Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is knee pain under or around your kneecap (patella). Healthcare providers also sometimes call PFPS runner’s knee. Your patella is the bone at the front of your knee joint. It helps your quadriceps muscle move your leg, protects your knee, and supports lots of important muscles, tendons and ligaments. “Patellofemoral” is the medical term for the connection between your patella and your thigh bone (femur). Usually, your …

A parotid gland tumor is an abnormal mass or tumor on your parotid gland. Your parotid gland is the largest of your three salivary glands and is found just in front of each of your ears. Most parotid gland tumors are noncancerous (benign), but about 20% are malignant (cancerous). A cancerous tumor on your parotid gland is the most common form of salivary gland cancer. …

Parkinson’s disease is a condition where a part of your brain deteriorates, causing more severe symptoms over time. While this condition is best known for how it affects muscle control, balance and movement, it can also cause a wide range of other effects on your senses, thinking ability, mental health and more. Who does it affect? The risk of developing …

A paraganglioma (also known as an extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor (NET) that forms near your carotid artery (the major blood vessels in your neck), along nerve pathways in your head and neck and in other parts of your body. The tumor is made of a certain type of cell called chromaffin cells, which produce and release certain hormones known as catecholamines. …

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a rare form of congenital heart disease (congenital means you’re born with it). It affects the flow of oxygen-rich blood from your lungs to your heart. Your pulmonary veins normally return all freshly oxygenated blood to the left side of your heart. But in PAPVR, they deliver some of this blood to the right side, which …

A panic attack causes sudden, temporary feelings of fear and strong physical reactions in response to ordinary, nonthreatening situations. When you’re having a panic attack, you may sweat a lot, have difficulty breathing and feel like your heart’s racing. It may feel like you’re having a heart attack. Panic attacks are the main feature of panic disorder. But they can happen …

Pancreatitis is inflammation in your pancreas. Inflammation causes swelling and pain. If you have pancreatitis, it might feel like stomach pain that spreads to your back. Your pancreas is an organ in your abdomen. It sits between your stomach and your spine. If you lay your right hand across your stomach, that’s roughly the size and shape of your pancreas behind …

Paget’s disease of the breast is a rare type of cancer that develops in the skin of your nipple, and sometimes the areola (the darker skin surrounding the nipple). It may be isolated to the nipple as stage 0 breast cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ), or it may be accompanied by invasive breast cancer in the milk ducts of the …

Paget’s disease of the bone is a rare chronic bone disorder in which there’s excessive and disordered bone turnover with both excessive resorption and formation. This is the process by your body breaks down old bone and creates new bone. A person with Paget’s disease of the bone is more likely to experience bone fractures (breaks). When the disease is around a …

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) is a rare vascular disease that affects the legs of some young athletes. When you have this syndrome, the muscle behind your knee compresses your popliteal artery — the main artery that runs from your thigh to your calf. The attachment of your gastrocnemius muscle to your thigh bone causes compression. When your gastrocnemius muscle contracts during …