Ischemic colitis is inflammation in your colon that’s caused by ischemia, which means reduced blood flow. Blood supplies oxygen to the tissues in your body. If something interrupts or diminishes the blood supply to certain tissues, they suffer damage from the lack of oxygen. Inflammation is your body’s response to this injury. It causes discomfort, swelling and bleeding, but it means your tissues are …

Colic means your otherwise healthy baby cries excessively for no apparent reason. Healthcare providers define colic as intense crying for more than three hours a day, at least three days a week, for more than three weeks. Often, there’s nothing you can do to relieve your crying baby. All babies cry — it’s the way they communicate their needs. But …

A cold is a contagious upper respiratory infection that affects your nose, throat, sinuses and windpipe (trachea). You may have heard that the common cold is a coronavirus. In fact, more than 200 different types of viruses can cause a cold. The most common cold virus is the rhinovirus. We call colds “common” because as their name implies, they’re widespread. You’ll probably …

Cold sores, or fever blisters, are a common viral infection. They are tiny, fluid-filled blisters on and around the lips. These blisters are often grouped together in patches. After the blisters break, a scab forms that can last several days. Cold sores usually heal in 2 to 3 weeks without leaving a scar. Cold sores spread from person to person …

Hypothermia, or low body temperature, is a condition that occurs when your body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). The average normal body temperature is 98.6 F (37 C). Hypothermia is a medical emergency. When your body temperature is dangerously low, your brain and body can’t function properly. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to cardiac arrest (when your heart stops beating) …

Cold urticaria is a condition that causes an allergic reaction to cold temperatures. A person with cold urticaria may develop a rash or hives after: Eating or drinking something cold. Putting ice on their skin. Swimming or bathing in cold water. Walking outdoors in cold weather. Severe reactions may involve more serious symptoms. There are two types of cold urticaria: …

Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis (cahk-sid-ee-oy-doh-my-KOH-sis), is a fungal infection in your lungs. You get it from breathing in the fungus Coccidioides (cahk-sid-ee-OY-deze) from the environment. Valley fever is the earliest stage of a Coccidioides infection. People with this condition often have no symptoms or flu-like symptoms, but it can sometimes progress to more serious stages of coccidioidomycosis. Coccidioides (the fungus) lives in the soil …

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of the body’s main artery, called the aorta. The aorta runs from the heart through the center of the chest and belly area, called the abdomen. The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. An abdominal aortic aneurysm that ruptures can cause life-threatening bleeding. Treatment depends …

A cluster headache is pain on one side of your head that lasts from 15 minutes up to three hours. The pain occurs daily for weeks to months, often happening at the same time each day and up to eight times per day. When you feel recurring cluster headache pain, it’s called an attack. After an attack, you may go …

Clubfoot is a deformity (birth defect) in which your baby’s foot or feet turn inward. When you look at their foot, the bottom often faces sideways or even up. Another name for club foot is talipes equinovarus. Clubfoot is a common congenital (present at birth) condition. About 1 out of every 1,000 newborns will have clubfoot. Clubfoot happens because of …