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

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Symptoms

The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain, usually described as crushing, squeezing, pressing, heavy, or occasionally, stabbing or burning. Chest pain tends to be focused either in the center of the chest or just below the center of the rib cage, and it can spread to the arms, abdomen, neck, lower jaw or neck. Other symptoms can include sudden weakness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, breathlessness, or lightheadedness. Sometimes, when a heart attack causes burning chest pain, nausea and vomiting, a patient may mistake his or her heart symptoms for indigestion.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you to describe your chest pain and any other symptoms. Ideally, a family member or close friend should accompany you when you go for medical treatment. This person can help to provide your doctor with valuable information about your symptoms and medical history if you are unable to do so. It is also important to give your doctor a list of the names and dosages of the prescription and nonprescription medications that you are taking. If you don't have a list already prepared, just scoop the medicines into a nearby bag or purse and bring them with you to the hospital. Your doctor will suspect that you are having a heart attack based on your symptoms, your medical history and your risk factors for cardiovascular disease. To confirm the diagnosis, he or she will do:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Expected duration

How long heart attack symptoms last varies from person to person. In about 15% of cases, the patient never reaches a hospital for treatment and dies quickly after symptoms begin.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Prevention

You can help to prevent a heart attack by:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Treatment

The treatment of a heart attack depends on how stable the person's condition is and his or her immediate risk of death. As soon as possible, the person will receive an aspirin and often other medicines that help prevent unwanted blood clotting in the coronary arteries. The person also will be given oxygen to breathe, pain medication (usually morphine) for chest pain, beta-blockers to reduce the heart's demand for oxygen, nitroglycerin to help blood flow into heart muscle cells, and a cholesterol-lowering statin drug. The person may be started on heparin in addition to aspirin for more potent anti-clotting action. During the initial evaluation, the person will be considered for reperfusion therapy. The goal is to restore blood flow to the injured heart muscle as soon as possible to limit permanent damage. Reperfusion is best done mechanically. The patient is taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory in the hospital. A catheter is threaded through a large blood vessel toward the heart. Dye is injected to locate the blockage in the coronary artery. The next step is percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). In PTCA, a different catheter that has a small deflated balloon is threaded past the blockage, and the balloon is inflated to crush the clot and plaque. Most balloon catheters also have a wire mesh, called a stent, over the balloon. After the balloon is inflated to unclog the blocked artery, the stent remains in place to keep the artery open. In addition to aspirin, a second anti-platelet drug is given. The ones used most commonly are clopidogrel (Plavix, generic versions), prasugrel (Effient) and ticagrelor (Brilinta). Reperfusion therapy can also be done with clot-dissolving drugs called thrombolytic agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This drug is used if it would take too long to transfer a patient to a hospital where an angioplasty could be performed. Much of the additional treatment for heart attack depends on whether the patient developed any complications. For example, additional drugs may be needed to treat dangerous cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats), low blood pressure, and congestive heart failure. While in the hospital, daily medications usually include aspirin, a beta-blocker, an ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitor to help the heart work more efficiently, primarily by lowering blood pressure, a statin and a second anti-clotting drug.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: When to call a professional

Seek emergency help immediately if you have chest pain, even if you think it is just indigestion or that you are too young to be having a heart attack. Prompt treatment increases your chance of limiting heart muscle damage. That's because reperfusion measures work best if they are started as soon as possible after symptoms start.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Prognosis

Survival from a heart attack has improved dramatically over the last two decades. However, some people experience sudden death and never make it to the hospital. For most people that do reach the hospital soon after the onset of symptoms, the prognosis is very good. Many people leave the hospital feeling well with limited heart damage.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

: Additional info

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
 
American Heart Association (AHA)

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

    Heart failure

: What is it?

