Health A to Z

Melanoma

Also called Skin cancer, Malignant melanoma

The most dangerous skin cancer, and one of the most curable when caught early. Look at the whole skin, including the parts that never see sun.

Meningitis

Inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Hours matter, and the rash is a late sign.

Meniscus tear

Also called Torn cartilage, Knee cartilage damage

A torn knee cartilage. In people over 40 it is usually wear rather than injury, and surgery for that has been shown not to work.

Menopause

Also called Perimenopause, The change

Not an illness. A hormonal transition that affects far more than periods, and that workplaces have only just started to notice.

Heavy periods

Also called Menorrhagia, Heavy menstrual bleeding

Around 1 in 3 women describe their periods as heavy. Most put up with it, and many are anaemic because of it.

Mental capacity

Not a condition, and the most misapplied idea in social care. Capacity is presumed, decision-specific, and time-specific.

Mesothelioma

Also called Asbestos cancer, Pleural mesothelioma

Caused by asbestos, decades earlier. Compensation is a real entitlement and claiming it is time-limited, so it belongs in the first conversation.

Metabolic syndrome

Also called Insulin resistance syndrome, Syndrome X

A cluster of risks that travel together and multiply each other. Not a disease so much as a warning with a decade of notice.

Migraine

A neurological condition, not a bad headache. Around one in seven people, and the second leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide.

Mild cognitive impairment

Also called MCI

More memory or thinking difficulty than expected for the age, but not dementia. Some progress, some stay stable, and some improve.