Dr. Thomas M Hooton MD

What is HIV?HIV is a virus that was discovered in the 1980s. It attacks a person's immune system, causing it to be too weak to fight outside infections. The HIV virus works by destroying white blood cells, called CD4 cells, in the immune system, and progresses through three stages, the last of which...

Cold sores are small, painful blisters that form on the lips or skin around the nose, mouth, or chin. Also called as herpes labialis and fever blisters, cold sores are caused by a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. It usually begins in childhood or young adulthood and continues to persist...

What is Epiglottis?Epiglottis is a elastic flap of tissue that is shaped like a thin leaf and situated at the root of the tongue. It protects the opening between the vocal cords, known as the entrance of the glottis. Epiglottis is covered with mucous membrane, which is a yellow elastic cartilage...

Cholera is a dangerous infection that - upon development in the body of a human being - causes severe symptoms that can be fatal if not treated early and correctly. This infection is mostly characterized by watery diarrhea, which is the most common symptom of the infection. Watery diarrhea is a...

Lyme disease is caused by ticks where the bacteria enter the body through its bite. It takes about three to four days for the tick to settle in the body. The initial symptom of the bite is a rash. As the bacteria moves deeper into the system, the symptoms that can be experienced are muscle pain,...

As a child, you may not have contracted chicken pox, and you are wondering if you can get shingles. The answer is a simple yes. However, you don’t need to panic or get sweaty over this revelation. It does not mean that you must get shingles in the future, but there is a possibility you could...