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

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: What is chickenpox (varicella)?

Chickenpox is an infection that causes an itchy, blistering rash and is very contagious, meaning it is spread easily from one person to another. It is caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which enters the body through the mouth and nose after contact with an infected person. 

 A person with chickenpox can spread the disease to someone else from one day before the rash appears until all chickenpox blisters have crusted over. Once someone has had a chickenpox infection, he or she almost always develops a lifelong immunity, meaning that person usually does not get chickenpox a second time. Chickenpox is very contagious, and spreads easily with household or other close contact among people who are not immune. In the past, chickenpox cases often occurred in groups (epidemics), usually during the late winter and early spring. However, the number of cases of chickenpox has dropped dramatically because of the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, which was licensed in 1995 and is recommended for all children. Chickenpox is an uncomfortable infection that, in most cases, goes away by itself. However, chickenpox also has been associated with serious complications, including death. About one of every 100 children infected with chickenpox will develop a severe lung infection (pneumonia), an infection of the brain (encephalitis), or a problem with the liver. Dangerous skin infections also can occur. Before the introduction of the vaccine, about 100,000 people were hospitalized and 100 people in the United States died each year of chickenpox, most of them previously healthy children. Adolescents and adults who develop chickenpox are also at high risk of developing serious complications. After a person has chickenpox, the virus typically lives silently in the nervous system of the body for the rest of a person's life. It may reactivate (come to life again) at any time. This is more likely to happen when the body's immune defenses are weakened by stress or illness (such as cancer or HIV infection) or by medications that weaken the immune system. The most common reason for the virus to reactivate is getting older. Reactivation of the virus causes a condition called herpes zoster, commonly known a shingles. It's a painful blistering skin rash that typically occurs on the face, chest or back, in the same area where one or two of the body's sensory nerves travel.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Symptoms of chickenpox

Symptoms of chickenpox begin between 10 and 21 days after a person is exposed. The illness typically includes fever and a generally sick feeling. This is soon followed by itchy, red bumps that quickly become fluid-filled and are easily recognized as chickenpox. The rash usually begins on the head, face and trunk and moves outward to the arms and legs. These skin blisters are round, about 5 millimeters to 10 millimeters across (about the size of a pencil eraser), with a red base. Sometimes, they are described as a "dew drop on a rose petal." They appear in various stages over the next few days and eventually crust over. These blisters may appear anywhere there is skin, even inside the mouth, throat or vagina. Some patients have only 50 blisters or fewer. Others have too many to count.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Diagnosing chickenpox

If you or someone in your household develops a skin rash suggestive of chicken pox, call your doctor. He or she may suspect chickenpox over the phone, especially if that person has not had the chickenpox vaccine or the chickenpox disease before. Your doctor will most likely want to examine you. Be sure to ask the doctor's staff about where you should enter the office to avoid exposing other patients. Your doctor will want to know whether you have been exposed to someone with chickenpox, although this is not necessary to make the diagnosis. He or she can most often make the diagnosis based on your symptoms and the typical appearance of the skin rash. Diagnostic blood tests are also available, but they do not need to be done in most patients. Sometimes your physician may scrape a chickenpox blister to examine it under the microscope.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Expected duration of chickenpox

Chickenpox blisters form over a period of 3 to 5 days and then crust over during the next 7 to 10 days.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Preventing chickenpox

Chickenpox once was considered to be an unavoidable childhood illness, meaning everyone would get it. However, since the varicella vaccine was licensed, this disease can be prevented easily. The standard recommendation is to give the first dose of varicella vaccine between age 12 and 15 months and again when the child is 3- 4 years old, but the second dose can be given as soon as three months after the first. The vaccine also is recommended when someone who has never had the disease or vaccine before has been exposed to someone with active chickenpox. This may help to prevent that person from getting the disease. Some people are at high risk of serious complications from chickenpox, including people who have problems with their immune system, certain pregnant women, and premature infants. If a person at high risk is exposed to someone with chickenpox, an injection of varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG) also may help to prevent chickenpox. VZIG contains protective antibodies against chickenpox that are taken from the blood of healthy people who have high levels of protection against the chickenpox virus. However, VZIG rarely is given unless a person at risk of serious complications has been exposed to someone with chickenpox for more than one hour.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Treating chickenpox