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump efficiently enough to meet the body's need for blood. Contrary to its name, heart failure does not mean the heart has failed completely. Heart failure is also called congestive heart failure. The inefficient pumping associated with heart failure causes a backup of blood in the veins leading to the heart. It causes the kidneys to retain fluid. As a result, the body's tissues swell. The swelling most commonly affects the legs. But it also can occur in other tissues and organs. When it occurs in the lungs, it causes breathing difficulty. Heart failure often is the end stage of another form of heart disease. Its many causes include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Symptoms

The first symptom of heart failure often is fatigue. As the condition worsens, shortness of breath and wheezing occur during exertion. Eventually, shortness of breath and wheezing occur when you are resting. As fluid accumulates in the lungs, people with heart failure may begin to sleep propped up with pillows. This makes breathing easier. There also can be a chronic cough due to fluid accumulation in the lungs. Fluid also can collect in the legs and ankles, causing swelling. In people who are less active, collected fluid can accumulate in the middle of the body. Some people urinate several times during the night as the kidneys drain off some of this excess fluid. As the body accumulates more and more fluid, the person may experience significant weight gain.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Diagnosis

Heart failure usually affects both sides of the heart. But in some people it affects only one side. When heart failure affects mainly the left side of the heart, the symptoms are more likely to involve breathing difficulties. When mainly the right side is affected, the main symptoms may be leg swelling and abdominal swelling. Your doctor will review your medical history and ask for details about your symptoms. For example, he or she may ask:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Expected duration

Heart failure often is a lifelong condition. However, if the cause is treatable, heart failure can go away.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Prevention

To avoid heart failure, you must prevent the various forms of heart disease that lead to it. To prevent heart disease:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Treatment

The treatment of heart failure focuses on:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms, particularly if you already have been diagnosed with heart disease:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Prognosis

The outlook depends on:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart failure

: Additional info

American Heart Association (AHA)

https://www.heart.org/
 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: What Is It?

A heart murmur is a sound made by turbulent blood flow within the heart. Your doctor hears this sound with a stethoscope. A murmur can occur in a normal heart. Or it may indicate some problem within the heart.  Most often, the turbulence is normal. And the sound is called a benign flow murmur. It happens when blood flows faster through the heart, for example in a person who is anxious, has just finished exercising, has a high fever or has severe anemia. About 10% of adults and 30% of children (most between the ages of 3 and 7) have a harmless murmur produced by a normal heart. This type of murmur is also called an innocent murmur.  A heart murmur may indicate a structural abnormality of a heart valve or heart chamber, or it may be due to an abnormal connection between two parts of the heart. Some abnormalities of the heart that create heart murmurs include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: Symptoms

An innocent murmur does not cause any symptoms. For other types of heart murmurs, symptoms vary depending on the cause. In general, when a heart murmur significantly interferes with the heart's ability to pump blood, you can experience one or more of the following symptoms:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: Diagnosis

Many murmurs are discovered unexpectedly when a doctor listens to someone's heart with a stethoscope during a routine physical exam. In other cases, when someone is having symptoms of heart problems, the doctor will ask questions related to a specific type of heart ailment. For example, he or she may ask about a history of rheumatic fever because rheumatic fever during childhood can cause heart valve abnormalities later in life. Because endocarditis can follow intravenous drug use or certain medical or dental procedures, your doctor may ask about these risk factors. If the patient is an infant, the doctor will ask whether there is a family history of congenital heart problems.   Because specific heart problems are associated with specific types of murmurs, your doctor often will make a tentative diagnosis based on your medical history, symptoms and the murmur's distinctive sound and timing (whether the murmur occurs when the heart is pumping or resting). As part of your medical evaluation, your doctor may order diagnostic tests, which may include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: Expected Duration

When an innocent heart murmur is triggered by fever, anxiety or exertion, it can disappear after the condition that triggered it goes away. In healthy children with more constant innocent murmurs, the murmur often becomes softer as the child grows and can eventually disappear completely.   When a murmur is caused by a heart problem, how long it lasts depends on the type of disorder. For example, some forms of endocarditis begin suddenly and get worse rapidly over a few days, while others cause milder symptoms over weeks or months. Murmurs caused by valve problems or congenital heart problems usually last throughout life, and in some cases, they can worsen over time.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: Prevention

There is no way to prevent the congenital heart defects that cause some heart murmurs.   If you are at high risk of endocarditis, your doctor or dentist will prescribe special antibiotics before doing any medical or dental procedure during which bacteria could enter your blood and infect your heart. You also can help to prevent endocarditis by avoiding intravenous drug use.   You can prevent many heart-valve abnormalities by preventing rheumatic fever. To do this, take antibiotics exactly as prescribed whenever you have strep throat.   People who already have had one episode of rheumatic fever may need to take antibiotics for up to 10 years after the first attack to prevent the disease from returning.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: Treatment

