Glossary - U

Uterine Malignancy

Uterine Malignancy is a disease with two forms: endometrial cancer and sarcomas. Endometrial cancer is described as a malignancy of the endometrial lining of the uterus. Its tumor grade ranges from low to high. The cell types are adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous (benign or malignant squamous elements), clear cell, and papillary serous. Sarcomas are best described as mixed muellerian sarcoma, involving heterologous elements not naive to the muellerian systems, such as cartilage or bone, and homologous elements naive to the muellerian system. Endometrial stromal sarcoma develops from the stromal component of the endometrium. Leiomyosarcoma develops in the myometrium or in a myoma. The reproductive system is affected. The genetic origins are unknown. The prevalence in the United States is 35,000 annually. The predominant age is the postmenopausal period in general; it also affects young women with polycystic ovarian disease or chronic anovulation. For sarcomas, the predominant age is between the forties and sixties.

The signs and symptoms are as follows: In endometrial cancer: postmenopausal bleeding, pap smear rarely positive, and passing of tissue. In sarcoma: bleeding and prolapsing tissue, and increasing size of presumed uterine myomas. The causes of endometrial cancer are polycystic ovarian disease, obesity, chronic anovulation, and estrogen replacement therapy. The causes of sarcoma are unknown. The risk factors involved are early menarche, late menopause, nulliparity, and hypertension and diabetes.

Urticaria

Urticaria is a disease involving an itchy rash, single or multiple superficial raised pale macules with red halo. It subsides rapidly, without any scars or change in pigmentation. It is recurrent. Acute urticaria, a branch, involves response to many stimuli, IgE-mediated histamine release from mast cells, idiosyncratic response to drug exposure, and it subsides over several hours. Chronic urticaria, another form, usually lasts for six weeks. It is not mediated by IgE. The forms are as follows: Cold urticaria, which can be caused from cooling or re-warming. It can be fatal, and is associated with fever, chills, arthralgia, myalgia, headache, and lymphocytes; Cholinergic urticaria, also known as heat urticaria, which is associated with wheals on the upper trunk overheating and hot showers; Exercise-induced urticaria, caused from extreme exercise, which is associated with cholinergic urticaria, angioedema, wheezing, hypotension, and eating food that the patient is allergic to; Dermatographism, which is associated with linear flare and wheal resulting from scratching the skin; Solar urticaria, which results from exposure to the sun, involves several types based on wavelength; Delayed pressure urticaria, which occurs 4-6 hours after pressure to skin (elastic, shoes, etc.); Aquagenic urticaria, which is rare, is associated with small wheals, after contact with water; and, Idiopathic urticaria, which can be acute or chronic.

The skin/endocrine systems are primarily involved. There is no known consistent genetic pattern. The prevalence in the U.S. is 1 in 1000, affecting 15%-20% of the population. It affects all ages, with acute occurring mainly in children and young adults. There is no bias for sex. The signs and symptoms are as follows: It is seen alone or with angioedema, a generalized anaphylactic reaction (potentially fatal), single or multiple raised, blanched, central wheals surrounded by red flare, intensely pruritic, variably sized (1-2 mm to 15-20 cm or larger), rapid onset (resolves spontaneously in less then 48 hours). The causes range as follows: allergic or non-allergic, massive histamine release from mast cells in superficial dermis, drug reaction either from allergy or idiosyncracy, aspirin, food or food additive allergy, inhalant, contact, or ingestant allergy, transfusion reaction, insect bite or sting, infection (which could be viral or bacterial, fungal or helminthic), collagen vascular disease (cutaneous vasculitis, serum sickness, lupus), physical trauma (heat, cold, sunlight, etc.), emotional stress (reported), and histamine-releasing autoantibodies have been identified in some cases of chronic idiopathic urticaria.

 

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