Genital warts are considered to be the most common form of STD (sexually transmitted disease) and are caused by the virus called human papilloma virus (HPV).  Genital warts can be transmitted during sexual activity and by skin-to-skin contact with an individual who has the virus.

When the warts appear after infection, they can either be internal or external. In women they tend to be located in the vulva, the vagina, the anus and the cervix, whereas in men they can be found on the penis, the urethra and scrotum, as well as inside or on the anus.

It usually takes from between two weeks right up to several months for warts to appear after infection, and most individuals affected will not have any symptoms at all. People that do develop the warts may notice tiny, flesh-like growths which may appear anywhere in the anal or genital area. These are normally painless, but sometimes they can start itching.

Genital Warts

If an individual suspects that they may have genital warts, a medical appointment would have to be made, where the doctor would carry out a physical examination of the entire genital region, the anus included. The virus can never be eliminated from the body once infected, so outbreaks can occur spontaneously. Treatment for the visible warts though, include special liquids or cream put onto the wart, cryotherapy (freezing the warts off) or heat treatment to burn them off, removal by surgery or a less common method is to inject them with a certain drug.

Blood pressure is described as the pressure the force of blood applies to the artery walls as it flows through them. It is the pumping action of the heart that causes the blood to be under pressure. Normal blood pressure is an essential function in the workings of the body. Blood pressure is denoted by two numbers, 120/80 being an example (which happens to be considered an average blood pressure reading, by the way), with the first number being the systolic blood pressure, or the pressure when the heart is contracted while pumping the blood, and the second number is the diastolic blood pressure reading which is when the heart is at rest while filling with blood.

Naturally low pressure (usually thought of as lower than 90/60) doesn’t indicate any problems health wise. It could be normal for some people and indeed beneficial as it can lower incidences of stoke and coronary heart disease. It only becomes a problem if it is accompanied by symptoms such as fainting. This is normally caused by an underlying problem which would indicate that the blood pressure is not being regulated properly.

What to do in the case of Low Blood Pressure

If someone has constantly low blood pressure, then this could be classed as normal, however, if they have postural hypotension (blood pressure drops when standing up from a sitting position) or postprandial hypotension (blood pressure drops after eating), could mean there are underlying health problems. These could be taking drugs that are used to treat high blood pressure, illnesses that cause blood loss, diabetes, Addison’s disease (an adrenal gland disease), and early stages of pregnancy.

Treatment of low blood pressure normally depends on the underlying cause of the problem.

Scabies is an infection caused by a tiny mite that burrows under the skin usually on the hands, ankles, wrists or male genitalia.  They then live there and lay eggs.  Having these mites under the skin induces an allergic reaction which in turn causes a rash with extreme itching.  Scabies is more common in children but can occur at any age.  It is highly contagious and is spread through direct person to person contact.  The scabies mite cannot live long outside the body but sometimes it can be spread from contact with clothes, linen, etc if the infected person has just touched them.

Scabies

The rash usually develops between two to six weeks after the person has become infected.  The itching usually worsens at night or after a bath or shower when skin is hot. Sometimes burrow marks can be seen on the skin but most often they are hidden by marks caused by scratching or the rash itself.  These burrow marks are thin zigzag lines and are easier to see on hands or feet.

Scabies is treated with a scabicide which is a lotion or cream but it needs to be applied correctly or it may not work.  It needs to be applied twice with a week between each application and should be applied to cool dry skin.  The cream then should be washed off between eight and twenty four hours later.

Everyone in close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with scabies needs to be treated at the same time to make sure the infection has been completely erased.  All bed linen should be washed at a high temperature to make sure that all mites are killed.