Health A to Z

Pulmonary embolism

Also called PE, Blood clot on the lung

A clot that has travelled to the lungs. Sudden breathlessness with chest pain that is worse on breathing in is a 999 call.

Quadriplegia

Also called Tetraplegia, Spinal cord injury

Paralysis affecting all four limbs after a spinal cord injury. The dangerous parts are the ones nobody sees.

Raynaud's phenomenon

Also called Raynaud's disease, Raynaud's syndrome

Small blood vessels overreacting to cold, so fingers turn white then blue then red. Common, and occasionally a warning.

Reactive arthritis

Also called Reiter's syndrome

Joint inflammation triggered by an infection elsewhere, usually gut or genital, weeks earlier. Treating the trigger does not treat the arthritis.

Restless legs syndrome

Also called RLS, Willis-Ekbom disease

An irresistible urge to move the legs, worse at rest and at night. Often caused by low iron, and rarely checked for.

Retinoblastoma

A cancer of the eye in young children. A white reflection in a photograph, instead of red-eye, is how most are found.

Rett syndrome

A genetic condition affecting mainly girls, where early skills are lost. Understanding is far greater than movement suggests.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Also called RA

The immune system attacking the joints. Not a wear and tear condition, and the first twelve weeks matter enormously.

Rosacea

Persistent facial redness and spots. Not acne, not caused by drinking, and the assumption that it is causes real harm.

Roseola

Also called Sixth disease, Roseola infantum

Three days of high fever in a baby, then the fever stops and a rash appears. The rash is the reassuring part.