Video Blog : Types of Muscles

Common Disorders of the Integumentary System

Here are some of the common disorders of the skin leaving scabs, itches, and bumps that are very sensitive and painful :

*Acne - When sebaceous glands oversecrete sebum clogging hair follicles, pimples formed when infected by bacteria.

*Athlete's foot - Caused by fungus infection that itches the toes and forms fungi-like scabs on the foot. This usually occurs in damp places and in athletes too.

*Skin cancer - One of the deadliest disorders of the skin. This is caused by overexposure of sunlight (ultraviolet rays) destroying melanocytes resulting in small bumps with a crusted center on it.

*Dermatitis - Inflammation of the skin with red or pink rashes.

*Psoriasis - Inflammation of the skin with a grayish-white scabs of dead skin cells.

*Vitiligo - A skin disorder in which the loss of melanocytes (cells that produce the color pigment melanin) results in patches of smooth, milky white skin.

Integumentary System

Integumentary system is also known as our "skin". It serves as a protection from foreign agents aside from the immune system. This is the first line of our defense. Without it, our white blood cells may not be able to perform their tasks well from defending our body. The skin also serves as storage for vitamin D and provides sense of touch which allows us to detect danger and pain in an environment. What's more amazing about our skin is that it can adapt and adjust our temperature in different environments.

The skin is divided into three layers. First is the epidermis which is the skin itself. Though it has no blood vessels, it contains dead skin cells which are to be replaced by new skin cells when it is damaged. Dermis is the second layer of the skin which is considered to be the "true skin". Because it contains blood vessels and has dense connective tissues surrounding. It also has elastic fibers which when we try to pull our skin it forms back like what Mr. Fantastic does from the Fantastic 4. Finally, the subcutaneous fascia, the innermost layer, has still elastic fiber to support the dermis but has lipocytes for insulation and padding that are attached to the muscles.

Of course, the integumentary system wouldn't be complete without the aid of sweat glands. Sweat glands are also part of the skin which acts as storage and carries out heat away from the body. There are two types of sweat glands. Apocrine glands are the ones which are secreted at the hair follicles while eccrine glands are secreted all over the skin and not from hair follicles.

We may be wondering how the skin heals itself. Well first, when the skin is wounded it calls out the platelets to clot the wounded part. Then as it clots it hardens and forms a scab. After a scab is formed white blood cells then took place in guarding the scab from foreign agents causing infection. While the white blood cells are guarding, the production of new cells form and then the skin is healed.

How about if the skin is burned? It is really dangerous isn't it? Obviously it is, and it is a main threat for the skin. There are depths of burns at which point the skin can be damaged.
1st burn - partly epidermis, no pain, takes 2-3 days to recover
2nd burn - entire epidermis and portion of the dermis, redness, pain, and blisters, takes 10-14 days of recovery
3rd burn - all three layers that can't be felt any pain
4th burn - affecting the bone

Other parts of the integumentary system are the nails and hair. Nails are specialized cells orginated from the nail root while hair is composed of kerotin and melanin that makes our hair turn color black. Melanocytes and melanin are the ones responsible for the color pigment of our skin and hair. Carotenes are the ones which makes our skin yellow from the yellow race or the Mongolians.

Common Disorders of the Muscular System

Diseases and other abormal conditions of our muscles are divided into neural and skeletal disorders. They are known also to cause paralysis like the ones in the skeletal system because they eat the bone cells which are very significant in the development of our bones gradually affecting our muscles that affects our movement. Here are some of the disorders :

A.Muscoskeletal
*Shin Splits - inflammation of the lower legs
*Tendinitis - inflammation of the tendons (all parts)
*Myalgia - pain of a muscle
*Fibromyalgia - occurs mostly at women under 40 years old
*Ataia - irregular action of muscles
*Spasm - abnormal contraction of muscles
*Sprains - breaks in ligaments
*Strains - breaks in tendons
B.Neuromuscular
*Myasthenia gravis - increasing muscle weakness
*Muscular Dystrophy - muscle weakness by inheritance
*Guillain Barre Syndrome - loss of reflexes
*Tetanus - major spasm
*Paralysis - lost functions of muscular movement
*Paraplegia - paralysis on lower parts of the body
*Quadplegia - paralysis on both arms and legs
*Hemiplegia - paralysis only on side of a body

Common Disorders of the Skeletal System

Here are some of the diseases of our bones causing paralysis and death among Filipino men & women at any age :

*Osteoporosis - It occurs especially in women after the menopause in which the bones become very porous, break easily, and heal slowly. It may lead to curvature of the spine after the vertebrae collapse.

*Bone cancer - leads to paralysis

*Osteocsarcoma - affects males commonly between ages 10-25 years old

*Erwing's sarcoma - triggers the bone marrows

*Lymphomas - more on the lymph nodes

*Chondrosarcoma - attacks cartilage cells

*Fibrosarcoma - causes primary malignant tumours that damages the bone cells itself