Allergy tests, Alpha,adrenergic blockers, Alport syndrome, Altitude sickness

Allergy tests: 

Allergy tests indicate a person’s allergic sensitivity to commonly encountered environmental substances. Alopecia: Alopecia simply means hair loss (baldness). Hair loss occurs for a great many reasons—from pulling it out to having it killed off by cancer chemotherapy. Some causes are considered natural, while others signal serious health problems. Some conditions are confined to the scalp. Other.- reflect disease throughout the body. Being plainly visible, th: skin and its components can provide early signs of disease elsewhere in the body. Oftentimes, conditions affecting the skin of the scalp will result in hair loss. The first clue to thebaldness (alopecia totalis), patchy bald spots, thinning, or hair loss confined to certain areas. Also a factor is the condition of the hair and the scalp beneath it. Sometimes only the hair is affected; sometimes the skin is visibly diseased as well.
Alpha-fetoprotein test: The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) test is a blood test that is performed during pregnancy. This screen¬ing test measures the level of AFP in the mother’s blood and indicates the probability that the fetus has one of several seri¬ous birth defects. The level of AFP can also be determined by analyzing a sample of amniotic fluid. This screening test can¬not diagnose a specific condition; it only indicates the increase of risk for several birth defects. Outside pregnancy, the AFP test is used to detect liver disease, certain cancerous tumors, and to monitor the progress of cancer treatment.

Alpha,adrenergic blockers: 

Alpha adrenergic blockers are drugs that work by blocking the alpha 1-receptors of vascular smooth muscle, thus preventing the uptake of catecholamines by the smooth muscle cells. This causes vasodilation and al¬lows blood to flow more easily.
Alport syndrome:
A hereditary disease of the kidneys that pri¬marily affects men, causing blood in the urine, hearing loss and eye problems. Eventually, kidney dialysis or transplant maybe necessary. Alport syndrome affects about one in 5,000 Americans, striking men more often and severely than women. There are several varieties of the syndrome, some occurring in childhood and others not causing symptoms until men reach their 20s or 30s. All varieties of the syndrome are characterized by kidney disease that usually progresses to chronic kidney failure and by uremia (the presence of excessive amounts of urea and other waste products in the blood).

Altitude sickness: 

Altitude sickness is a general term encom¬passing a spectrum of disorders that occur at higher altitudes. Since the severity of symptoms varies with altitude, it is im¬portant to understand the range of the different altitudes that may be involved. High altitude is defined as height greater than 8,000 feet (2,438 m); medium altitude is defined as height between 5,000 and 8,000 feet (1,524-2,438 m); and extreme altitude is defined as height greater than 19,000 feet (5,791 m). The majority of healthy individuals suffer from altitude s.ckness when they reach very high altitudes. In addition, about 20% of people ascending above 9,000 (2,743 m) feet in one day will develop altitude sickness. Children under six years and women in the premenstrual part of their cycles may be more vulnerable. Individuals with preexisting medicalconditions—even a minor respiratory infection—may become sick at more moderate altitudes.