Chinyemba/medical-QA huggingface dataset:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you about your medications, diet, alcohol use, and about any family history of gout. Your doctor will examine you, and he or she will look at your painful joints and search your skin for tophi. Your doctor may use a sterile needle to remove a sample of fluid from your inflamed joint. This joint fluid will be examined in a laboratory for microscopic uric acid crystals, which confirm the diagnosis of gouty arthritis. Your doctor also may order blood tests to assess the function of your kidneys and to measure the level of uric acid in your blood. Imaging tests, such as ultrasound or CT scanning, can also be useful to diagnose gout.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: Expected duration

Without treatment, the pain of gouty arthritis usually lasts for several days, but it is most intense during the first 24 to 36 hours. The interval between attacks varies a lot. Some people have them every few weeks, while others go years between attacks. After several gout attacks, a joint may take longer to improve or stay inflamed and painful.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: Prevention

To help prevent gout:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: Treatment

To treat an attack of gouty arthritis, your doctor usually will begin by prescribing a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as indomethacin (Indocin), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others) or naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn and others). Moderate to high dose aspirin should be avoided because it can raise the level of uric acid in your blood (although low dose aspirin for prevention of heart disease or stroke has little effect on gout). If you cannot tolerate an NSAID, or if these drugs don't work for you, your doctor may suggest a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids are most commonly given orally or injected directly into the affected joint. A drug called colchicine may be used, but it often causes unpleasant side effects (such as nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea) before it helps the arthritis. In rare cases an injectable medication, including anakinra or canakinumab, may be recommended, especially if other options are not effective. To reduce uric acid in the body and prevent attacks of gout, your doctor may prescribe allopurinol (Aloprim, Zyloprim) or febuxostat (Uloric) to make your body produce less uric acid. Genetic testing (for a variant called HLA-B*5801) may be recommended to determine whether there is a high risk of an allergic reaction to allopurinol. Another option to lower uric acid is to take a medication (such as Probenecid) that makes your kidneys excrete more uric acid than usual. Another medication to lower uric acid is pegloticase (Krystexxa), which may be given along with methotrexate to prevent drug reactions and improve its effectiveness. In some countries, other medications are available to lower uric acid, including lesinurad, benzbromarone, and sulfinpyrazone. These medications are prescribed less often because allopurinol works so well for most people with gout. Medications to lower uric acid levels are usually taken indefinitely. If discontinued, the uric acid level will usually rise again and attacks of gout are likely to resume. When your doctor prescribes a medication to reduce uric acid in your blood, he or she also should prescribe a second medication to prevent a gout attack. That's because any change in uric acid levels, up or down, can trigger an attack. These preventive medications include a low dose of colchicine or a low dose of an NSAID. Once the uric acid is lowered enough for a prolonged period (about 6 months), the preventive medication can be stopped. Treatment to lower uric acid may be recommended when:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor whenever you have pain and swelling in a joint. If you have had gout in the past, your doctor may suggest you have NSAIDs available so you can take them at the earliest sign of an attack.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: Prognosis

More than 50% of people who have had one attack of gouty arthritis will have a second, usually within six months to two years. For people with more severe disease, long-term preventive medication is highly effective at lowering uric acid, which can prevent attacks and, over months to years, cause tophi to resolve.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Gout

: Additional info

Arthritis Foundationhttps://www.arthritis.org/ American College of Rheumatologyhttps://www.rheumatology.org/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: What is it?

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare disease marked by inflammation of the blood vessels. The condition is potentially life-threatening. It was formerly called Wegener's granulomatosis. In GPA, inflammation damages the walls of small- and medium-sized arteries and veins. This damage interferes with normal blood supply to nearby tissues. As a result, tissues in many parts of the body may be injured and destroyed. Tissues affected by GPA contain islands of inflamed cells. These are called granulomas. Three areas in the body are affected most commonly:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Symptoms

When GPA first develops, most people have upper respiratory complaints. Common symptoms of GPA include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Diagnosis

Your doctor may suspect GPA if you have:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Expected duration

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis can rapidly lead to death in people with multiple affected organs that do not get appropriate treatment. With treatment, symptoms can go away for long periods. However, setbacks are common. Most people are in treatment and under a doctor's supervision for at least two years from the time of diagnosis.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Prevention

There is no known way to prevent granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Treatment

