Dr. Mark R. Kaplan M.D.

Lupus is an autoimmune ailment. This means that instead of your body’s regular defense system attacking viruses and bacteria, it destroys healthy tissues. This causes swelling. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, hair loss, rashes, cognitive dysfunction, severe muscle and joint pain, ulcers in the...

Hematuria is the phenomenon in which traces of blood appear in the urine. It presents a unique problem because it is not a disease in itself. It is not infectious, nor is it capable of threatening a life. It is merely a warning sign that something is wrong inside the body. Though frightening in...

Swollen feet can be easily linked to pregnancy, standing for long hours, or injury by most people. These cases are often temporary and not a cause for concern. However, swollen feet can also be experienced by people without these factors and can be a sign of an underlying medical condition,...

Kidney stones are a condition that affects around 15 percent of the world's population. For reasons unknown, the condition's prevalence has increased over the last 30 years. Kidney stones more often affect men than women. What are kidney stones?Kidney stones or renal lithiasis is the formation of...

A kidney stone is a condition that occurs when the minerals and salts present in the urine become concentrated in high levels and eventually tend to crystallize. These crystallized formations can be seen as stones, and they often stick together. Kidney stones mostly form in the kidney. They start as...

When you pee and see a stream of rusty red urine, the sight fills you with a sense of dread. You suspect that the discoloration is due to the presence of blood. A pungent odor may fuel the anxiety. The only way to confirm suspicions is through a urinalysis recommended by a primary caregiver.  A...