IMPETIGO

If you have children, you've probably dealt with an assortment of rashes and skin irritations over the years. One of the most common of these is impetigo — a skin infection that mainly affects infants and children. Impetigo usually appears on the face, especially around a child's nose and mouth. And although it commonly occurs when bacteria enter the skin through cuts or insect bites, it can also develop in skin that's perfectly healthy.

Impetigo starts as a red sore that quickly ruptures, oozes for a few days and then forms a yellowish-brown crust that looks like honey or brown sugar. The disease is highly contagious, and scratching or touching the sores is likely to spread the infection to other parts of the body as well as to other people.

Impetigo is seldom serious, and minor infections may clear on their own in two to three weeks. But because impetigo can sometimes lead to complications, your child's doctor may choose to treat it with an antibiotic ointment or oral antibiotics. Your child can usually return to school or a child-care setting as soon as he or she isn't contagious — often within 24 hours of starting antibiotic therapy.

You can help prevent the infection by taking good care of your child's skin. Use soap and water when bathing your child, and pay special attention to cuts, rashes, insect bites and allergic reactions. If anyone in your family does develop impetigo, a few simple measures can help keep the infection from spreading.

IMPOTENCE

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects the lives of 15 million to 30 million American men and their partners. The term erectile dysfunction covers a range of disorders, including curvature of the penis during erection (Peyronie's disease), prolonged painful erection not associated with sexual desire (priapism) and premature ejaculation. But usually it refers to the inability to obtain an adequate erection for satisfactory sexual activity.

Although erectile dysfunction is more common in men older than 65, it can occur at any age. An occasional episode of erectile dysfunction happens to most men and is perfectly normal. In fact, in most cases it's nothing to worry about. As men age, it's also normal to experience changes in erectile function. Erections may take longer to develop, may not be as rigid or may require more direct stimulation to be achieved. Men may also notice that orgasms are less intense, the volume of ejaculate is reduced and recovery time increases between erections.

When erectile dysfunction proves to be a pattern or a persistent problem, however, it can interfere with a man's self-image as well as his sexual life. It may also be a sign of a physical or emotional problem that requires treatment.

Erectile dysfunction, formerly called impotence, was once a taboo subject. But attitudes are changing. More men are seeking help for the problem, and doctors are gaining a better understanding of what causes erectile dysfunction and are finding new and better ways to treat it.

INCONTINENCE, BOWEL

Fecal incontinence is the inability to control your bowel movements, causing stool (feces) to leak unexpectedly from your rectum. Also called bowel incontinence, fecal incontinence can range from an occasional leakage of stool while passing gas to a complete loss of bowel control.

Common causes of fecal incontinence include constipation, diarrhea, and muscle or nerve damage. The condition may be due to a weakened anal sphincter associated with aging. Fecal incontinence can also occur as a result of childbirth. Injury to the nerves and muscles of the rectum and anus while giving birth can cause a woman to lose control of her bowel movements.

Whatever the cause, fecal incontinence can be a source of embarrassment. It may cause you to stay at home and withdraw from social events because you're afraid you'll have an accident. But, you're hardly alone. More than 5.5 million Americans have fecal incontinence. It's more common in older people and in women.

Although bringing the subject of fecal incontinence up with your doctor may be difficult, don't shy away from talking to your doctor about this problem. Many treatments — some of which are simple — are available that can improve, if not correct, incontinence.

INCONTINENCE, FECAL

Fecal incontinence is the inability to control your bowel movements, causing stool (feces) to leak unexpectedly from your rectum. Also called bowel incontinence, fecal incontinence can range from an occasional leakage of stool while passing gas to a complete loss of bowel control.

Common causes of fecal incontinence include constipation, diarrhea, and muscle or nerve damage. The condition may be due to a weakened anal sphincter associated with aging. Fecal incontinence can also occur as a result of childbirth. Injury to the nerves and muscles of the rectum and anus while giving birth can cause a woman to lose control of her bowel movements.

Whatever the cause, fecal incontinence can be a source of embarrassment. It may cause you to stay at home and withdraw from social events because you're afraid you'll have an accident. But, you're hardly alone. More than 5.5 million Americans have fecal incontinence. It's more common in older people and in women.

Although bringing the subject of fecal incontinence up with your doctor may be difficult, don't shy away from talking to your doctor about this problem. Many treatments — some of which are simple — are available that can improve, if not correct, incontinence.

INDIGESTION

Sometimes, people see their doctors for what they think is an ulcer, but isn't. Although you may have gnawing upper abdominal pain, diagnostic tests don't reveal an ulcer or other digestive problem — all tests come back normal. If this is so, you may have a type of indigestion called nonulcer dyspepsia (dis-PEP-se-uh) . The term "dyspepsia" comes from the Greek roots dys, meaning "difficult," and peptein, which means "to digest."

