bowang0911/MedQuAD huggingface dataset:
Hemochromatosis (HE-mo-kro-ma-TO-sis) is a disease in which too much iron builds up in your body (iron overload). Iron is a mineral found in many foods.
                
Too much iron is toxic to your body. It can poison your organs and cause organ failure. In hemochromatosis, iron can build up in most of your body's organs, but especially in the liver, heart, and pancreas.
                
Too much iron in the liver can cause an enlarged liver, liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis (sir-RO-sis). Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver, which causes the organ to not work well.
                
Too much iron in the heart can cause irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs) and heart failure. Too much iron in the pancreas can lead to diabetes.
                
If hemochromatosis isn't treated, it may even cause death.
                
Overview
                
The two types of hemochromatosis are primary and secondary. Primary hemochromatosis is caused by a defect in the genes that control how much iron you absorb from food. Secondary hemochromatosis usually is the result of another disease or condition that causes iron overload.
                
Most people who have primary hemochromatosis inherit it from their parents. If you inherit two hemochromatosis genesone from each parentyou're at risk for iron overload and signs and symptoms of the disease. The two faulty genes cause your body to absorb more iron than usual from the foods you eat.
                
Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic disorders in the United States. However, not everyone who has hemochromatosis has signs or symptoms of the disease.
                
Estimates of how many people develop signs and symptoms vary greatly. Some estimates suggest that as many as half of all people who have the disease don't have signs or symptoms.
                
The severity of hemochromatosis also varies. Some people don't have complications, even with high levels of iron in their bodies. Others have severe complications or die from the disease.
                
Certain factors can affect the severity of the disease. For example, a high intake of vitamin C can make hemochromatosis worse. This is because vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from food.
                
Alcohol use can worsen liver damage and cirrhosis caused by hemochromatosis. Conditions such as hepatitis also can further damage or weaken the liver.
                
Outlook
                
The outlook for people who have hemochromatosis largely depends on how much organ damage they have at the time of diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease are important.
                
Treatment may help prevent, delay, or sometimes reverse complications of the disease. Treatment also may lead to better quality of life.
                
For people who are diagnosed and treated early, a normal lifespan is possible. If left untreated, hemochromatosis can lead to severe organ damage and even death.
The two types of hemochromatosis are primary and secondary. Each type has a different cause.
                
Primary Hemochromatosis
                
Primary hemochromatosis is caused by a defect in the genes that control how much iron you absorb from food. This form of the disease sometimes is called hereditary or classical hemochromatosis. Primary hemochromatosis is more common than the secondary form of the disease.
                
The genes usually involved in primary hemochromatosis are called HFE genes. Faulty HFE genes cause the body to absorb too much iron. If you inherit two copies of the faulty HFE gene (one from each parent), you're at risk for iron overload and signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis.
                
If you inherit one faulty HFE gene and one normal HFE gene, you're a hemochromatosis "carrier." Carriers usually don't develop the disease. However, they can pass the faulty gene on to their children. Estimates suggest that about 1 in 10 people in the United States are hemochromatosis carriers.
                
If two parents are carriers of the faulty HFE gene, then each of their children has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting two faulty HFE genes.
                
Although less common, other faulty genes also can cause hemochromatosis. Researchers continue to study what changes to normal genes may cause the disease.
                
Secondary Hemochromatosis
                
Secondary hemochromatosis usually is the result of another disease or condition that causes iron overload. Examples of such diseases and conditions include:
                
Certain types of anemia, such as thalassemias and sideroblastic anemia
                
Atransferrinemia and aceruloplasminemiaboth are rare, inherited diseases
                
Chronic liver diseases, such as chronic hepatitis C infection, alcoholic liver disease, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
                
Other factors also can cause secondary hemochromatosis, including:
                
Blood transfusions
                
Oral iron pills or iron injections, with or without very high vitamin C intake (vitamin C helps your body absorb iron)
                
Long-term kidney dialysis
Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic diseases in the United States. It's most common in Caucasians of Northern European descent. The disease is less common in African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians.
                
Primary hemochromatosis is more common in men than in women. Also, older people are more likely to develop the disease than younger people. In fact, signs and symptoms usually don't occur in men until they're 40 to 60 years old.
                
In women, signs and symptoms usually don't occur until after the age of 50 (after menopause). Young children rarely develop hemochromatosis.
                
Inheriting two faulty HFE genes (one from each parent) is the major risk factor for hemochromatosis. However, many people who have two copies of the faulty gene don't develop signs or symptoms of the disease.
                
