Top 70 somatic conditions
Using the search function below, you can search for a complaint or a condition in the Top 70 list of the main conditions linked to challenging behaviour.
Allergy
What is an allergy? An allergy is a form of hypersensitivity in which the immune system responds to substances (allergens) that are usually harmless and do not cause disease. Allergic reactions are...Anaemia
What is anaemia? Anaemia means that the blood contains too few red blood cells, or that there is not enough haemoglobin (Hb) in these cells. As a result, less oxygen is transported in the blood. There...Angina pectoris and heart attack (coronary heart disease)
What is coronary heart disease? Coronary heart disease is a condition caused by anomalies in the coronary arteries that result in chest pain. Coronary heart disease can be broken down into angina...Asthma/COPD
What are asthma and COPD? Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract that is associated with a narrowing of the airways and increased airway irritability. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary...Blood pressure: high blood pressure and low blood pressure
What are high blood pressure and low blood pressure? The heart pumps blood into the blood vessels by contracting and relaxing at every heartbeat. This produces a certain amount of pressure in the...Cancer
What is cancer? The term 'cancer' includes a large range of malignancies that differ in terms of symptoms, growth rate, treatment options and survival rates. Cancers are tumours or lumps...Cardiac arrhythmia
What is cardiac arrhythmia? Palpitations are the feeling that the heart is beating abnormally or an abnormal throbbing sensation. An abnormal heart rhythm can be seen in an echocardiogram in only 40%...Carpal tunnel syndrome
What is the carpal tunnel syndrome? The carpal tunnel syndrome is a common hand complaint caused by the pinching of a nerve in the wrist. The wrist contains a space called the carpal tunnel through...Cerebral palsy (including spasticity)
What are cerebral palsy and spasticity? Cerebral palsy (CP, or infantile encephalopathy) is a collective term. It is a combination of symptoms, the main feature of which is a postural and/or movement...Conjunctivitis
What is conjunctivitis? Conjunctivitis is the medical term for an inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye. It is the most common cause of red eyes. The white of the eye is covered by a thin...Constipation
What is constipation? Constipation (or obstipation) is the medical term for obstruction. There are not enough stools, or they may be over-hard or difficult to eject. The colon pushes stools into the...Contracture
What is a contracture? A contracture is an abnormal, forced, position of a joint or part of the body. Contractures arise when parts of the body are set in a certain position for a long time without...Corns
What are corns? A corn is a thickening of hard skin on the foot due to increased pressure on a spot on the skin caused by shoes, overweight or a malposition of the foot. What are the complaints...Deafblindness: dual sensory loss
What is dual sensory loss (deafblindness)? This is a combination of deafness/hearing impairment and blindness/vision impairment. The hearing loss is 35 dB or more, visual acuity is 0.30 or less and/or...Dementia
What is dementia? Dementia is a collective name for the phenomena that occur in a number of brain disorders of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common. It involves symptoms such as memory loss...Dental conditions: pain in the mouth
What are dental conditions? Dental caries, erosive dental wear and periodontal conditions are the three most common dental problems. Dental caries (tooth decay) results from the degeneration of hard...Diabetes mellitus
What is diabetes mellitus? Diabetes mellitus (diabetes for short) is a condition in which the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood is too high. There are different forms of diabetes. The most common...Diarrhoea
What is diarrhoea? Diarrhoea is a condition involving abnormally frequent bowel movements with thin watery stools in larger amounts than usual. It is generally a symptom of another problem. Acute...Dislocated joints
What is a dislocated joint? A dislocation is when a bone moves out of a joint. In the general population, this will usually be in the shoulder or fingers (as a result of a trauma). A dislocated hip...Dizziness
What is dizziness? In general, dizziness is considered to be the sensation experienced as a result of a disturbance in the relationship between the person and the spatial environment. It is the...Ear infection
What is an ear infection? Otitis externa (also known as 'swimmer's ear') leads to the inflammation of the skin of the external ear. Exposure to water (swimming), picking the ear and cleaning the ear...Earwax build-up
What is earwax build-up? Earwax (cerumen) can build up until the ear is almost or completely blocked. Earwax is a normal product of secretion in the external ear canal. It serves to clean the ear...Epilepsy
What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a condition involving seizures that originate in the brain. These seizures are also known as epileptic insults (fits). They are caused by a sudden, temporary disturbance...Fractures