Innocent heart murmurs do not need to be treated. Other types of murmurs that do not cause any symptoms also may not require any treatment, although your doctor should monitor them regularly. When treatment is required, it varies depending on the cause of the murmur.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: When To Call a Professional

Call your doctor if you begin to experience:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart Murmur

: Prognosis

In people with innocent heart murmurs, the prognosis is excellent. For people with other types of heart murmurs, the prognosis depends on the type of heart problem and its severity. In general, even when heart surgery is required, the prognosis is good.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: What is it?

The heart has four valves – the aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary valves. Like valves used in house plumbing, the heart valves open to allow fluid (blood) to be pumped forward, and they close to prevent fluid from flowing backward. Human heart valves are flaps of tissue called leaflets or cusps. Heart valve problems fall into two major categories:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Symptoms

Many people with mild heart valve problems do not have any symptoms, and the abnormal valve is discovered only when a heart murmur is heard during a physical examination. For more severe heart valve problems, symptoms vary slightly depending on which valve is involved.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Diagnosis

If you are having symptoms, your doctor will begin by evaluating your risk of heart valve problems. Your doctor will ask questions about your family history of heart problems; your personal history of rheumatic fever, syphilis, hypertension, arteriosclerosis or connective tissue disorders; and your risk of endocarditis caused by intravenous (IV) drug use or a recent medical or dental procedure. If the patient is an infant, the doctor will ask about the mother's health or environmental risk factors during pregnancy. Your doctor may suspect that you have a heart valve problem based on your specific symptoms and medical history. To support the diagnosis, your doctor will examine you, paying special attention to your heart. Your doctor will evaluate the size of your heart (to check for enlargement) and use a stethoscope to listen for heart murmurs. Because specific heart valve problems produce specific types of heart murmurs, your doctor often can make a tentative diagnosis based on your murmur's distinctive sound and whether the murmur occurs when the heart is contracting (a systolic murmur) or relaxing (a diastolic murmur). To confirm the diagnosis of a heart valve problem and to evaluate its effects on your heart, your doctor will order diagnostic tests. Initial testing usually includes an electrocardiogram (EKG) and an echocardiogram. Additional testing may include a chest X-ray, blood tests to check for infection in patients with suspected endocarditis, and sometimes cardiac catheterization.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Expected duration

In general, heart valve problems often persist throughout life and may gradually worsen with time. Those caused by endocarditis sometimes may produce severe symptoms and rapid deterioration within a few days.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Prevention

There is no way to prevent the majority of congenital heart valve problems. Pregnant women should have regularly scheduled prenatal care and should avoid using alcohol. You can prevent certain acquired heart valve abnormalities by preventing rheumatic fever. To do this, take antibiotics exactly as prescribed whenever you have strep throat.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Treatment

If you have a mild heart valve problem without any symptoms, your doctor may simply monitor your condition. If you have moderate or severe symptoms, your treatment will be determined by the severity of your symptoms and the results of diagnostic tests. Although your doctor can give you medications to temporarily treat symptoms such as angina, cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure, you eventually may need to have the abnormal valve repaired or replaced. This can be done in several different ways:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: When to call a professional

Call your doctor immediately if you begin to experience any symptoms that may be related to a heart problem, especially shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid or irregular heartbeat, or fainting spells. If you have been diagnosed with a heart valve problem, ask your doctor whether you are at risk of endocarditis. If so, you will need to take antibiotics before undergoing any medical or dental procedure in which bacteria may enter your blood and infect your abnormal valve.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Prognosis

Among patients who undergo surgical treatments for heart valve problems, the major risks occur during and immediately after surgery. After that, the outlook is usually excellent. People that have had surgery are at higher risk of developing an infection on the heart valve (endocarditis) throughout life.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve problems

: Additional info

American Heart Association (AHA)

https://www.heart.org/
 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
 
American College of Cardiology

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

    Heart valve replacement

: What is it?

