1. Etiology – How is the disease caused? Is it genetic? Infectious? Any environmental factors? If no known cause is known, discuss possible causes. What are some factors that increase or decrease the risk of having the disease? How does the disease disrupt homeostasis in the body?
2. Symptomatology – Discuss clinical characteristics and symptoms of your disorder. By this description, the reader should have an appreciation of what it is like to have this disease. Which body system(s) are primarily affected? Remember, morbidity is the chance of expressing symptoms of disease, and mortality is the degree to which the symptoms may cause death
3. Treatment – Discuss how the disease can be treated. Include survival statistics as applicable, chances of cure and advantages/disadvantages of treatment options. If a cure is not possible, discuss how the symptoms are managed.
4. Current Research – What research is being conducted regarding your disease? Are there clinical trials that may provide clues to its cause or offer treatments? What recent discoveries have occurred that may help scientists and doctors understand the condition better? NIH (National Institute of Health) is a great source for information regarding current clinical trials. This section should be cited with primary sources.