What are fractures? Fractures are broken bones. What are the complaints associated with fractures? Fractures present as follows: pain, restricted movement and malposition, and even delirium. It often...Gall bladder conditions
What are gall bladder conditions? The gall bladder is a repository for bile, a digestive fluid that is produced in the liver. Stones can form in the gall bladder (this condition is known as gall...Gastroparesis
What is gastroparesis? A 'lazy stomach' – the failure of the stomach to empty as it should – is caused by the muscles of the stomach failing to work properly. They contract too little or too...Gluten hypersensitivity
What is gluten hypersensitivity? Gluten hypersensitivity (coeliac disease) is a condition that may be seen in people with a genetic susceptibility who suffer from problems in the small intestine after...Haemorrhoids
What are haemorrhoids? Haemorrhoids (piles) are swellings in the rectum and the anus that fill up with blood. They are caused by weakened blood vessels and they can be compared to varicose veins. They...Headache and migraine
What are headache and migraine There are many types of headache. The two most common types are tension headache and migraine. Other types are cluster headache and substance-related headache. Substance...Heart failure
What is heart failure? Heart failure involves the impairment of the heart's pumping capacity. Exertion leads quickly to fatigue and shortage of breath. Heart failure has several causes. The heart...Hepatitis
What is hepatitis? There are several forms of hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). Hepatitis A, B and C are contagious forms of hepatitis caused by a virus. They can cause acute illness (acute...Hernia
What is a hernia? A hernia (or, more specifically, an inguinal hernia) is a protrusion from the abdominal cavity through an opening in the groin area. Sometimes it is not possible to reposition the...Hypothermia
What is hypothermia? In hypothermia, the core body temperature (the highest temperature in the centre of the abdomen) drops so far that normal metabolism is compromised. Body temperature varies in...Impaired hearing and deafness
What are impaired hearing and deafness? The WHO definition of hearing impairment is a hearing loss of more than 25 dB in the best ear. The international consensus is that the average loss should be...Impaired vision and blindness: possible conditions as causes
Which eye conditions cause impaired vision and blindness? The following eye conditions account for most cases of impaired vision in the general population: a refraction error, macular degeneration...Impaired vision, blindness
What are impaired vision and blindness? The WHO definition of impaired vision is that visual acuity (after correction!) is less than 0.3 but more than 0.05 or that the field of vision is less than 30...Incontinence
What is incontinence? Urinary incontinence is any form of unwanted urine loss in adults. In children who are not yet continent at night, it is known as enuresis nocturna. We will not be discussing the...Infectious diseases
What are infectious diseases? Infectious diseases are caused by a contamination of the body or a part of the body with pathogenic micro-organisms (microbes or germs) or proteins.This site looks at the...Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
What is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)? Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterised by the inflammation of the intestine. A distinction is made between two conditions: Crohn's disease and...Intermittent claudication
What is intermittent claudication? Intermittent claudication (a subcategory of peripheral artery disease) is a condition involving pain in the legs during exercise due to poor circulation in the...Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
What is the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? These are chronic or recurring intestinal complaints in which no physical cause can be identified. Another term is 'spastic colon'. An irritable bowel is...Joint problems
What are joint problems? Joint problems can be broken down into conditions that involve inflammation of the joints (inflammatory joint conditions, arthritis) and conditions that do not involve...Kidney failure
What is kidney failure? The kidney stops working properly when it is damaged. The diagnosis of kidney failure (or 'renal failure') is made when the kidney fails to filter the blood properly and...Kidney stones
What are kidney stones? Urine contains waste substances that are removed during urination. If waste substances are not dissolved completely in the urine, stones may develop in the renal pelvis. They...Menopausal complaints
What is the menopause? The final menstrual period in a woman's life is called the menopause. The perimenopause ('the change') is 'that time of life' between when menstrual periods become more...Menstrual problems
What are the problems associated with menstruation? Normal menstruation is every 21 to 35 days. The amount and duration of bleeding (2 to 8 days) varies for each woman. The menstrual pattern can...Osteoporosis
What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a skeletal condition characterised by low bone mineral density (bone mass) and a disorder in the structure of bone tissue. This makes the bone more brittle and...Overweight
