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

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: What Is It?

Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria. It can be a life-threatening infection if not treated promptly. Plague has caused several major epidemics in Europe and Asia over the last 2,000 years. Plague has most famously been called "the Black Death" because it can cause skin sores that form black scabs. A plague epidemic in the 14th century killed more than one-third of the population of Europe within a few years. In some cities, up to 75% of the population died within days, with fever and swollen skin sores.  Worldwide, up to 3,000 cases of plague are reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) each year, mostly in Africa, Asia and South America.  Plague is primarily an infection of animals including many species of rodents (including mice, rats, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks and rabbits). In the United States, it is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected rat flea (Xenopsylla species). People are most at risk of infection when they are in areas where these rodents and their fleas are plentiful. Less commonly, humans can become infected in other ways:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: Symptoms

Plague occurs in different forms: bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic are the most common.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: Diagnosis

If your doctor suspects you might have plague, he or she will ask whether you:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: Expected Duration

With proper antibiotic treatment, most symptoms of uncomplicated bubonic plague will subside within two to five days. However, swollen buboes can remain for several weeks. Recovery from more severe septicemic plague and pneumonic plague usually takes longer.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: Prevention

If you live, work or vacation in regions where plague affects local rodent populations, here are things you can do to help prevent getting the infection and allowing plague to spread:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: Treatment

A person who is ill and is suspected of having the plague needs to be hospitalized. Hospital staff will take special steps to prevent the spread of the plague bacteria to other people. For example, the infected person will be put in a private room and the hospital staff will wear gloves, masks and protective clothing when coming into the room.   Antibiotics will be given intravenously (into a vein). Patients with severe bleeding problems or difficulty breathing will be treated in an intensive care unit. In the United States, the U. S. Public Health Service requires health care professionals to report all cases of suspected plague immediately to local and state health departments. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will confirm the diagnosis and report it to the World Health Organization (WHO).
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: When To Call a Professional

Call your doctor whenever you or someone in your family develops a fever or becomes very sick (fever, severe weakness, severe headache) after:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plague (Yersinia Pestis)

: Prognosis

Without quick antibiotic treatment, plague can be fatal. Even with the right antibiotics and good hospital care, as many as 10% of plague patients in the United States die.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: What is it?

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the plantar fascia, a fibrous band of tissue on the bottom of the foot that helps to support the arch. Plantar fasciitis occurs when this band of tissue is overloaded or overstretched. This causes small tears in the fibers of the fascia, especially where the fascia meets the heel bone. Plantar fasciitis is common in obese people and in pregnant women, perhaps because their extra body weight overloads the delicate plantar fascia. It is also more common in people with diabetes, although the exact reason for this is unknown. Plantar fasciitis also can be triggered by physical activities that overstretch the fascia, including sports (volleyball, running, tennis), other exercises (step aerobics, stair climbing), or household exertion (pushing furniture or a large appliance). In athletes, plantar fasciitis may follow intense training, especially in runners who push themselves too quickly to run longer distances. Worn or poorly constructed shoes can contribute to the problem if they do not provide enough arch support, heel cushion, or sole flexibility. Despite what is known about risk factors and triggers of plantar fasciitis, many people who develop this condition have no identifiable risk factors or trigger.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Symptoms

Symptoms of plantar fasciitis can occur suddenly or gradually. When they occur suddenly, there is usually intense heel pain on taking the first morning steps, known as first-step pain. This heel pain will often subside as you begin to walk around, but it may return in the late afternoon or evening. When symptoms occur gradually, a more long-lasting form of heel pain will cause you to shorten your stride while running or walking. You also may shift your weight toward the front of the foot, away from the heel.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Diagnosis

A health care professional will ask you whether you have the classic symptoms of first-step pain and about your activities, including whether you recently have intensified your training or changed your exercise pattern. Your doctor often can diagnose plantar fasciitis based on your history and symptoms, together with a physical examination. If the diagnosis is in doubt, your doctor may order a foot X-ray, bone scan, or nerve conduction studies to rule out another condition, such as a stress fracture or nerve problem.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Expected duration

Once an appropriate treatment program begins, it may take six to eight weeks before the pain begins to be relieved. Total pain relief may not happen for several months.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Prevention

