Disabling Condition: Genitourinary Problems

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Editorial Board

Genitourinary conditions  include chronic renal (kidney) disease (chronic glomerulnephritis, hypertensive renal vascular disease, diabetic nephropathy, chronic obstructive uropathy, and hereditary nephropathies) nephritic syndrome.

Kidney

  1. Do you have a shunt or are you going to be on dialysis?
  2. If your kidney is malfunctioning, have you had these symptoms:  fluid buildup in your stomach, swelling fatigue, shortness of breath, hypertension, heart failure, nerve damage, weak/soft/thinning bones, excess protein in your urine?

This body system is also called the excretory system because the organs involved (kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra) filter out (excrete) waste, toxins and excess water from our blood.  When this internal plumbing system is not functioning properly, an overload of these substances can accumulate in the body resulting in swelling and eventual damage (weak bones, neuropathy, and loss of lung capacity).  When the kidney fails and dialysis (an artificial replacement for lost kidney function) is the only option, Social Security will consider the condition disabling.

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Disabling Condition: Pancreatitis

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Editorial Board

Social Security does not list pancreatitis but when severe, it is similar to other digestive disorders such as liver or crohn’s disease.

Pancreatitis

  1. Have you been diagnosed with acute or chronic pancreatitis?
  2. Is it painful?  If so, is it constant, or does it flare?
  3. Have you had x-rays, CT scans or ultrasounds of your stomach?
  4. Do you drink alcohol?

Pancreatitis is a very painful disease.  But Social Security usually only considers chronic pancreatitis disabling.  If the condition is acute and exacerbations are associated with alcohol consumption, benefits will not likely be awarded.  Social Security will consider the alcohol use as causing disability rather than the pancreatitis and the individual may also be regarded as being in non-compliance with medical treatment.

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Disabling Condition: Fibromyalgia

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Editorial Board

Social Security does not list fibromyalgia but when severe, fibromyalgia is similar to autoimmune disorders and can be just as disabling.

Fibromyalgia

1.             If you have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, has a rheumatologist done a tender point examination?

2.             If you experience flare ups, what is the duration and frequency?

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points.  The American College of Rheumatology has developed criteria for diagnosing the condition when at least 11 of 18 points on the body are tender when touched.  Social Security currently accepts these diagnostic criteria.  However, this may change as researchers now regard the condition as a “disorder of pain signaling, arising in the central nervous system.”   As such, doctors may start to treat fibromyalgia as a neurological disorder as they learn more about the condition.

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Disabling Condition: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Editorial Board

Social Security does not list these conditions but when severe they are similar to a musculoskeletal disorder which limits the use of the limbs (arms or legs).

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRDS)

  1. D you have severe burning pain in a limb occurring after trauma or surgery?
  2. Does the limb sweat, change color or temperature?
  3. Are you sensitive to light touch?

RSD/CRDS result from an injury, disease or even surgery to a limb (arm/leg).  It is characterized by severe but unusual pain in the affected limb.  It often spreads to the other limb.  It is thought to be a dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system (which regulates our involuntary physiological responses to stressful stimuli.)  Other characteristics of the disorder include the following symptoms of the affected limb(s): swelling, changes in skin color or texture, changes in sweating (decreased or excessive sweating), skin temperature changes, or abnormal pilomotor erection (gooseflesh), abnormal hair or nail growth (growth can be either too slow or too fast),  osteoporosis,  involuntary movements of the affected region of the initial injury.

Because of the discomfort, sufferers may become unable to use the limb.  If the condition spreads to another limb, they may have a condition which is just as disabling as joint impairments causing loss of use found in the musculoskeletal listings.

Posted in Bone & Joint Problems, Fibromyalgia | 2 Comments