Initial treatment for granulomatosis with polyangiitis usually includes the anti-inflammatory corticosteroid drug prednisone. For milder or more limited disease, your doctor may also recommend treatment with the drug methotrexate (Folex, Rheumatrex). For active or severe disease, your doctor may recommend treatment with a combination of two drugs: prednisone along with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) or rituximab (Rituxan). Cyclophosphamide and rituximab are powerful immune-suppressing medications. As your symptoms subside, your doctor will try to reduce the dosage of each drug gradually. Once your condition improves and you've taken cyclophosphamide or rituximab for three to six months, your doctor may suggest switching medications. He or she may recommend methotrexate, azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan), or other immune-suppressing medications. Treatment lasting a year or more is common; longer periods of treatment may be necessary if disease control is interrupted by periods of active disease. Cyclophosphamide can cause serious side effects such as bladder damage (especially bleeding) and an increased risk of bladder cancer. Cyclophosphamide and rituximab increase a person's risk of serious infections. If you develop serious side effects related to these medications, your doctor may prescribe an alternative medication. A procedure called plasmapheresis may help some people. In this procedure, blood is filtered and returned to the body. This procedure may help because it removes harmful antibodies but details about why it may work are unknown.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: When to call a professional

See your doctor if you have a chronic stuffy nose, runny nose, nosebleeds or cough. Keep in mind that even with these symptoms, it's likely that you have a sinus or viral infection as these conditions are much more common than granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Prognosis

With treatment, more than 85% of people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis survive for seven years or longer after diagnosis. With treatment, most people with the condition enter remission. However, as many as half will relapse when medication is reduced or stopped. Those who do not relapse may remain in remission for many years, often without needing more medication.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

: Additional info

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/
 
American College of Rheumatology

http://www.rheumatology.org/
 
Vasculitis Foundation

https://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Graves' Disease

: What Is It?

Graves' disease is a disorder of the immune system that causes the thyroid gland to become overactive. It is an autoimmune disorder, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells instead of protecting them from outside invaders. In Graves' disease, the body's immune system makes abnormal chemicals called immunoglobulins that stimulate the thyroid gland to make too much thyroid hormone. This overactive thyroid state is called hyperthyroidism. Doctors don't know what causes Graves' disease, but the fact that it tends to run in families indicates that the disease may have a genetic (inherited) component. It is possible that the abnormal production of immunoglobulins is triggered by some unknown factor in the environment, and the immune system fails to stop this overproduction because of an inherited defect.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Graves' eye disease (Graves' ophthalmopathy)

: What is it?

Graves' eye disease, also called Graves' ophthalmopathy, is a problem that develops in people with an overactive thyroid caused by Graves' disease. Up to one-half of people with Graves' disease develop eye symptoms. Usually the eye symptoms are mild and easily treated.   Eye problems result from the swelling of tissues, muscles and fat in the socket behind the eye. This swelling causes exophthalmos, an abnormal protrusion of the eye, commonly associated with Graves' disease. The eyelids and membranes may retract as they swell. This can lead to exposure and infection of the cornea. The cornea is the transparent, dome-shaped "window" that lies directly over the eye's pupil and iris.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: What is it?

Guillain-Barr' syndrome is an uncommon disorder that causes damage to the peripheral nerves. These nerves send messages from the brain to the muscles, instructing the muscles to move. They also carry sensations such as pain from the body to the brain. The nerve damage often causes muscle weakness, often to the point of paralysis, and can cause problems with sensation, including pain, tingling, "crawling skin" or a certain amount of numbness. Guillain-Barr' syndrome can become a medical emergency if the weakness affects the chest muscles responsible for breathing. If chest muscles become paralyzed, the patient can die from lack of oxygen. People with this syndrome must be carefully monitored, usually in a hospital, to make sure that breathing and other vital functions are maintained. Guillain-Barr' syndrome happens when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath, which wraps around long nerve cell bodies much like insulation around a water pipe. Myelin protects the nerve and helps to speed the transmission of electrical impulses down the nerve. If the myelin is destroyed, nerve impulses travel very slowly and can become disrupted. If muscles don't get proper stimulation through the nerves, they will not function properly. Most cases of Guillain-Barr' syndrome occur after an infection. The most common infectious trigger is Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterial intestinal infection that causes diarrhea. This nerve condition also can happen following a viral infection, including the common cold, influenza, and COVID-19. Occasionally, Guillain-Barr' syndrome seems to follow immunization.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Symptoms

Symptoms of Guillain-Barr' syndrome vary from person to person and may be mild or severe. Most often, the first obvious symptom is weakness, and most often the weakness is felt in both legs. Over time, the weakness often involves the arms or head, affecting eye and head movement and speech. Occasionally, the weakness will affect the arms or muscles of the head before affecting the legs. Sometimes the weakness is preceded or accompanied by a sensation of tingling, most often in the lower legs and feet. Guillain-Barr' syndrome can affect the body's autonomic nervous system and impair control of blood pressure, leading to dangerously low blood pressure when the person rises to stand after lying down or sitting. The disorder may progress quickly, with most patients experiencing the worst weakness of legs, arms, chest and other muscle groups within three weeks of the start of the disease. In some cases, the weakness may worsen very rapidly. When this happens, weakness in the legs can become complete paralysis of the legs, arms and muscles of breathing within a day or two. For that reason, a person who develops sudden weakness in the legs or arms should contact a doctor immediately. The weakness may last days, weeks or months before sensation begins to return. Returning to pre-illness strength and functioning can take months or years. Most patients return to normal within months.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Diagnosis

Guillain-Barr' syndrome can be difficult to diagnose in its earliest stages because other disorders may have similar symptoms, and because the exact symptoms experienced may vary from patient to patient. Your doctor will ask you about your medical history and your symptoms. Two tests may be performed to help your doctor determine the diagnosis:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Expected duration

There is no way to predict how long Guillain-Barr' syndrome will last. The symptoms usually reach their peak by about the third week of the disorder. The symptoms can remain at that level for days, weeks or months, and then gradually get better. Strength slowly returns. It may take only several weeks or as long as three years. Most people recover completely within a few months, but some never regain full strength and may require surgery, physical therapy or orthopedic appliances to correct problems or train the body to adapt.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Prevention

Because no one knows what causes Guillain-Barr' syndrome, there is no way to prevent it.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Treatment

Most patients with Guillain-Barr' syndrome are hospitalized, because the disorder can weaken the chest muscles to such an extent that breathing becomes difficult or impossible. In a hospital, patients can be monitored and put on a respirator, if necessary. If Guillain-Barr' syndrome causes paralysis of the leg or arm muscles, the affected person will need help with activities of daily living such as eating and eliminating wastes. Close monitoring of cardiac function and blood pressure and other supportive care (including psychological support, pain control, skin care, prevention of blood clots, and physical therapy) are also important. Two treatments have been shown to reduce the severity of Guillain-Barr' syndrome and speed recovery:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: When to call a professional

Call a health care professional immediately if you experience weakness in your legs, arms or the muscles of your head that gets worse over a few hours or days.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Prognosis

The long-term outlook for Guillain-Barr' syndrome is generally good. Most patients recover fully, although it can take months or years to regain pre-illness strength and movement. About 30% of patients still have some weakness three years after the illness strikes. About 3% of patients have weakness and tingling return years later.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Guillain-Barre syndrome

: Additional info

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/
 
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

https://www.aan.com/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: What Is It?

Hair loss can range from mild hair thinning to total baldness. Hair can fall out for many different reasons. Medically, hair loss falls into several categories, including:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: Symptoms

We normally lose approximately 50 to 100 scalp hairs each day. If more than this is falling out, you may find unusually large amounts of hair in brushes, on clothing, and in the drains of sinks and tubs. You may also notice that your hair is generally thinner, that your part is wider, that your hairline has changed or that one or more bald patches have appeared.  When hair loss is the result of telogen effluvium or medication side effects, the hair loss usually is all over the head, while in tinea infections and alopecia areata, the hair loss occurs in small patches. Also, tinea infections can cause additional symptoms, such as scaling of the scalp or areas of broken hairs that look like black dots. In traumatic alopecia, the area of hair loss depends on the method of hair injury and follows the pattern inflicted by hot rollers, braiding or chemical treatments. In male-pattern baldness, the hairline usually begins to recede at the temples first, followed by thinning at the top of the head. Gradually, the crown area becomes totally bald, leaving a fringe of hair around the back and sides of the head.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: Diagnosis

Your doctor will diagnose the cause of your hair loss based on your medical history, the medications you take, your nutritional status, your hairdressing habits and a physical examination. If your doctor suspects a fungal infection of your scalp, he or she may take a hair sample for laboratory testing. Blood tests probably will be needed if your doctor suspects a medical illness (such as lupus) or a thyroid problem, iron deficiency or sex-hormone imbalance.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: Expected Duration

