Dr. Stephen B Devenport MD

Pleurisy: What Is It?Pleurisy or pleuritis is the inflammation of the membranes that line your lungs and the inside of your chest wall. The pleura are made of two layers – the visceral pleura and the parietal pleura. The visceral pleura line your lungs, and the parietal pleura line the inside of...

Gaining weight? Feeling colder? Feeling depressed? Hypothyroidism could be the reason behind it.What is hypothyroidism?Also known as low thyroid or underactive thyroid, hypothyroidism is characterized by underactive thyroid glands that fail to produce an adequate amount of thyroid hormones. These...

You probably want to lose visceral fat for improved health. Visceral fat is the fat located deep inside the abdomen. It has several components, which include fat in the intestines (mesenteric fat), around the kidneys (intrarenal fat), and some bits of fat near the uterus or testes. Unlike other...

Brief AnatomyThe back is composed of layers of muscles that hold the spinal column in place. It is involved in moving, twisting, and bending, which is why the back is prone to muscle strain.The spinal column is made up of vertebrae that are divided into five regions. The spinal column provides...

Our human bodies are a complex network of nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and visceral organs. While our skin is the outermost layer holding everything together, on the inside, it is a network of strong muscle fibers that hold all our internal organs in place. A hernia occurs when there is a weak...

Oliguria is a medical term used when referring to a decreased urine output. Oliguria is considered when a person’s urine output is less than 400 mL in a 24-hour period. When it comes to infants, oliguria occurs when the urine output is less than 0.5 mL/kg/hr for 24 hours. Anuria is the absence...