Encephalitis
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Insect-borne diseases are spreading around the world - find out about some of the most common infections.
Endometriosis
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Endometriosis is a painful, chronic disease that is estimated to affect up to 25% of all women.
Epilepsy
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Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder which causes fits. At any one time 300,000 people in the UK have active epilepsy.
Epstein-Barr Virus
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Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) occurs world-wide and infects most people at some point in their lives.
Erectile dysfunction
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Erectile dysfunction is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse.
Laser Eye Surgery
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An explanation of the surgical procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses.
Female genital mutilation
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The cultural and religious practice of female circumcision is a health hazard that maims and kills young women across the world.
Female sexual dysfunction
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Inadequate sexual function in women is a complex problem that can have many different causes.
Fibromyalgia
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Fibromyalgia is a condition which causes widespread pain and severe fatigue.
Food additives
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The possible health risks of food additives are the subject of fierce controversy among experts.
Glaucoma
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BBC News Online examines what causes glaucoma and how it is treated.
Goldenhar Syndrome
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The rare Goldenhar Syndrome leaves babies with an underdeveloped face and is thought to affect just 75 children in the UK.
Group B streptococcus infection
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Group B streptococcus is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborn babies in the UK.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
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Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a frightening and disabling disease which strikes suddenly, sometimes with devastating effect.
Hayfever
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How can it be avoided? And what causes it in the first place? BBC News Online investigates.
Hepatitis B
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Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is thought to be the leading cause of liver cancer.
Hepatitis C
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Hepatitis C is a virus which can cause serious liver problems.
Hernia
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Prince Charles is far from alone in needing an operation to repair a hernia. It is the commonest male operation performed in the UK, with the NHS performing over 100,000 hernia repairs every year.
Heroin
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Heroin use is on the increase. There are about 40,000 registered addicts in the UK, but the real figure could be four times that number. Customs seizures are also at a record high.
HIV
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HIV has killed millions of people world-wide since it was first identified as a threat to public health more than 20 years ago.
Human growth hormone
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Human growth hormone (HGH) has been helping stunted children in the UK to grow normally since 1959.
Human Papilloma Virus
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Human papilloma viruses or HPVs are a group of more than 80 different types of virus, including those that cause genital warts. BBC News Online looks at what they are and what they do.
Hypertension
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Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can lead to serious complications, including heart attacks.
Hypothermia
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Exposure to the cold is estimated to cause 30,000 deaths a year in the UK. Hypothermia is one of the most deadly cold-induced conditions.
Hysterectomy
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A hysterectomy is a major surgical procedure, involving removal of the uterus.
Infant fever
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Many babies suffer from fever, but only rarely is it something to worry about.
Irritable bowel syndrome
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Irritable bowel syndrome is a common and painful disorder about which relatively little is still known.
IVF
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Around 6,000 babies a year are born in the UK to otherwise infertile couples as a result of in vitro fertilisation.
Infectious disease
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Malaria is a public health problem in some 90 countries, and causes between 1.5 and 2.7 million deaths world-wide each year.
Japanese encephalitis
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Japanese encephalitis is a disease caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes - in severe cases it leads to a deadly inflammation of the brain.
Kidney failure
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Kidney failure is a serious disease which can have a major impact on life, and can ultimately be fatal. However, it can be successfully treated.
Knee cartilage
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The Queen is to undergo a minor operation to remove torn cartilage in her knee for the second time in less than a year. BBC News Online examines the problem.
Knee injuries
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The knee injury suffered by Ruud van Nistelrooy is typical of those suffered by footballers, as BBC News Online discovers.
Legionnaires' disease
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Legionnaires' Disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by a bacteria that contaminates water supplies. It can be fatal.
Leprosy
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Leprosy is a painful condition which, although curable, can leave sufferers deformed and crippled if left untreated.
Lupus
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Lupus is a disease that can affect many parts of the body and occurs when the immune system - the body's natural defence against infections - goes wrong.
Lyme disease
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A tick-borne disease which can cause severe joint problems is becoming more prevalent in Europe. BBC News Online has the facts about Lyme disease.
Lymphatic filariasis
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Lymphatic Filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a severely disfiguring disease which affects 120m around the world.
Marburg virus
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The Marburg virus has killed more than 140 people in a major outbreak in Angola
Meningitis and septicaemia
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Meningitis is an inflammation of the brain lining and is mostly found in bacteria and viruses - the bacterial form is the more life-threatening.
Menopause
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The facts about the menopause and the devastating consequences of premature menopause.
Menstrual problems
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Menstrual problems are one of the four most common reasons why women of a reproductive age see their GP.
Methadone
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Methadone is used as a way to wean addicts off heroin, but can be addictive itself.
Migraine
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Migraine is a debilitating condition characterised by severe headaches and a range of other physical symptoms which affects approximately 10% of the UK population.
Miners' lung disease
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A lifetime of breathing in coal dust can put miners at risk of developing respiratory diseases like pneumoconiosis and emphysema.
Minor strokes
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Minor strokes can cause temporary weakness or numbness in an arm or leg, or may be warning signs preceding a major stroke.
Motor neurone disease
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Motor neurone disease is a progressive fatal condition that causes muscle wastage.
MRSA 'superbugs'
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BBC News Online examines what we can do about MRSA, the so-called "superbug" scourge of the wards.
Multiple births and fertility treatment
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In the last 30 years, there has been a huge rise in multiple births, due mainly to the increasing use of fertility treatment.