How long hair loss lasts depends on the cause. In telogen effluvium, for example, hair usually is lost over several weeks to months, but then grows back over the next several months. When hair loss is a side effect of a medication, hair growth usually returns to normal once the drug is stopped. If you are losing hair because of abusive hairdressing, the hair loss usually stops after you change to more natural styling, except in traction alopecia, which results from years of pulling the hair back in tight braids. In tinea scalp infection, the fungus that causes the problem must be treated for at least 6 to 12 weeks and hair regrowth may be slow. Early treatment is important in preventing possible permanent hair loss. Both male- and female-pattern baldness tend to get worse over time but can be treated.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: Prevention

Some forms of hair loss can be prevented by minimizing stress, eating a healthy diet and using sensible hairdressing techniques, and, if possible, switching to medications that do not cause hair loss. Hair loss from fungal infections can be prevented by keeping hair clean and by never sharing hats, combs or brushes with other people. Hair loss from hereditary-pattern baldness can sometimes be prevented by medication.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: Treatment

Hair loss resulting from telogen effluvium or drug side effects usually requires no treatment other than discontinuing the medication that is causing the problem. Limiting trauma or chemical exposure (such as use of a blow dryer, hair straightener, coloring or perms) may limit or stop hair loss. Hair loss from poor nutrition or medical illness usually stops with the adoption of a healthy diet and treatment of the underlying medical condition. Treatment of fungal scalp infection requires 6 to 12 weeks of oral medication, such as terbinafine (Lamisil) or itraconazole (Sporanox), with or without shampoos containing selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue, Head & Shoulders, others) or ketoconazole (Nizoral). Alopecia areata can be treated with a corticosteroid that is injected or applied to the skin. Other treatments for this condition include anthralin cream (Drithocreme, DrithoScalp, Psoriatec), minoxidil (Loniten, Rogain) or a combination of these therapies.  Many men and women with hereditary-pattern baldness do not seek treatment for hair loss. For those who do seek medical treatment, initial therapy is usually topical minoxidil (Rogaine).  Men can also be treated with oral finasteride (Propecia, Proscar) or dutasteride (Avodart) or they can choose hair transplants or scalp-reduction surgery.  Premenopausal women may be treated with estrogen or spironolactone while finasteride may be recommended for postmenopausal women.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: When To Call A Professional

Call your doctor whenever you are concerned about hair loss, especially if you are having other unexplained symptoms.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hair Loss

: Prognosis

Many forms of hair loss are either self-limited (telogen effluvium or drug side effects) or respond to treatment with medication (tinea capitis). Even hereditary-pattern baldness tends to improve with treatment. However, treatment must continue indefinitely. In some conditions, hair loss cannot be reversed, especially if scarring has developed (as can happen in lupus-related scalp disease).
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: What Is It?

The smallest four toes of each foot have three bony segments connected by two joints, just as the fingers do. Hammertoe is a deformity in which one or more of the small toes develops a bend at the joint between the first and second segments so that the tip of the toe turns downward, making it looks like a hammer or claw. The second toe is affected most often.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: Symptoms

The symptoms of hammertoe include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: Diagnosis

Most health care professionals can diagnose hammertoe simply by examining your toes and feet. X-rays of the feet are not needed to diagnose hammertoe, but they may be useful to look for signs of some types of arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis) or other disorders that can cause hammertoe. If the deformed toe is very painful, your doctor may recommend that you have a fluid sample withdrawn from the joint with a needle so the fluid can be checked for signs of infection or gout (arthritis from crystal deposits).
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: Expected Duration

Unless treated, hammertoe is permanent.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: Prevention

Most cases of hammertoe can be prevented by wearing shoes that fit properly and give the toes plenty of room. Some recommended guidelines include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: Treatment

Treating hammertoe involves straightening the toe, making tendons in the toes flexible again, and preventing the problem from returning. Some simple treatments include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Hammertoe

: When To Call A Professional

Make an appointment with a health care professional if you experience pain in your toes or feet that lasts longer than several days. If one or more of your toes begins curling, see your doctor or a podiatrist (foot doctor) to discuss early treatment to avoid hammertoe. If you already have hammertoe and find it bothersome, call a health care professional for an evaluation.  If you have diabetes and experience any toe or foot pain or toe problems, including hammertoe or corns, see a physician promptly to avoid potential infection or skin complications.