Alcoholism is another risk factor for hemochromatosis. A family history of certain diseases and conditions also puts you at higher risk for hemochromatosis. Examples of such diseases and conditions include heart attack, liver disease, diabetes, arthritis, and erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Hemochromatosis can affect many parts of the body and cause various signs and symptoms. Many of the signs and symptoms are similar to those of other diseases.
                
Signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis usually don't occur until middle age. Women are more likely to have general symptoms first, such as fatigue (tiredness). In men, complications such as diabetes or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) often are the first signs of the disease.
                
Signs and symptoms also vary based on the severity of the disease. Common signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis include joint pain, fatigue, general weakness, weight loss, and stomach pain.
                
Not everyone who has hemochromatosis has signs or symptoms of the disease. Estimates of how many people develop signs and symptoms vary greatly. Some estimates suggest that as many as half of all people who have the disease don't have signs or symptoms.
                
Hemochromatosis Complications
                
If hemochromatosis isn't found and treated early, iron builds up in your body and can lead to:
                
Liver disease, including an enlarged liver, liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
                
Heart problems, including arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and heart failure
                
Diabetes, especially in people who have a family history of diabetes
                
Joint damage and pain, including arthritis
                
Reproductive organ failure, such as erectile dysfunction (impotence), shrinkage of the testicles, and loss of sex drive in men, and absence of the menstrual cycle and early menopause in women
                
Changes in skin color that make the skin look gray or bronze
                
Underactive pituitary and thyroid glands
                
Damage to the adrenal glands
Treatments for hemochromatosis include therapeutic phlebotomy (fleh-BOT-o-me), iron chelation (ke-LAY-shun) therapy, dietary changes, and treatment for complications.
                
The goals of treating hemochromatosis include:
                
Reducing the amount of iron in your body to normal levels
                
Preventing or delaying organ damage from iron overload
                
Treating complications of the disease
                
Maintaining a normal amount of iron in your body for the rest of your life
                
Therapeutic Phlebotomy
                
Therapeutic phlebotomy is a procedure that removes blood (and iron) from your body. A needle is inserted into a vein, and your blood flows through an airtight tube into a sterile container or bag.
                
The process is similar to donating blood; it can be done at blood donation centers, hospital donation centers, or a doctor's office.
                
In the first stage of treatment, about 1 pint of blood is removed once or twice a week. After your iron levels return to normal, you may continue phlebotomy treatments. However, you may need them less oftentypically every 24 months.
                
As long as treatment continues, which often is for the rest of your life, you'll need frequent blood tests to check your iron levels.
                
Iron Chelation Therapy
                
Iron chelation therapy uses medicine to remove excess iron from your body. This treatment is a good option for people who can't have routine blood removal.
                
The medicine used in iron chelation therapy is either injected or taken orally (by mouth). Injected iron chelation therapy is done at a doctor's office. Oral iron chelation therapy can be done at home.
                
Dietary Changes
                
Your doctor may suggest that you change your diet if you have hemochromatosis. You may be advised to:
                
Avoid taking iron, including iron pills, iron injections, or multivitamins that contain iron.
                
Limit your intake of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from food. Talk with your doctor about how much vitamin C is safe for you.
                
Avoid uncooked fish and shellfish. Some fish and shellfish contain bacteria that can cause infections in people who have chronic diseases, such as hemochromatosis.
                
Limit alcohol intake. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of liver disease. It also can make existing liver disease worse.
                
Treatment for Complications
                
Your doctor may prescribe other treatments as needed for complications such as liver disease, heart problems, or diabetes.
You can't prevent primary, or inherited, hemochromatosis. However, not everyone who inherits hemochromatosis genes develops symptoms or complications of the disease. In those who do, treatments can keep the disease from getting worse.
                
Treatments include therapeutic phlebotomy, iron chelation therapy, dietary changes, and other treatments. For more information, go to "How Is Hemochromatosis Treated?"
                
People who have hemochromatosis (or a family history of it) and are planning to have children may want to consider genetic testing and counseling. Testing will help show whether one or both parents have faulty HFE genes. A genetic counselor also can help figure out the likelihood of the parents passing the faulty genes on to their children.
A cough is a natural reflex that protects your lungs. Coughing helps clear your airways of lung irritants, such as smoke and mucus (a slimy substance). This helps prevent infections. A cough also can be a symptom of a medical problem.
                
