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Painful, red and swollen nail fold (paronychia) Fingernail or toenail abnormalities

Fingernail or toenail abnormalities

Paronychia is inflammation of the nail fold (the skin and soft tissue that frames and supports the nail). It's most commonly caused by infection, injury or irritation, and is about three times more common in women than in men. Sometimes, it's associated with an underlying skin condition, such as eczema or psoriasis , or another medical condition,

Preventing neck pain and stiffness Twisted neck

Twisted neck

You may find the following advice helpful in preventingneck pain: make sure you have good posture read about how to sit correctly , posture tips for laptop users , and common posture mistakes and fixes take regular breaks from your desk, from driving, or fromany activity where your neck is held in the same position for a long period of time

How you get tetanus Tetanus

Tetanus

Tetanus is caused by bacteria called Clostridium tetani. These bacteria can survive for a long time outside the body, and are commonly found in soil and the manure of animals such as horses and cows. If they enter the body through a wound, the bacteria can quickly multiply and release a toxin that affects the nerves, causing symptoms such as

Treatments for lichen sclerosus Lichen sclerosus

Lichen sclerosus

Steroid creams and ointments The main treatment for lichen sclerosus is steroid ointment or cream , which helps to control symptoms. It should be applied regularly, but relatively sparingly, to the affected areas of skin. Your doctor will advise you on how much to use, how frequently, and for how long. Generally, a 30g tube should last around

Causes of lichen planus Lichen planus

Lichen planus

Thecause of lichen planus is unknown. It's thoughtto be related to the immune system, or an abnormal response of the immune system to certain medicines. Lichen planus isn't infectious, doesn't usually run in families and can't be passed on to others. Autoimmune reaction The immune system protects your body against illness and infectionby

Introduction Sperm count, low

Sperm count, low

A low sperm count, also called oligozoospermia, is where a man has fewer than 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen. Having a low sperm count can make it more difficult to conceive naturally, although successful pregnancies can still occur. Problems with sperm, including a low sperm count and problems with sperm quality, are quite common.

Significant health problem Liver disease

Liver disease

In the UK, liver disease is on the increase. Three of the main causes of liver disease are: obesity undiagnosed hepatitis infection alcohol misuse These causes of liver disease are all preventable so it's important to make sure: you're a healthy weight for your height; you can use the BMI healthy weight calculator you avoid drinking

Introduction Local anaesthetic

Local anaesthetic

Local anaesthesia involves numbing an area of the body using a type of medication called a local anaesthetic. These medicationscan be used to treat painful conditions, prevent pain during a procedure or operation, or relieve pain after surgery. Unlike general anaesthetics ,local anaestheticsdon't cause you to lose consciousness. This means

Causes of a low sperm count Sperm count, low

Sperm count, low

In many cases, it's not obvious what causes a low sperm count. Sometimes problems with sperm count and quality are associated with: ahormone imbalance, such as hypogonadism (reduced hormone production) a genetic problem such as XXY (Klinefelter syndrome) having had undescended testicles as a baby astructural problem for example, the tubes

Treatments for low sperm count Sperm count, low

Sperm count, low

If you or your partner has been diagnosed with a low sperm count, there are several options available. Keep trying Your doctor may initially suggest trying to conceive naturally for a little longer. Many couples conceive within the second year of trying. You can helpmaximise your chances of conceiving by: having sex every two or three days