Medical Month
by: lCainl
The month of August is when kids from the United States go back to school and people all around the world are getting immunizations done. Within this month, there are many illness awareness events going on to spread the word about spreading diseases.
Psoriasis is one of the diseases that are touched upon during this month for awareness. This disease is a common, chronic relapsing/remitting immune-mediated skin disease characterized by red, scaly patches, papules, and plaques, which usually itch. The skin lesions seen in psoriasis may vary in severity from minor localized patches to complete body coverage. The disease affects 2–4% of the general population.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is another disease that is spoken about during this month. This is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a genetic defect in the SMN1 gene, which encodes SMN, a protein widely expressed in all Eukaryotic cells. Spinal muscular atrophy manifests in various degrees of severity, which all have in common general muscle wasting and mobility impairment. Other body systems may be affected as well, particularly in early-onset forms. SMA is the most common genetic cause of infant death.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month as well as Neurosurgery Outreach Month. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. This month also is aware of Cataracts, Children's Eye Health and Safety, as well as Children's
Vision and Learning.
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