Health A to Z

Most health pages tell you what a condition is. Very few tell you what it is like to sit beside somebody who has one. This library does both. Search by name, or by the name you know it under.

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.

500 conditions, showing 361–370 (page 37 of 50).

P

Physiotherapy

Also called Physio, Physiotherapist

The profession most often recommended in this library and least often explained. In most of the UK you can refer yourself, without seeing a GP first.

Pica

Eating things that are not food. Common in learning disability and dementia, and it kills people.

Pityriasis rosea

A harmless rash that starts with one large patch and then erupts. Alarming, self-limiting, and worth telling a midwife about in pregnancy.

Pleurisy

Inflammation of the lining of the lung. The pain has a distinctive character, and finding the cause is the whole job.

Pneumonia

Infection of the lung tissue. In older people it is a leading cause of death, and it often presents without a cough.

Podiatry

Also called Chiropody, Foot care

Foot care is not cosmetic. For somebody with diabetes it is the difference between a callus and an amputation.

Polycystic kidney disease

Also called PKD, ADPKD

An inherited condition in which cysts gradually replace the kidneys. The commonest inherited cause of kidney failure, and one drug now slows it.

Polycystic ovary syndrome

Also called PCOS

A common hormonal condition affecting periods, fertility, skin and metabolism. Around 1 in 10, and many are undiagnosed.

Polymyalgia rheumatica

Also called PMR

Sudden severe stiffness in the shoulders and hips in older people. It responds to steroids within days, and it travels with something that can blind you.

Polypharmacy

Also called Multiple medicines, Medication review, Deprescribing

Taking many medicines, some of which are no longer helping. A structured review is one of the highest-value appointments in older people's health.