Sometimes a natural heart valve that is not working properly needs to be replaced surgically with a prosthetic valve. A prosthetic valve is a synthetic or tissue substitute for the natural valve. It is designed to mimic the natural valve's normal opening and closing motions. A prosthetic valve can replace any of the heart valves – mitral, aortic, pulmonary or tricuspid. Prosthetic heart valves are divided into two basic categories: synthetic mechanical valves and biological valves, which are usually made of animal tissue.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve replacement

: What it's used for

The reasons for a heart valve replacement vary slightly, depending on which of the four heart valves is involved. As a general guide, however, you may need a valve replacement for any of the following reasons:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve replacement

: Preparation

Your preparation will include a thorough cardiac evaluation with a physical examination, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG) and echocardiography. In some cases, exercise testing, cardiac catheterization or a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be necessary as well. Routine blood tests also will be done to evaluate your kidney function and to check for anemia and other blood-related problems.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve replacement

: Follow-up

After your heart valve replacement, you will need to take anticoagulant medication indefinitely if you have a mechanical valve, or for about three months if you have a biological valve. Your doctor, or your doctor's assistant, will work with you to determine an anticoagulant dose that is high enough to prevent thromboembolism but low enough to prevent bleeding problems. Also, for the rest of your life you will need to take antibiotics prior to having certain high-risk dental or medical procedures. These antibiotics will help to prevent infection of your prosthetic valve, if the high-risk procedure allows bacteria to stray into your bloodstream. After discharge, your doctor will ask you to return for a follow-up visit within 3 to 4 weeks. If you are feeling well at that visit, and the results of your repeat echocardiography are good, your doctor will schedule future visits at 3-month or 12-month intervals.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve replacement

: Risks

Mechanical heart valves that have been approved by the FDA rarely fail. However, even when patients take enough anticoagulants, a small number develop blood clots on the valves. Each year, 1.3% to 2.7% of patients who have a mechanical heart valve experience an episode of severe bleeding related to anticoagulants. Biological valves tend to fail over time — requiring replacement in 30% of patients within 10 years and 50% within 15 years. However, the risk of blood clots is very low.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve replacement

: When to call a professional

After your discharge, call your doctor immediately if:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heart valve replacement

: Additional info

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
 
American Heart Association (AHA)

https://www.heart.org/
 
American College of Cardiology

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

    Heat stroke (hyperthermia)

: What is it?

The human body usually can regulate its temperature. When the body gets too hot, it uses several strategies to cool down, including sweating. But if a person spends too much time in the heat without taking in enough fluids, the body's cooling processes can't work properly. When the body becomes dehydrated, it can no longer cool itself by sweating. When this happens, body temperature can rise high enough to make the person sick. The first symptoms of heat illness occur as the body temperature climbs above normal, and can include headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and fatigue. These early symptoms sometimes are called heat exhaustion. If steps are not taken to reduce body temperature, heat exhaustion can worsen and become heat stroke. Heat stroke is a serious, potentially life-threatening form of heat illness. The body temperature rises to 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and you develop neurological changes, such as mental confusion or unconsciousness. At these high temperatures, body proteins and the membranes around the cells in the body, especially in the brain, begin to be destroyed or malfunction. The extreme heat can affect internal organs, causing breakdown of the heart muscle cells and blood vessels, damage to internal organs, and death. There are two main causes of heat stroke:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heat stroke (hyperthermia)

: Symptoms

Heat stroke can come on suddenly, but warning symptoms often appear first. They include:
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heat stroke (hyperthermia)

: Diagnosis

A doctor will examine the person and do tests to check for other possible causes of the high temperature. Tests may include a computed tomography (CT) scan of the head, blood tests and a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). The doctor also will do urine and blood tests to monitor how well the kidneys are functioning. Dehydration and heat stroke can be a major stress for the kidneys.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heat stroke (hyperthermia)

: Expected duration

It is standard for a person with heat stroke to stay in the hospital for one or more days so that any complications can be identified quickly. Complete recovery from heat stroke and its effects on body organs may take two months to a year.
### Instruction:  Disease name:

    Heat stroke (hyperthermia)

: Prevention

Most cases of heat stroke can be prevented. When the temperature outside is especially high: