specific approach; coughing itself is a symptom, not a diagnosis.
A new lump or swelling near the anus may have several causes, from an external haemorrhoidal lump to an inflammatory process. Its appearance alone is not enough for a reliable diagnosis.
A firm eyelid nodule or swelling can have different causes; appearance alone cannot reliably distinguish a chalazion from other lesions.
Unsteady gait, frequent stumbling and trouble turning may reflect vestibular, neurological or other problems. Whether onset was gradual or sudden is crucial.
Constipation is not just infrequent bowel movements; hard stools, straining and a sense of incomplete emptying also matter.
Frequent or difficult urination describes a group of symptoms, not a single diagnosis. Daytime frequency, getting up at night, hesitancy, a weak stream or incomplete emptying can have different explanations.
Repeated respiratory infections do not automatically indicate poor immunity, but unusual or severe illness needs medical assessment.
Tinnitus means hearing a ring, buzz, hiss or hum without a matching external sound. It can occur in one ear or both, continuously or intermittently, and can interfere with sleep or concentration.
Leg swelling and pain are symptoms, not a diagnosis. Possible causes include injury, venous disease, inflammation and other conditions. Sudden swelling and pain in one leg require prompt medical assessment to rule out deep vein thrombosis.
A bulge near the groin or navel may appear when standing, coughing or straining and sometimes shrink while lying down. A hernia is one possible explanation, but other lumps can look similar.
Blood spotting between expected periods should be discussed with a gynecologist, even if slight. Hormonal changes, contraception, infection, polyps or cervical changes may be involved.
Any vaginal blood after twelve consecutive months without periods needs clinical evaluation, even if there were just a few spots. Most causes are benign, but important endometrial conditions must be excluded.
A child’s abdominal pain may be temporary or related to a condition needing urgent care. The child’s overall well-being matters as much as where the pain occurs.
Nausea in a child is a symptom rather than a diagnosis. Vomiting, drinking, fever, abdominal pain and activity level are important to assess.
A bulge in a child’s groin can become visible when the child cries and disappear at rest. This pattern may indicate an inguinal hernia, but appearance alone cannot establish a diagnosis.
A swelling near a child’s navel may be continuously visible or appear when the child cries. An umbilical hernia is common, but redness, discharge or local inflammation can have other causes.
Lymph nodes often enlarge when the immune system responds to infection. An enlarged node is not itself a diagnosis and does not automatically mean cancer, but a persistent or growing lump warrants assessment.
Unintentional weight loss means losing body mass without choosing to diet or increase physical activity. It is a symptom rather than a diagnosis and, by itself, does not prove cancer.
A lump beneath the skin may feel soft and mobile, firm, painful or entirely painless. Its appearance and feel cannot determine whether it is a lipoma, a cyst or another condition.
Eyesight can deteriorate gradually or suddenly, in one eye or both. Not all changes are simply due to ageing or an incorrect glasses prescription; sudden vision loss demands urgent attention.
Redness in one or both eyes can follow irritation, allergy or infection, but it can also accompany more serious inflammation or injury. The colour or appearance alone cannot establish the cause.
A lump beneath a child’s scalp may be a cyst or another condition. Appearance alone does not establish the diagnosis. A lump present since birth, growing or changing deserves clinical assessment.
Heavy or tired legs commonly occur after activity or towards the end of the day. They may accompany venous disorders but do not automatically mean varicose veins. Assessment depends on associated symptoms and examination.
A night-time calf cramp is a sudden, painful involuntary muscle contraction during sleep or rest. Cramps have several possible causes and are not a specific sign of varicose veins.
Gradual darkening, dryness and firm skin on the lower legs may be linked to chronic venous insufficiency, but other causes are possible. Both the skin and circulation need to be considered.
Menstrual bleeding is considered heavy when its amount or duration disrupts daily life. Fibroids, adenomyosis, polyps and other factors may be involved; the cause requires assessment.
Period pain can involve cramps, lower back pain, nausea and tiredness. Pain that disrupts daily life, worsens over time or occurs beyond menstruation should not simply be dismissed.
Urine leakage during coughing, sneezing or exercise may be stress urinary incontinence, but the type and cause need clinical assessment.
A sensation of a lump, heaviness or something protruding inside the vagina may occur with pelvic organ prolapse, but examination is needed to identify the cause.
A missed period is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Pregnancy, contraception, changes in weight, stress and endocrine conditions are some of the possible explanations.
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