Nonulcer dyspepsia is a common, sometimes long-lasting (chronic) disorder of the upper gastrointestinal system, which includes your esophagus, stomach and the first part of your small intestine (duodenum). The disorder can cause signs and symptoms that resemble those of a peptic ulcer, such as pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen, often accompanied by bloating, belching and nausea.

Nonulcer dyspepsia occurs for no apparent reason and isn't necessarily related to a particular disease. Rather, the culprit may be a temporary problem, such as eating too quickly, overeating or dealing with a stressful event. For some people, it's a chronic condition. For many people, however, its symptoms are often short-lived and preventable.

INFERTILITY, FEMALE

You and your partner have tried for months, perhaps for even more than a year. But despite sexual intercourse without birth control, you've been unable to conceive a child.

If you've been trying to conceive for more than a year, there's a good chance that something may be interfering with your reproductive function. Infertility, also known as subfertility, is the inability to conceive a child within one year. Infertility may be due to a single cause in either you or your partner, or a combination of factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or continuing.

Infertility differs from sterility. Being sterile means you're unable to conceive a child. With sterility, you or your partner has a physical problem that precludes the ability to conceive. A diagnosis of infertility simply means that becoming pregnant may be a challenge rather than an impossibility.

The human reproductive process is complex. To accomplish a pregnancy, the intricate processes of ovulation and fertilization need to work just right. For many couples attempting pregnancy, something goes wrong in one or both of these complex processes and causes infertility.

Infertility affects more than 6 million American couples, with the male partner being either the sole or a contributing cause in approximately 40 percent of infertile couples. Problems with female fertility are present about one-half to two-thirds of the time. In both men and women, multiple factors can account for difficulty with fertility.

Infertility differs from sterility. Being sterile means you're unable to conceive a child. With sterility, you or your partner has a physical problem that precludes the ability to conceive. A diagnosis of infertility simply means that becoming pregnant may be a challenge rather than an impossibility.

The human reproductive process is complex. To accomplish a pregnancy, the intricate processes of ovulation and fertilization need to work just right. For many couples attempting pregnancy, something goes wrong in one or both of these complex processes and causes infertility.

Infertility affects more than 6 million American couples, with the male partner being either the sole or a contributing cause in approximately 40 percent of infertile couples. Problems with female fertility are present about one-half to two-thirds of the time. In both men and women, multiple factors can account for difficulty with fertility.

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

An estimated more than 1 million Americans have ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, the two most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These conditions, which can be painful and debilitating, cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are very similar — so similar, in fact, that they're often mistaken for one another. Both inflame the lining of your digestive tract, and both can cause severe bouts of watery diarrhea and abdominal pain. But Crohn's disease can occur anywhere in your digestive tract, often spreading deep into the layers of affected tissues. Ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, usually affects only the innermost lining (mucosa) of your large intestine (colon) and rectum.

Ten to 15 people out of every 100,000 in the United States develop ulcerative colitis, while about seven in 100,000 get Crohn's disease. No one knows exactly what causes these diseases, although your immune response and certain genetic and environmental factors may play a role.

There's no known medical cure for either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. However, therapies are available that may dramatically reduce your signs and symptoms and even bring about a long-term remission.

INFLUENZA

At least 20 million people, including 500,000 U.S. citizens, died in the 1918 influenza pandemic. Today, as many as 36,000 Americans continue to die each year of what's commonly known as the flu, and another 150,000 are hospitalized. You're especially at risk if you are an older adult, have diabetes, chronic cardiovascular or lung disease, or an impaired immune system.

But anyone can get influenza, a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system, including your nose, throat, bronchial tubes and lungs. Although other viral infections, especially colds and intestinal ailments such as gastroenteritis — a condition that causes diarrhea, nausea and vomiting — are often referred to as the flu, they're not. Real influenza usually doesn't affect your intestines. And while you may cough and sneeze with the flu, you're also likely to have a high fever, chills and body aches — signs and symptoms you won't typically have with a cold.

You're exposed to the flu when someone who's infected with the influenza virus coughs or sneezes, or you touch something they've handled. That's why the flu spreads rapidly anywhere people congregate — schools, child-care centers, offices, nursing homes, buses, even luxury cruise ships. Most outbreaks in North America occur between October and May. The peak season is usually late December to early March.

If you're at high risk of getting the flu, your first line of defense is an annual flu shot. For some people, antiviral medications taken within 24 to 48 hours of infection may help shorten the duration and intensity of symptoms slightly.

INSOMNIA

Almost everyone has occasional sleepless nights, perhaps due to stress, heartburn, or drinking too much caffeine or alcohol. Insomnia is a lack of sleep that occurs on a regular or frequent basis, often for no apparent reason.