You can help to prevent plantar fasciitis by maintaining a healthy weight, by warming up before participating in sports, and by wearing shoes that support the arch and cushion the heel. In people who are prone to episodes of plantar fasciitis, exercises that stretch the heel cord (known as the Achilles tendon) and the plantar fascia may help to prevent plantar fasciitis from returning. Ice massage also can be used on the bottom of the foot after stressful athletic activities. It is possible that strict control of blood sugar will prevent plantar fasciitis in people with diabetes, although this has not been proven.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Treatment

Most doctors recommend an initial six-to-eight-week program of conservative treatment, including:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor whenever you have significant foot or heel pain, especially if this pain makes it difficult for you to walk normally.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Prognosis

The outlook is excellent for most people with plantar fasciitis. At least 90% of patients respond either to the first six to eight weeks of conservative therapy, or to conservative therapy followed by six to eight weeks of wearing night splints.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Plantar fasciitis

: Additional info

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

https://www.niams.nih.gov/
 
American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA)

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

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: What Is It?

Pleurisy means inflammation of the pleura, the membrane that lines the lungs within the chest cavity. Depending on its cause, pleurisy can be associated with an accumulation of fluid in the space between the lungs and chest wall (called a pleural effusion) or it can be dry pleurisy, which has no fluid accumulation.   Pleurisy can develop many ways, including:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: Symptoms

Pleurisy typically causes a sharp chest pain (pleuritic chest pain) that worsens with breathing in or coughing. The pain may start and remain in one specific area of the chest wall, or it may spread to the shoulder or back. To ease chest pain from pleurisy, a person with pleurisy often lies on the affected side as a way of limiting movement of the chest wall. In rare cases, the chest pain of pleurisy is a fairly constant, dull ache.   Depending on the specific cause of pleurisy, other symptoms may be present. For example, a person with pneumonia may have a high fever, shortness of breath and a cough that produces thick, yellow or dark sputum (mucus). A pulmonary embolus may be associated with shortness of breath, a low-grade fever and a cough that brings up small amounts of blood. A person with lung cancer may have unexplained weight loss and cough.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your medical history, including your history of smoking. He or she also may ask whether you have been anywhere where you may have been exposed to tuberculosis.   To confirm the diagnosis, he or she will examine you, paying special attention to your lungs. Your doctor will check for signs of pleural effusion by gently tapping your chest wall. He or she also will listen with a stethoscope to check for a pleural friction rub, the rough, scratchy sound of the inflamed layers of pleura sliding past each other during breathing. Depending on the results of your physical examination and the suspected cause of your pleurisy, the doctor then may recommend:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: Expected Duration

How long pleurisy lasts depends on its cause. For example, pleurisy caused by pleurodynia may come and go over a few days. In rare cases, a person with pleurodynia may have several episodes of pleuritic chest pain over several weeks before the illness finally goes away. In patients with bacterial pneumonia or rheumatic fever, pleurisy typically goes away when the infection is cured with antibiotics. In patients with lung cancer or connective tissue disease, the chest pain of pleurisy may persist for longer periods.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: Prevention

In some cases, you can prevent pleurisy by preventing the medical condition that causes it. For example, some types of pneumonia can be prevented by vaccination. The risk of lung cancer is reduced by not smoking.   Not all cases of pleurisy can be prevented.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: Treatment

The treatment of pleurisy depends on its underlying cause:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: When To Call A Professional

Call your doctor immediately or go to an emergency room if you experience any form of severe or persistent chest pain or any difficulty breathing. Chest pain can be a symptom of many different disorders, some of which are potentially life threatening.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pleurisy And Pleural Effusion

: Prognosis

In patients with pleurisy, the outlook depends on the underlying medical illness.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: What is it?

