Diseases & conditions A-Z List
Diseases & Conditions A-Z List - «M»:
-
Methanol test
Methanol is a nondrinking, toxic type of alcohol used for industrial and automotive purposes. It is not found in alcoholic beverages. It is sometimes called "wood alcohol."
A test can be done to measure the amount of methanol in your blood.
See also: Methanol poisoning
How the Test is Performed
Bl...
-
Methemoglobinemia
Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder in which an abnormal amount of hemoglobin builds up in the blood. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying molecule found in red blood cells. In some cases of methemoglobinemia, the hemoglobin is unable to carry oxygen effectively to body tissues.
Causes
Methemoglobin...
-
Methemoglobinemia - acquired
Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder in which the body cannot reuse hemoglobin after it is damaged. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying molecule found in red blood cells. In some cases of methemoglobinemia, the hemoglobin is unable to effectively carry oxygen to body tissues.
Acquired methemoglobinem...
-
Methylene blue test
The methylene blue test is used to determine the type of the blood disorder, methemoglobinemia.
How the Test is Performed
The health care provider wraps a tourniquet or blood pressure cuff around your upper arm. This creates pressure that causes veins below the area to fill with blood.
After cleani...
-
Methylmalonic acid test
Methylmalonic acid is a substance produced when proteins (amino acids) in the body break down. A test can be done to measure the amount of methylmalonic acid in your blood.
How the Test is Performed
Blood is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The site i...
-
Methylmalonic acidemia
Methylmalonic acidemia is a disorder, passed down through families, in which the body cannot break down certain proteins and fats. The result is a build up of a substance called methylmalonic acid in the blood.
It is considered an inborn error of metabolism.
Causes
The disease is usually diagnosed ...
-
Methylmercury poisoning
Methylmercury poisoning is brain and nervous system damage from the chemical methylmercury.
Causes
Methylmercury is a type of mercury ("quicksilver"), a metal that is liquid at room temperature. Most compounds containing mercury are poisonous. Methylmercury has been used to preserve seed grain, whi...
-
Metopic ridge
A metopic ridge is an abnormal shape of the skull. The ridge can be seen on the forehead.
Considerations
A metopic ridge occurs when the two halves of the frontal bones of the skull join together too soon.
The metopic suture normally begins to close in the second year of life. It is usually comp...
-
MIBG scintiscan
An MIBG scintiscan is an imaging test that uses a radioactive substance (called a tracer) and a special scanner to find or confirm the presence of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma, which are tumors of specific types of nervous tissue.
See also: Nuclear scan
How the Test is Performed
A radioisoto...
-
Microalbuminuria test
The microalbuminuria test looks for small quantities of a protein called albumin in a urine sample.
See also: Urine albumin
How the Test is Performed
A small sample of urine needs to be collected.
Because the amount of water in urine can vary, it can affect the concentration of albumin. For this r...
-
Microcephaly
Microcephaly is a condition in which a person's head is significantly smaller than normal for their age and sex, based on standardized charts. Head size is measured as the distance around the top of the head.
Considerations
Microcephaly most often occurs because the brain fails to grow at a normal ...
-
Micrognathia
Micrognathia is a term that describes an abnormally small lower jaw.
Considerations
In true micrognathia, the jaw is small enough to interfere with the infant's feeding. Infants with micrognathia may need special nipples in order to feed properly.
Micrognathia may be the only abnormality in a child...
-
Migraine
A migraine is a common type of headache that may occur with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light. In many people, a throbbing pain is felt only on one side of the head.
Some people who get migraines have warning symptoms, called an aura, before the actual headache begins. An au...
-
Milia
Milia are tiny white bumps or small cysts on the skin.
Causes
Milia occur when dead skin becomes trapped in small pockets at the surface of the skin or mouth. They are common in newborn infants.
Similar cysts are seen in the mouths of newborn infants. In this case, they are called Epstein's pearls...
-
Milk-alkali syndrome
Milk-alkali syndrome is an acquired condition in which there are high levels of calcium (hypercalcemia) and a shift in the body's acid/base balance towards alkaline (metabolic alkalosis).
Causes
Milk-alkali syndrome is caused by excessive consumption of milk (which is high in calcium) and certain a...