Prolonged coughing can cause unpleasant side effects, such as chest pain, exhaustion, light-headedness, and loss of bladder control. Coughing also can interfere with sleep, socializing, and work.
                
Overview
                
Coughing occurs when the nerve endings in your airways become irritated. The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. Certain substances (such as smoke and pollen), medical conditions, and medicines can irritate these nerve endings.
                
A cough can be acute, subacute, or chronic, depending on how long it lasts.
                
An acute cough lasts less than 3 weeks. Common causes of an acute cough are a common cold or other upper respiratory (RES-pi-rah-tor-e) infections. Examples of other upper respiratory infections include the flu, pneumonia (nu-MO-ne-ah), and whooping cough.
                
A subacute cough lasts 3 to 8 weeks. This type of cough remains even after a cold or other respiratory infection is over.
                
A chronic cough lasts more than 8 weeks. Common causes of a chronic cough are upper airway cough syndrome (UACS); asthma; and gastroesophageal (GAS-tro-eh-so-fa-JE-al) reflux disease, or GERD.
                
"UACS" is a term used to describe conditions that inflame the upper airways and cause a cough. Examples include sinus infections and allergies. These conditions can cause mucus to run down your throat from the back of your nose. This is called postnasal drip.
                
Asthma is a long-term lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. GERD occurs if acid from your stomach backs up into your throat.
                
Outlook
                
The best way to treat a cough is to treat its cause. For example, asthma is treated with medicines that open the airways.
                
Your doctor may recommend cough medicine if the cause of your cough is unknown and the cough causes a lot of discomfort. Cough medicines may harm children. If your child has a cough, talk with his or her doctor about how to treat it.
People at risk for cough include those who:
                
Are exposed to things that irritate their airways (called irritants) or things that they're allergic to (called allergens). Examples of irritants are cigarette smoke, air pollution, paint fumes, and scented products. Examples of allergens are dust, animal dander, mold, and pollens from trees, grasses, and flowers.
                
Have certain conditions that irritate the lungs, such as asthma, sinus infections, colds, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
                
Smoke. Smoking can irritate your lungs and cause coughing. Smoking and/or exposure to secondhand smoke also can lead to medical conditions that can cause a cough.
                
Take certain medicines, such as ACE inhibitors and beta blockers. ACE inhibitors are used to treat high blood pressure (HBP). Beta blockers are used to treat HBP, migraine headaches, and glaucoma.
                
Women are more likely than men to develop a chronic cough. For more information about the substances and conditions that put you at risk for cough, go to "What Causes Cough?"
When you cough, mucus (a slimy substance) may come up. Coughing helps clear the mucus in your airways from a cold, bronchitis, or other condition. Rarely, people cough up blood. If this happens, you should call your doctor right away.
                
A cough may be a symptom of a medical condition. Thus, it may occur with other signs and symptoms of that condition. For example, if you have a cold, you may have a runny or stuffy nose. If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, you may have a sour taste in your mouth.
                
A chronic cough can make you feel tired because you use a lot of energy to cough. It also can prevent you from sleeping well and interfere with work and socializing. A chronic cough also can cause headaches, chest pain, loss of bladder control, sweating, and, rarely, fractured ribs.
Your doctor will diagnose the cause of your cough based on your medical history, a physical exam, and test results.
                
Medical History
                
Your doctor will likely ask questions about your cough. He or she may ask how long you've had it, whether you're coughing anything up (such as mucus, a slimy substance), and how much you cough.
                
Your doctor also may ask:
                
About your medical history, including whether you have allergies, asthma, or other medical conditions.
                
Whether you have heartburn or a sour taste in your mouth. These may be signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
                
Whether you've recently had a cold or the flu.
                
Whether you smoke or spend time around others who smoke.
                
Whether you've been around air pollution, a lot of dust, or fumes.
                
Physical Exam
                
To check for signs of problems related to cough, your doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to your lungs. He or she will listen for wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe) or other abnormal sounds.
                
Diagnostic Tests
                
Your doctor may recommend tests based on the results of your medical history and physical exam. For example, if you have symptoms of GERD, your doctor may recommend a pH probe. This test measures the acid level of the fluid in your throat.
                
Other tests may include:
                
An exam of the mucus from your nose or throat. This test can show whether you have a bacterial infection.
                
A chest x ray. A chest x ray takes a picture of your heart and lungs. This test can help diagnose conditions such as pneumonia and lung cancer.
                
Lung function tests. These tests measure how much air you can breathe in and out, how fast you can breathe air out, and how well your lungs deliver oxygen to your blood. Lung function tests can help diagnose asthma and other conditions.
                