What is overweight? Overweight is when people weigh more than is good for their health. That is easy to determine with the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI shows the ratio between weight and height. A...Parkinson's disease and similar movement disorders
What are Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism? Instructions relating to movement are sent from the motor areas of the cerebral cortex through the pyramidal pathway to activate muscles so that a...Penile and testicular conditions
What are penile and testicular conditions? There are several conditions that can cause complaints. They include infections of the penis (balanitis: inflammation of the head of the penis), the testes...Pressure sores
What are pressure sores? Pressure sores are skin damage that is found in people who are forced to spend long times sitting or lying in the same position. The skin is pinched in the places upon which...Prostate conditions
What are prostate conditions? The prostate is a gland located below the bladder. The urethra passes from the bladder through the prostate and penis to the outside. The prostate produces the fluid in...Reflux (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease)
What is reflux? Our food and drink pass through the oesophagus into the stomach. Where the oesophagus meets the stomach, there is a round muscle that ensures that the stomach contents do not enter the...Respiratory tract infections
What are respiratory tract infections? A distinction is made between infections in the upper respiratory and lower respiratory tracts. Upper respiratory tract infection This can be infections in the...Scoliosis
What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the vertebral column (the spine). The severity of scoliosis is determined on the basis of the angle of the curvature (the Cobb angle). Scoliosis...Sexually transmitted diseases
What are sexually transmitted diseases? Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), otherwise known as venereal diseases, are usually transmitted through sexual contact but they may be passed on in other...Skin conditions
What are skin conditions? There are many different types of skin condition that can cause pain, itching or other types of discomfort. Skin conditions are common in the general population. The most...Sleep disorders
What are sleep disorders? People with sleep disorders have difficulty getting to sleep, they stay awake for long periods, or they wake up too often or too early, as a result of which they do not feel...Slipped disc
What is a slipped disc? The vertebral column consists of vertebrae and intervertebral discs that are held together by ligaments, muscles and tendons. An intervertebral disc may protrude for unknown...Spinal stenosis
What is spinal stenosis? A constriction of the vertebral canal is a condition in which the space for the nerves in the vertebral canal gets smaller, especially where the nerve roots exit the vertebral...Stomach complaints
What are stomach complaints? Stomach complaints are problems in the upper abdomen due to irritation or inflammation in the stomach lining or reflux symptoms (heartburn). Heartburn (reflux) is...Stroke
What is a stroke? Another term for stroke is cerebrovascular accident (CVA), a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain resulting in brain damage. A stroke can take three forms: In a...Swallowing disorder
What is a swallowing disorder? A swallowing disorder (dysphagia) is a disorder that affects the process of swallowing. It is a combination of disorders affecting the muscles involved in swallowing...Thrombosis
What is thrombosis? Thrombosis means the formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The clot may gradually increase in size and close off the blood vessel, usually in the deep veins of the leg. The...Thyroid conditions
What are thyroid conditions? The thyroid is the largest endocrine gland in the body and it releases the hormone thyroxine into the blood. The main function of this hormone is to regulate the metabolic...Unbalanced diet
What is an unbalanced diet? A diet supplies both macro-nutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) and micro-nutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements). An unbalanced diet does not supply...Underweight
What is underweight? Underweight is when people weigh less than is good for their health. That is easy to determine with the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI shows the ratio between weight and height...Urinary retention
What is urinary retention? Urinary retention means the accumulation of urine in the bladder owing to a condition affecting the emptying of the bladder. Urinary retention can be acute or chronic. In...Urinary tract infection
What is a urinary tract infection? A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection of the urinary tract (the bladder, kidney and prostate). What are the complaints associated with a urinary...Vaginal infection
What is a vaginal infection? A distinction is made between vaginal infections caused by either bacteria or fungi (candida). For STDs, see 'sexually transmitted diseases'. Bacteria and fungi live in...Varicose veins
What are varicose veins? The veins are the blood vessels that take blood back to the heart. Varicose veins are veins that have widened and they are usually seen in the legs. The term 'varicose veins'...