Multiple sclerosis
26/7/2010 | external link
Multiple sclerosis is an incurable degenerative disease that attacks the central nervous system. Drugs are available to treat the symptoms but they are very expensive, and not universally available on the NHS.
Mumps
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Mumps is a viral infection that most make an easy recovery from but can, rarely, lead to severe complications.
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy
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Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy is a controversial condition about which little is still known.
Muscular dystrophy
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Article about the different types of muscular dystrophy
Myalgic encephalomyelitis
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Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome has only been recognised by doctors in recent years after originally being dismissed as 'yuppie flu'.
Nosebleeds
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Nosebleeds are more often annoying than a serious health threat, although they can indicate the presence of other underlying illnesses.
Q&A: Obesity
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Obesity is a major issue around the world, and as more and more people put on excess weight it is a problem that is only likely to get worse.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder in which the sufferer is compelled to undertake bizarre and upsetting behaviour in response to irrational thoughts or images.
Osteoporosis
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Osteoporosis - a gradual weakening of the bones - affects one in three women and one in 12 men, and is on the increase among the young.
Ovary grafting
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BBC News Online examines the possibilities, benefits and potential drawbacks of the world's first 'ovary graft' operation.
Oxygen injury therapy
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Rally driver Colin McRae is reputed to have used a pressurised oxygen treatment to speed his recovery from injury.
Q&A: Passive smoking
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BBC News Online examines the evidence on the health risks of breathing in other people's tobacco smoke.
Personality disorder
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To many people, personality disorder conjures up images of violence and fear, but doctors are undecided about who has a disorder, let alone how to treat it.
Pesticides
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Pesticides have been associated with everything from cancer and infertility to Gulf War syndrome and eye abnormalities, but solid evidence proving a link has been thin on the ground.
Pneumonia
26/7/2010 | external link
Pneumonia is a common respiratory disease, and kills around one in 20 people who contract it.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
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Those recovering from a traumatic event - such as a school shooting or a major crash - are at risk of severe psychological harm.
Premature babies
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BBC News Online examines the risks associated with a premature birth.
Prion diseases
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Prion diseases are all fatal and include the new variant of CJD - the brain disorder thought to be caused by eating BSE-infected beef.
Progressive supranuclear palsy
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A closer look at this condition, closely related to Parkinson's disease.
Prozac
26/7/2010 | external link
The anti-depressant drug Prozac has transformed millions of lives since it was launched in the 1980s, but it is not the miracle that some claim.
Pre-Menstrual Syndrome
26/7/2010 | external link
Pre-Menstrual syndrome is a potentially debilitating cluster of up to 150 symptoms that affects up to a half of all women between the ages of 20 and 50.
Psoriasis
26/7/2010 | external link
A plant extract could signal a breakthrough in the treatment of a skin condition blighting the lives of one million sufferers in the UK.
Radiation sickness
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Exposure to radiation can cause devastating and long-lasting damage to the body's tissues.
Radon
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Radon is a gas that seeps into homes from radioactive rocks buried deep underground. If inhaled, it can cause cancer. Fortunately, it is easily dealt with.
Refugee health
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A large displaced population - such as that fleeing ethnic cleansing in Kosovo - has to contend with health risks such as disease and exposure.
Replantation surgery
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Surgeons can implant fingers to a healthy blood supply in the arm while they treat damaged hand tissue.
Rohypnol: The date rape drug
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Rohypnol is a legitimate drug used in the short-term treatment of sleep disorders, but has been abused for more sinister purposes.
Salt
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Salt is an essential component of a healthy diet, but many scientists believe too much can cause serious health problems such as stroke and heart disease.
Schizophrenia
26/7/2010 | external link
Schizophrenia is a severe and complex mental illness with a wide range of symptoms.
Self-harm
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People with a history of self-harm deliberately inflict injury upon themselves, for example, by cutting or burning themselves or taking an overdose.
Sexually transmitted infections
26/7/2010 | external link
There has been a big increase in sexually transmitted diseases. BBC News Online provides details of the most common forms.
Sickle cell anaemia
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People with sickle cell anaemia should be screened for a potentially fatal complication, scientists say.
Single Sided Deafness
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Single Sided Deafness (SSD) is the complete hearing loss in one ear.
Sleep disorders
26/7/2010 | external link
Trouble sleeping is a very common problem - and there are a variety of reasons why people can't get a sound night's rest.
Smoke inhalation
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Inhaling hot smoke can have a devastating effect on the delicate tissues of the respiratory system.
Smoking - the health effects
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Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease, says the World Health Organisation
Sudden death syndrome
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Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome is a disorder of the electrical system of the heart that can lead to the death of apparently healthy people without any warning.
Tamoxifen
26/7/2010 | external link
Tamoxifen has made a name for itself as a treatment for breast cancer. But how does it work and what are the side-effects?
Teenage drinking
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Doctors are worried about an apparent increase in the number of young teenagers who are drinking heavily.
Tourette Syndrome
26/7/2010 | external link
Tourette Syndrome is a complex and debilitating neurological disorder which is estimated to affect about 1% of the population
Tooth decay
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Tooth decay is one of the most common health complaints in the world.
Tuberculosis
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Health officials are struggling to contain an outbreak of TB in Leicestershire. BBC News online examines a disease which is posing a growing threat around the world.
Typhoid fever
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Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness which is common in many parts of the developing world.
Vibration White Finger
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Vibration White Finger is one form of Raynaud's Disease which causes the extremities to turn white and become painful or numb.
Vitamin B6
26/7/2010 | external link
More than one million people take vitamin B6 it to fight stress and increase energy. B6 is also used in conjunction with magnesium to treat autism.