Pneumoconiosis is a lung condition that is caused by inhaling particles of mineral dust, usually while working in a high-risk, mineral-related industry. At first, irritating mineral dust can trigger lung inflammation, which causes areas of the lung to be temporarily damaged. Over time, these areas can progress to form tough, fibrous tissue deposits. This stage of pneumoconiosis is called fibrosis. Fibrosis stiffens the lungs and interferes with the lung's normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. There are several different types of pneumoconiosis. In the United States, the most common types include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Symptoms

Pneumoconiosis sometimes does not cause any symptoms. When symptoms develop, they can include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your exposure to mineral dusts, the number of years you were exposed, and whether you used protective clothing and equipment. Your doctor will examine you, paying special attention to your chest. This will be followed by a chest X-ray, which will be compared to a set of standard X-rays published by the International Labor Office for the evaluation of pneumoconiosis. Your doctor may order breathing tests, called pulmonary function tests. In some patients, a more detailed computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest is necessary. Less often, a doctor will order a test called a bronchoscopy with a lung biopsy. In this test, a flexible tube is inserted into a lung and a small piece of lung tissue is removed to be examined in a laboratory.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Expected duration

Pneumoconiosis causes permanent lung changes. However, you can stop it from getting worse.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Prevention

Pneumoconiosis almost always can be prevented. To reduce your risk, you can:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Treatment

If you have pneumoconiosis and you develop breathing problems, your doctor will advise you to avoid further exposure to the mineral dust. He or she may prescribe one or two medicines that are inhaled to decrease inflammation in your airways and to help keep your bronchial tubes open. If the oxygen level in your blood is below 90%, you may need to breathe additional oxygen at home. Also, to help protect your damaged lungs against respiratory infections, your doctor will recommend immunization with the influenza (flu) and pneumococcal vaccines. If you develop a respiratory infection, you may need to be treated with antibiotics. When pneumoconiosis causes extreme breathing problems, a lung transplant is the only cure.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor promptly if you have symptoms of pneumoconiosis and you have worked at a job where there is a high risk of exposure to mineral dust.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Prognosis

The outlook for this disease depends on the specific type of pneumoconiosis, the length of exposure to mineral dust, the level of exposure and whether the patient is a smoker. In the long term, people with asbestosis and talc pneumoconiosis have an increased risk of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma (cancer of the membranes lining the lungs and abdominal cavity). The risk of lung cancer is especially high in smokers with asbestosis. Because male workers fill most of the jobs that carry high risks of pneumoconiosis, the majority of deaths from pneumoconiosis occur in men.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumoconiosis

: Additional info

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
 
American Lung Association

https://www.lung.org/
 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

https://www.epa.gov/
 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

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

    Pneumonia

: What is it?

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Almost all cases of pneumonia are caused by viral or bacterial infections. When pneumonia is first diagnosed, there often is no way to be sure if the infection is caused by a virus or bacteria. Therefore your doctor will need to treat it with antibiotics. There are multiple antibiotics that treat pneumonia. The initial choice of drug(s) is made based on the category of pneumonia you most likely have. The two major categories are community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and health care associated pneumonia (HCAP).   Community acquired pneumonia refers to pneumonia in a person that has not recently stayed in the hospital or a nursing home.  The most common bacterial cause of CAP is Streptococcus pneumoniae.   Health care associated pneumonia refers to pneumonia that develops in a person that is in the hospital now or has recently been in the hospital or a nursing home. These pneumonias tend to be more serious. The organisms found in a hospital often become resistant to many antibiotics. Also hospitalized patients are often weakened by other illnesses and are less able to fight off the infection. A type of pneumonia called aspiration pneumonia develops when chemical irritants and bacteria from the mouth or stomach are inhaled into the lungs. It is more common in people who have had strokes and have difficulty controlling their swallowing reflexes or people who are unconscious as a result of alcohol or other drug overdose. In people with compromised immune systems, the organisms that cause pneumonia are different than those seen in the other types of pneumonia.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: Symptoms

Most types of pneumonia cause fever, cough with sputum (coughed-up mucus), shortness of breath and fatigue. In older patients, fatigue or confusion can be the only or most noticeable symptom. In viral pneumonia, a dry cough without sputum is more common.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: Diagnosis

Your doctor first will ask about your symptoms. During the physical exam, your doctor will check to see if you are breathing rapidly. He or she also will look for confusion and a purplish hue in your lips, fingernails or hands because these symptoms can indicate that you have low levels of oxygen in your blood. Using a stethoscope, a health care professional can listen through your back for abnormal sounds from the lungs. The diagnosis of pneumonia most often is confirmed by a chest X-ray.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: Expected Duration

How long pneumonia lasts can vary from a few days to a week or longer, depending on how early you start antibiotics and what other medical problems you may have. Antibiotic treatment for pneumonia usually lasts from 5 to 14 days. Many people find that it takes a few weeks to several weeks to regain the level of energy they had before the pneumonia.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: Prevention