How much sleep is enough varies from person to person. Although 7 1/2 hours of sleep is about average, some people do well on four to five hours of sleep. Other people need nine to 10 hours of sleep each night.

Inability to get a good night's sleep can affect not only your energy level and mood, but your health as well because sleep helps bolster your immune system. Fatigue, at any age, leads to diminished mental alertness and concentration. Lack of sleep is linked to accidents both on the road and on the job.

Sleeplessness may be temporary or chronic. You don't necessarily have to live with sleepless nights. Some simple changes in your daily routine and habits may result in better sleep.

INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

Wherever you go, you first scope out the location of the nearest toilet. You can't get a good night's sleep because the pressure or pain in your bladder wakes you up. And you may also have pain in your pelvis, which can range from mild burning or discomfort to severe pain.

You may think you have a bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI), known as cystitis, but antibiotics haven't helped. Instead you may have interstitial cystitis, or painful bladder syndrome. Interstitial cystitis affects between 700,000 and 1 million Americans. While it can affect children and men, most of those affected are women. The disorder can have a long-lasting adverse impact on your quality of life.

Although interstitial cystitis is chronic, for most people it isn't progressive, which means that however mild or severe your symptoms, they won't usually get worse over time. For many, the severity of symptoms fluctuates, and for some, the condition goes into periods of remission. Rarely, some people may experience rapidly worsening symptoms associated with a smaller bladder that's unable to hold a normal amount of urine.

Although there's no treatment that reliably eliminates the signs and symptoms of interstitial cystitis, a number of medications and therapies offer relief. Work with your doctor to find what works best for you.

INTERSTITIAL ISCHEMIA

Like your heart, your digestive system needs a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood to function properly. If the blood flow to your small intestine or colon is reduced, intestinal ischemia (is-KE-me-uh) can result.

The cause of intestinal ischemia is often an accumulation of fatty deposits in some of your arteries (atherosclerosis), which narrows those arteries and restricts the amount of blood moving through them. When atherosclerosis affects the arteries supplying blood to your intestinal tract, it can cause pain and makes it more difficult for your intestines to do their job. Other causes of intestinal ischemia include blood clots, low blood pressure, congestive heart failure, hernias, surgical scar tissue and some medications.

Undetected and untreated, intestinal ischemia may be fatal. This condition is extremely serious and often requires immediate medical care. Depending on the cause of your intestinal ischemia, treatment options may include medications, surgery or angioplasty.

INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION

The treatment for infertility in which semen is introduced into the uterus via a slim tube inserted through the vagina.

IN VITRO FERTILIZATION

The treatment for infertility in which a woman's egg is fertilized outside her body, with her partner's sperm or sperm from a donor.

IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA

Having iron deficiency anemia may cause you to feel tired and often look pale. It's a common type of anemia — a condition in which blood is lacking healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen to tissues. Oxygenated blood gives your body energy and your skin a healthy color.

As the name implies, iron deficiency anemia is due to insufficient iron. Your body needs the element iron to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen.

Iron deficiency anemia is common, especially in women. One in five women and half of all pregnant women are iron deficient. Lack of iron in your diet is one cause of iron deficiency anemia, but there are other causes as well.

You can usually correct iron deficiency anemia with iron supplementation. Sometimes, other treatments are necessary if you're bleeding internally.

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common disorders that physicians see. Yet it's also one that many people aren't comfortable talking about. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain or cramping and changes in bowel function — including bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation — problems most people don't like to discuss. What's more, for many years IBS was considered a psychological rather than a physical problem.

Up to one in five American adults has irritable bowel syndrome. The disorder accounts for more than one out of every 10 doctor visits. For most people, signs and symptoms of irritable bowel disease are mild. Only a small percentage of people with IBS have severe signs and symptoms.

Fortunately, unlike more serious intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, IBS doesn't cause inflammation or changes in bowel tissue or increase your risk of colorectal cancer. In many cases, you can control IBS by managing your diet, lifestyle and stress.

ISCHEMIA, INTESTINAL

Like your heart, your digestive system needs a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood to function properly. If the blood flow to your small intestine or colon is reduced, intestinal ischemia (is-KE-me-uh) can result.

The cause of intestinal ischemia is often an accumulation of fatty deposits in some of your arteries (atherosclerosis), which narrows those arteries and restricts the amount of blood moving through them. When atherosclerosis affects the arteries supplying blood to your intestinal tract, it can cause pain and makes it more difficult for your intestines to do their job. Other causes of intestinal ischemia include blood clots, low blood pressure, congestive heart failure, hernias, surgical scar tissue and some medications.

Undetected and untreated, intestinal ischemia may be fatal. This condition is extremely serious and often requires immediate medical care. Depending on the cause of your intestinal ischemia, treatment options may include medications, surgery or angioplasty.