An x ray of the sinuses. This test can help diagnose a sinus infection.
Pulmonary embolism (PULL-mun-ary EM-bo-lizm), or PE, is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. The blockage usually is caused by a blood clot that travels to the lung from a vein in the leg.
                
A clot that forms in one part of the body and travels in the bloodstream to another part of the body is called an embolus (EM-bo-lus).
                
PE is a serious condition that can:
                
Damage part of your lung because of a lack of blood flow to your lung tissue. This damage may lead to pulmonary hypertension (increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries).
                
Cause low oxygen levels in your blood.
                
Damage other organs in your body because of a lack of oxygen.
                
If a blood clot is large, or if there are many clots, PE can cause death.
                
Overview
                
PE most often is a complication of a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In DVT, blood clots form in the deep veins of the bodymost often in the legs. These clots can break free, travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, and block an artery.
                
Deep vein clots are not like clots in veins close to the skin's surface. Those clots remain in place and do not cause PE.
                
Outlook
                
The exact number of people affected by DVT and PE isn't known. Estimates suggest these conditions affect 300,000 to 600,000 people in the United States each year.
                
If left untreated, about 30 percent of patients who have PE will die. Most of those who die do so within the first few hours of the event.
                
The good news is that a prompt diagnosis and proper treatment can save lives and help prevent the complications of PE.
Major Causes
                
Pulmonary embolism (PE) usually begins as a blood clot in a deep vein of the leg. This condition is called deep vein thrombosis. The clot can break free, travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, and block an artery.
                
The animation below shows how a blood clot from a deep vein in the leg can travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. Click the "start" button to play the animation. Written and spoken explanations are provided with each frame. Use the buttons in the lower right corner to pause, restart, or replay the animation, or use the scroll bar below the buttons to move through the frames.
                

                

                
Blood clots can form in the deep veins of the legs if blood flow is restricted and slows down. This can happen if you don't move around for long periods, such as:
                
After some types of surgery
                
During a long trip in a car or airplane
                
If you must stay in bed for an extended time
                
Blood clots are more likely to develop in veins damaged from surgery or injured in other ways.
                
Other Causes
                
Rarely, an air bubble, part of a tumor, or other tissue travels to the lungs and causes PE. Also, if a large bone in the body (such as the thigh bone) breaks, fat from the bone marrow can travel through the blood. If the fat reaches the lungs, it can cause PE
Pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs equally in men and women. The risk increases with age. For every 10 years after age 60, the risk of having PE doubles.
                
Certain inherited conditions, such as factor V Leiden, increase the risk of blood clotting and PE.
                
Major Risk Factors
                
Your risk for PE is high if you have deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or a history of DVT. In DVT, blood clots form in the deep veins of the bodymost often in the legs. These clots can break free, travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, and block an artery.
                
Your risk for PE also is high if you've had the condition before.
                
Other Risk Factors
                
Other factors also can increase the risk for PE, such as:
                
Being bedridden or unable to move around much
                
Having surgery or breaking a bone (the risk goes up in the weeks following the surgery or injury)
                
Having certain diseases or conditions, such as a stroke, paralysis (an inability to move), chronic heart disease, or high blood pressure
                
Smoking
                
People who have recently been treated for cancer or who have a central venous catheter are more likely to develop DVT, which increases their risk for PE. A central venous catheter is a tube placed in a vein to allow easy access to the bloodstream for medical treatment.
                
Other risk factors for DVT include sitting for long periods (such as during long car or airplane rides), pregnancy and the 6-week period after pregnancy, and being overweight or obese. Women who take hormone therapy pills or birth control pills also are at increased risk for DVT.
                
The risk of developing blood clots increases as your number of risk factors increases.
Major Signs and Symptoms
                
Signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism (PE) include unexplained shortness of breath, problems breathing, chest pain, coughing, or coughing up blood. An arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) also may suggest that you have PE.
                
Sometimes the only signs and symptoms are related to deep vein thrombosis (DVT). These include swelling of the leg or along a vein in the leg, pain or tenderness in the leg, a feeling of increased warmth in the area of the leg that's swollen or tender, and red or discolored skin on the affected leg.
                
See your doctor right away if you have any signs or symptoms of PE or DVT. It's also possible to have PE and not have any signs or symptoms.
                
Other Signs and Symptoms
                
Some people who have PE have feelings of anxiety or dread, light-headedness or fainting, rapid breathing, sweating, or an increased heart rate.