Vaccination helps protect at risk people from S. pneumoniae infection. A one-time dose of PPSV23 (Pneumovax) is recommended for people 65 and older and for people ages 19 to 64 at higher than average risk of developing serious pneumonia. You and your doctor may also consider a series of two different vaccines, the PPSV23 and the PCV13 (Prevnar) vaccines, but never at the same time. High risk people includes people with:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: Treatment

The main treatment for pneumonia is one or more antibiotics. A younger or healthier person can be treated safely with antibiotics at home and can feel better in a few days. Some people are at higher risk of complications and may need to be hospitalized for two days to a week. They include people who are older than 60 or have other diseases such as heart failure, active cancer, chronic kidney disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition to antibiotics, other treatments for pneumonia include rest, adequate fluid, and supplemental oxygen if needed to maintain a safe blood oxygen level.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: When to Call a Professional

A simple cold or bronchitis caused by a virus can share many of the same symptoms as pneumonia. Pneumonia is possible when your cough produces sputum with a green or brown color, you are having shaking chills and/or high fever, or you are having trouble breathing. In these cases, you should promptly call your doctor. Also, if you have been diagnosed with a cold or bronchitis and symptoms are getting worse or persist after a week, you should call your doctor's office for another evaluation.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Pneumonia

: Prognosis

Most pneumonia is treated successfully, especially if antibiotics are started early. Pneumonia can be fatal. The very old and frail, especially those with many other medical conditions, are most vulnerable. Pneumonia usually does not cause permanent damage to the lungs. Rarely, pneumonia causes infected fluid to collect around the outside of the lung, called an empyema. The empyema may need to be drained with a special tube or surgery. With aspiration pneumonia, the affected lung may develop a lung abscess that needs many weeks of antibiotic therapy.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Polio

: What is it?

Polio is a highly contagious infection caused by the poliovirus. Most people infected with the virus develop no symptoms from it. However, in a small percentage of infected people, the virus attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, particularly the nerve cells in the spinal cord that control muscles involved in voluntary movement such as walking. Permanent paralysis occurs in one out of every 200 cases of polio. Polio is also called poliomyelitis. The infection spreads through direct contact with virus particles that are shed from the throat or in feces. The disease had been virtually wiped out in the Western hemisphere since the introduction of the inactivated polio vaccine (the "Salk vaccine") in 1955 and the oral, live vaccine (the "Sabin vaccine") in 1961. Vaccination campaigns have succeeded in reducing the number of countries where polio is endemic (where it occurs locally). In 1988, more than 120 countries contained endemic poliovirus; by 2012, only 3 countries contained endemic polio. However, in recent years new cases of polio are on the rise, mostly in the developing world where the virus had appeared to have been eradicated. New cases are also arising in Europe and North America, perhaps related to decreased use of recommended childhood vaccines. In developing countries, some people remain unvaccinated. Poor sanitation and poor hygiene promote the spread of the virus. People traveling to these areas of the world must have up-to-date immunizations. Though rare, polio symptoms can also happen after people are immunized with the live polio vaccine. Countries that have wiped out polio usually use the inactivated polio vaccine, which never causes polio.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Polio

: Symptoms

Most cases (about three-quarters) are mild. Symptoms appear three to five days after exposure to the virus and include slight fever, headache, sore throat, vomiting, lack of appetite, and a general feeling of illness and discomfort. The symptoms last for 2-5 days and go away on their own. In other cases, a more severe illness called paralytic polio develops approximately 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, stiff neck and back, and deep muscle pain. Some people experience temporary abnormalities of skin sensation. Muscle spasms and a tendency to retain urine are common. Muscle weakness and paralysis may develop rapidly or gradually during the time fevers occur, but paralysis does not continue to get worse afterwards. The disease most commonly affects the strength of muscles of the legs. It can also affect strength in the muscles of the arms and abdomen. When polio affects strength in the muscles of the neck and throat, it causes difficulty speaking and swallowing. The most life-threatening form of polio causes weakness of the muscles in the chest that are needed for breathing. The virus also can sometimes affect the parts of the brain that control breathing. When a polio victim develops breathing trouble, they may need machines to help breathe for them.