Folliculitis is a common skin condition that’s often caused by an infected or inflamed hair follicle. It can look similar to acne and be uncomfortable or itchy. Folliculitis often has a psychosocial impact because of its appearance. There are many different types of folliculitis — each one unique based on the cause, the infectious organism and its impact on the skin. Folliculitis can …

Balance problems can make you feel dizzy, as if the room is spinning, unsteady, or lightheaded. You might feel as if the room is spinning or you’re going to fall down. These feelings can happen whether you’re lying down, sitting or standing. Many body systems — including your muscles, bones, joints, eyes, the balance organ in the inner ear, nerves, …

A Baker cyst is a small, fluid-filled bump that forms on the back of your knee. Healthcare providers sometimes call Baker cysts popliteal cysts and synovial cysts. These are all different names for the same issue. Baker cysts develop when something damages your knee joint or the tissues around it and extra fluid drains out of your knee. The fluid can only …

Bags under eyes are mild swelling or puffiness under the eyes. They’re common as you age and the tissues around your eyes weaken, including some of the muscles supporting your eyelids. Fat that helps support the eyes can then move into the lower eyelids, causing them to appear puffy. Fluid may also accumulate below your eyes. Bags under eyes are …

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a heart issue in which your mitral valve flaps bow or flop back into your left atrium. This may prevent your valve from closing as tightly as it should between your left atrium and left ventricle. These are the two heart chambers that collect and pump oxygen-rich blood out to your body. Your mitral valve’s two tissue flaps (leaflets) open and …

Gambling disorder (gambling addiction) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent, maladaptive gambling behavior that causes you clinical stress. It causes major problems with your relationships, work or school, and/or finances. Gambling refers to an activity in which a person risks something valuable to themselves to win something in return. There are many types of gambling, but common forms include betting in …

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a health condition that causes symptoms like pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in your hand and wrist. The carpal tunnel is a space in your wrist bones. It’s like a tunnel road through a mountainside, but instead of making room in the rock for cars, it’s a passageway in your bones that lets tendons, ligaments and nerves pass through it to reach …

Chronic kidney disease (CKD and chronic renal disease) means that there’s damage to your kidneys and they aren’t working as well as they should. Your kidneys are like a filter in your body — filtering out wastes, toxins and extra water from your blood. They also help with other functions like bone and red blood cell health. When your kidneys …

Chickenpox is an infection that causes an itchy, blister-like skin rash. A virus called varicella-zoster causes it. Chickenpox is highly contagious. But it’s much less common today because there’s a vaccine that protects you from it. Children are the most susceptible to getting chickenpox, although you can get it as an adult, too. Before the availability of the first vaccine against chickenpox …

A chronic cough is a cough that lasts eight weeks or longer in adults, or four weeks in children. A chronic cough is more than just annoying. It can interrupt your sleep and leave you feeling very tired. Severe cases of chronic cough can cause vomiting and lightheadedness, and even break a rib. The most common causes are tobacco use …