SICKNESSES THAT ARE HARD TO TELL APART

Sometimes, diseases that have different causes and require different treatment result in problems that look very alike. A typical example is,

1. A child who slowly becomes thin and wasted, while his belly gets more and more swollen, could have any (or several) of the following problems.

Malnutrition, a heavy roundworm infection (usually together with malnutrition), tuberculosis of the abdomen, a long term severe urinary infection, any of several problems of the liver or spleen, leukemia (cancer of the blood).

2. An older person with a big, open, slowly growing sore on the ankle could have:

Bad circulation that results from varicose veins or other causes, diabetes, infection of the bone (osteomyelitis), leprosy, tuberculosis of the skin, advanced syphilis.

The medical treatment for each of these diseases is different, so to treat them correctly, it is important to tell them apart.

Many illnesses at first seem very similar. But if you askright questions and know what to look for, you can often look for, you can often learn information and see certain signs that will help tell you what illness a person has.Sicknesses that are hard to tell apart