Doctors can use an antiviral medication such acyclovir (Zovirax) or valacyclovir (Valtrex) to help minimize the symptoms of chickenpox in adults. It is most effective if it is started within the first 24 hours after the onset of the rash. Any parent without a personal history of chickenpox whose child develops chickenpox should call his or her own doctor right away to see whether treatment is recommended. Otherwise healthy children who get chickenpox do not usually need antiviral medication. Most of the treatment for chickenpox focuses on relieving the annoying itch of chickenpox blisters and preventing broken blisters from getting infected from scratching. Oatmeal baths and calamine lotion can help to reduce the itchiness. Trim fingernails to decrease the risk of infection and scarring from scratching. If itchiness cannot be controlled with baths and lotion, oral (taken by mouth) antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl and other brand names), may give some relief. Use a non-aspirin medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brand names) to lower your child's fever. Never give aspirin to a child with chickenpox because it can cause Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal illness. Sometimes, chickenpox blisters can become infected with bacteria and require antibiotic treatment.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor if any child or adult in your family develops symptoms of chickenpox, especially if:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Prognosis

In otherwise healthy children, chickenpox is usually a mild infection, with the skin returning to normal within two to four weeks. Sometimes, a few mild scars remain where some of the chickenpox rash had been. Scratching the blisters can result in more noticeable scars. Remember that in a very small number of cases, chickenpox causes more serious infections that require hospitalization and sometimes cause long-term disability and death.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chickenpox (varicella)

: Additional info

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

https://www.cdc.gov/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: What is chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection spread by having unprotected sex with someone infected with bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. These bacteria are found in the urine and genital secretions of infected people. Chlamydia can affect several areas of the reproductive system, causing urethritis, vaginitis, cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Chlamydia also can cause eye infections and pneumonia in newborns delivered by mothers who have chlamydia. Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Infections occur most often in unmarried people under age 25 who have had two or more sex partners during the previous year. In women, chlamydia that is not treated can lead to infertility, chronic pelvic pain and tubal pregnancy, in which the fertilized egg implants and grows in the fallopian tube, rather than the uterus.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Symptoms of chlamydia

About 75% of women and 50% of men with chlamydia have no symptoms. This is why many infected people remain untreated and can continue to spread the infection to others. In women, chlamydia can cause:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Diagnosing chlamydia

Because chlamydia may not cause any symptoms, your doctor will gauge your risk of having the infection based on your sexual history. For example, your doctor will ask if you have had sex without using condoms. Your doctor can confirm whether you have chlamydia by using a urine test or a swab to collect fluid from the urethra or cervix. If you are at risk of chlamydia, you should be tested at least once a year, even if you have no symptoms.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Expected duration of chlamydia

If untreated, chlamydia can last for many months, and during this time, bacteria can be spread to others through unprotected sex.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Preventing chlamydia

Because chlamydia is a disease that can be spread during sexual intercourse, you can prevent chlamydia by:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Treating chlamydia

Doctors treat chlamydia with oral antibiotics such as doxycycline (Vibramycin), azithromycin (Zithromax) and levofloxacin (Levaquin). Everyone being treated for chlamydia should have all of his or her sex partners treated as well.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: When to call a professional

The United States Preventive Services Task Force strongly recommends the following groups of women receive yearly chlamydia screening:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Prognosis

Antibiotic treatment cures chlamydia and can usually prevent complications. Once a woman develops pelvic inflammatory disease from chlamydia or another cause, she has up to 20% risk of a long-term complication such as infertility or chronic pelvic pain.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chlamydia

: Additional info

American Sexual Health Association

https://www.ashasexualhealth.org/
 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

https://www.cdc.gov/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: What is cholecystitis?

Cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is the small sac-like organ located in the upper right side of the abdomen, just below the liver. It is attached to the main duct that carries bile from the liver into the intestine. The gallbladder temporarily stores bile, which is a liquid that contains a fat-digesting substance produced in the liver. During a meal, the gallbladder contracts, and bile moves from the gallbladder through small, tube-like passages (called the cystic duct and the common bile duct) into the small intestine. Here, bile mixes with food to help break down fats. Cholecystitis usually develops when a person has gallstones, which are rock-like deposits that form inside the gallbladder. If a gallstone blocks the cystic duct (the outflow from the gallbladder), bile becomes trapped in the gallbladder. Chemicals in the trapped bile or a bacterial infection can then lead to inflammation of the gallbladder. There are two types of cholecystitis:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Symptoms of cholecystitis

Symptoms of acute cholecystitis may include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Diagnosing cholecystitis

Your doctor will review your medical history and ask about any prior episodes of abdominal discomfort, especially those triggered by high-fat meals. Your doctor will ask if you've had any recent rapid weight loss and about medications you currently take, particularly birth control pills and estrogen replacement therapy (because these can lead to the formation of gallstones). During the physical exam, your doctor will pay particular attention to the upper right portion of your abdomen, where your liver and gallbladder are located. Blood tests may reveal an elevated white blood cell count, which suggests an infection, or elevated liver enzymes, which suggests a blockage and/or irritation of the gallbladder and bile ducts. Your doctor may order radiology tests to look for gallstones. Because the chemical composition of most gallstones often makes them invisible on X-rays, other tests are also used, including:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Expected duration of cholecystitis

If you have biliary colic, the pain or discomfort may go away or become less severe after several hours if a trapped gallstone passes out of the cystic duct on its own. Your abdomen may continue to ache mildly for about 24 hours. If you have acute cholecystitis, however, and infection and inflammation continue, your symptoms may get worse and you could develop complications, including a hole in the inflamed gallbladder wall (gallbladder perforation) and an infection that spreads to the lining of the abdomen (peritonitis). This is why people with cholecystitis usually are treated and observed in a hospital until their symptoms improve. Symptoms of chronic cholecystitis may be present for years before a diagnosis is made. Surgery to remove the gallbladder will prevent symptoms from coming back.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Preventing cholecystitis

Because gallstones cause cholecystitis, you may be able to avoid cholecystitis by controlling the risk factors that can lead to the formation of gallstones. These include watching your weight and avoiding a high-fat diet.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Treating cholecystitis

Acute cholecystitis usually requires hospitalization. You need antibiotics given intravenously (into a vein) to treat infection, and medications to control symptoms of nausea and abdominal pain. Once your pain lessens or goes away, there are no signs of infection, and you are able to drink and eat, you will be able to go home to continue your recovery. Alternatively, your doctor may wish you to stay in the hospital until you have surgery to remove your gallbladder. Twenty-five percent of people who have acute cholecystitis develop another episode within 1 year; 60% have another episode within 6 years. For this reason, most doctors recommend that people with cholecystitis have the gallbladder removed surgically (cholecystectomy). Sometimes, surgery is scheduled after a person has been discharged from the hospital and has recovered fully. In some cases, your surgeon may decide to do the cholecystectomy before you leave the hospital. Chronic cholecystitis requires the removal of the gallbladder surgically. Gallstones in the Common Bile Duct should be removed, to prevent blockage to the flow of bile, and possible cholangitis or pancreatitis. Usually this can be done using a special flexible telescope that is passed down the mouth, through the stomach, and to the opening where the bile duct empties into the intestine. The opening is widened by cutting it slightly, and the stones are then extracted with instruments passed through the telescope. This is called "endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography" (andquot;ERCP"). After the stones are removed with ERCP, your doctor may recommend that you have surgery later, to remove your gallbladder (where the stones usually originate). Occasionally, ERCP is not possible, and abdominal surgery is required to remove stones in the bile duct.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor if you have severe abdominal pain, fever and shaking chills, or jaundice.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Prognosis

Most people recover from episodes of acute cholecystitis within a few days to a few weeks. Rarely, a person can become critically ill from a complication, such as gallbladder perforation, cholangitis or pancreatitis and in rare cases the condition can be fatal. Removing the gallbladder prevents cholecystitis from coming back. Rarely, gallstones may remain hidden in bile ducts to cause other problems after surgery.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Cholecystitis

: Additional info

American College of Surgeons

https://www.facs.org/
 
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)

https://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Choroidal Melanoma

: What is choroidal melanoma?

Choroidal melanoma is a cancer that affects part of the eye. It develops in the choroid, the sponge-like membrane at the back of the eye between the sclera (the white of the eye) and the retina. (The retina is the light-sensitive structure at the back of the eye. It sends visual information to the brain.) The choroid is rich in blood vessels and supplies nutrients to the retina. Over time, many choroidal melanomas enlarge and cause the retina to detach. This can lead to vision loss. The tumors also can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. The liver is the most common site for metastasis. If it spreads, this cancer can be fatal.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome

The most prominent symptom of ME/CFS is an unexplained feeling of fatigue, which is not relieved by rest. However, many other medical conditions cause marked fatigue. To better identify people with ME/CFS, diagnostic criteria should include these four types of symptoms:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome

Although there is a lot of evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome is caused by a physical problem involving the immune system, energy metabolism and the nervous system, there is no laboratory test or procedure to confirm the diagnosis. Today, the diagnosis of ME/CFS is based on the presence of the four major symptoms noted above. Your doctor will also want to consider other possible reasons for your symptoms, such as:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Expected duration of chronic fatigue syndrome

To be diagnosed as ME/CFS, symptoms must last for at least six months. Unfortunately, in many people, symptoms persist for years. Symptoms tend to be worse in the first one to two years, and level of functioning gradually improving over time. However, only a small percentage of people recover to full health.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Preventing chronic fatigue syndrome

There are no specific actions a person can take to prevent ME/CFS.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Treating chronic fatigue syndrome

There is no FDA proven treatment for ME/CFS. However, clinician acknowledgement of the patient’s condition as ME/CFS and symptom guided approaches can improve quality of life. In general, doctors use a combination of the following:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor if you have symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, especially if extreme fatigue prevents you from fully participating in activities at home, work or school.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Prognosis

People with ME/CFS usually experience their most severe symptoms in the first one to two years of illness. After that time, a small number of people recover totally, and a smaller number become totally incapacitated. For most people, there is gradual improvement, although they usually do not achieve the level of activity they were capable of before becoming ill. Recovery tends to be less likely among people who:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

: Additional info

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/ Medline Plus, from the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine
http://medlineplus.gov/ International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
http://www.iacfsme.org
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chronic hepatitis

: What is chronic hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. In chronic hepatitis, liver inflammation continues for at least six months. This condition may be mild, causing relatively little damage, or more serious, causing many liver cells to be destroyed. Some cases lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. Chronic hepatitis from infection is most often caused by these viruses: Hepatitis B and C. Often the person infected is unaware of any initial symptoms. Or the symptoms were so mild that the person did not seek medical attention. This is especially true for chronic hepatitis C. Over time, perhaps a decade or more, both types may lead to the serious complication of cirrhosis due to ongoing destruction of liver cells and resultant scarring. A minority of patients with cirrhosis develop liver cancer over time. Hepatitis D. Hepatitis D infects only patients already infected with hepatitis B, and it generally results in a flare of active hepatitis. The three more commonly diagnosed causes of non-infectious chronic hepatitis include: Alcohol. Alcohol can cause a chronic hepatitis, especially if associated with inadequate nutrition. Also, even moderate intake of alcohol can make chronic hepatitis from any other cause (especially hepatitis C) worse, with an increased risk of advancing to cirrhosis. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH has become a relatively common cause of persistent liver inflammation. "Steato" means fat and the hallmark of NASH is fat in the liver AND active on-going liver damage. Most people have no symptoms. They are usually discovered when a routine blood test is performed and the level of liver enzymes are found to be above normal. Autoimmune hepatitis. In this form of chronic hepatitis, the immune system mistakenly destroys the body's own liver cells. What triggers autoimmune chronic hepatitis is unknown. If left untreated, it's a progressive disease that can lead to cirrhosis. It may appear with other autoimmune diseases, such as Sjögren's syndrome and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Autoimmune hepatitis most often is found in young women, but it can affect women and men of all ages. Some rare, inherited metabolic disorders also can lead to chronic hepatitis, such as:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chronic hepatitis

: Symptoms of chronic hepatitis

At first, chronic hepatitis often does not cause any symptoms. People with symptoms most commonly complain of fatigue. Fatigue worsens throughout the day and may even be debilitating. Other common symptoms include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Chronic hepatitis

: Diagnosing chronic hepatitis

Because chronic hepatitis often does not cause any early symptoms, the disorder frequently is discovered during a routine blood test. If your doctor suspects you may have chronic hepatitis, he or she may examine you for jaundice, tenderness in the abdomen (especially the right upper corner where the liver is located) and signs of fluid that fills the abdomen during liver failure. Blood tests may be done to measure: