bowang0911/MedQuAD huggingface dataset:
Affects Many Older People Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis among older people, and it is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability among older adults. The disease affects both men and women. Before age 45, osteoarthritis is more common in men than in women. After age 45, osteoarthritis is more common in women. It is estimated that 33.6% (12.4 million) of individuals age 65 and older are affected by the disease. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of the bones within the joints, breaks down and wears away. In some cases, all of the cartilage may wear away, leaving bones that rub up against each other. Joint Stiffness and Pain Symptoms range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes to severe joint pain. Osteoarthritis affects hands, low back, neck, and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, and feet. osteoarthritis affects just joints, not internal organs. Hands Osteoarthritis of the hands seems to run in families. If your mother or grandmother has or had osteoarthritis in their hands, youre at greater-than-average risk of having it too. Women are more likely than men to have osteoarthritis in the hands. For most women, it develops after menopause. When osteoarthritis involves the hands, small, bony knobs may appear on the end joints (those closest to the nails) of the fingers. They are called Heberdens (HEBerr-denz) nodes. Similar knobs, called Bouchards (boo-SHARDZ) nodes, can appear on the middle joints of the fingers. Fingers can become enlarged and gnarled, and they may ache or be stiff and numb. The base of the thumb joint also is commonly affected by osteoarthritis. Knees The knees are among the joints most commonly affected by osteoarthritis. Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis include stiffness, swelling, and pain, which make it hard to walk, climb, and get in and out of chairs and bathtubs. Osteoarthritis in the knees can lead to disability. Hips The hips are also common sites of osteoarthritis. As with knee osteoarthritis, symptoms of hip osteoarthritis include pain and stiffness of the joint itself. But sometimes pain is felt in the groin, inner thigh, buttocks, or even the knees. Osteoarthritis of the hip may limit moving and bending, making daily activities such as dressing and putting on shoes a challenge. Spine Osteoarthritis of the spine may show up as stiffness and pain in the neck or lower back. In some cases, arthritis-related changes in the spine can cause pressure on the nerves where they exit the spinal column, resulting in weakness, tingling, or numbness of the arms and legs. In severe cases, this can even affect bladder and bowel function.
Risk Increases With Age Researchers suspect that osteoarthritis is caused by a combination of factors in the body and the environment. The chance of developing osteoarthritis increases with age. It is estimated that 33.6% (12.4 million) of individuals age 65 and older are affected by the disease. Wear and Tear on Joints Affects Cartilage Osteoarthritis often results from years of wear and tear on joints. This wear and tear mostly affects the cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of bones within the joint. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage begins to fray, wear away, and decay. Putting too much stress on a joint that has been previously injured, improper alignment of joints, and excess weight all may contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis often results from years of wear and tear on joints. This wear and tear mostly affects the cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of bones within the joint. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage begins to fray, wear away, and decay. Putting too much stress on a joint that has been repeatedly injured may lead to the development of osteoarthritis, too. A person who is overweight is more likely to develop osteoarthritis because of too much stress on the joints. Also, improper joint alignment may lead to the development of osteoarthritis.
Warning signs of osteoarthritis include -  joint pain  -  swelling or tenderness in one or more joints  -  stiffness after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time  -  a crunching feeling or sound of bone rubbing on bone.  joint pain swelling or tenderness in one or more joints stiffness after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time a crunching feeling or sound of bone rubbing on bone. Not everyone with osteoarthritis develops symptoms. In fact, only a third of people with x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis report pain or other symptoms.
No single test can diagnose osteoarthritis. When a person feels pain in his or her joints, it may or may not be osteoarthritis. The doctor will use a combination of tests to try to determine if osteoarthritis is causing the symptoms. These may include a medical history, a physical examination, x-rays, and laboratory tests. A patient's attitudes, daily activities, and levels of anxiety or depression have a lot to do with how much the symptoms of osteoarthritis affect day-to-day living.
People with osteoarthritis may find many non-drug ways to relieve pain. Below are some examples. Heat and cold.  Heat or cold (or a combination of the two) can be useful for joint pain. Heat can be applied in a number of different ways -- with warm towels, hot packs, or a warm bath or shower -- to increase blood flow and ease pain and stiffness. In some cases, cold packs (bags of ice or frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel), which reduce inflammation, can relieve pain or numb the sore area. (Check with a doctor or physical therapist to find out if heat or cold is the best treatment.) Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). TENS is a technique that uses a small electronic device to direct mild electric pulses to nerve endings that lie beneath the skin in the painful area. TENS may relieve some arthritis pain. It seems to work by blocking pain messages to the brain and by modifying pain perception. Massage.  In this pain-relief approach, a massage therapist will lightly stroke and/or knead the painful muscles. This may increase blood flow and bring warmth to a stressed area. However, arthritis-stressed joints are sensitive, so the therapist must be familiar with the problems of the disease. Acupuncture.  Some people have found pain relief using acupuncture, a practice in which fine needles are inserted by a licensed acupuncture therapist at specific points on the skin. Scientists think the needles stimulate the release of natural, pain-relieving chemicals produced by the nervous system. A large study supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) revealed that acupuncture relieves pain and improves function in knee osteoarthritis, and it serves as an effective complement to standard care. Nutritional supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, have been reported to improve the symptoms of people with osteoarthritis, as have certain vitamins. Additional studies have been carried out to further evaluate these claims. It is unknown whether they might change the course of disease. Folk remedies  include the wearing of copper bracelets, following special diets, and rubbing WD-40 on joints to lubricate them. Although these practices may or may not be harmful, no scientific research to date shows that they are helpful in treating osteoarthritis. They can also be expensive, and using them may cause people to delay or even abandon useful medical treatment. For general information about alternative therapies, see the Complementary Health Approaches  topic.
Doctors consider a number of factors when choosing medicines for their patients. In particular, they look at the type of pain the patient may be having and any possible side effects from the drugs. For pain relief, doctors usually start with acetaminophen because the side effects are minimal. If acetaminophen does not relieve pain, then non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen may be used. Some NSAIDs are available over the counter, while more than a dozen others, including a subclass called COX-2 inhibitors, are available only with a prescription. Corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid, and topical creams are also used. Most medicines used to treat osteoarthritis have side effects, so it is important for people to learn about the medicines they take. For example, people over age 65 and those with any history of ulcers or stomach bleeding should use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, with caution. There are measures you can take to help reduce the risk of side effects associated with NSAIDs. These include taking medications with food and avoiding stomach irritants such as alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. In some cases, it may help to take another medication along with an NSAID to coat the stomach or block stomach acids. Although these measures may help, they are not always completely effective. For more tips on how older adults can avoid medication side effects, see Side Effects in the Taking Medicines topic.
For many people, surgery helps relieve the pain and disability of osteoarthritis. Surgery may be performed to achieve one or more of the following. - Removal of loose pieces of bone and cartilage from the joint if they are causing symptoms of buckling or locking (arthroscopic debridement).  - Repositioning of bones (osteotomy).  - Resurfacing (smoothing out) bones (joint resurfacing). Removal of loose pieces of bone and cartilage from the joint if they are causing symptoms of buckling or locking (arthroscopic debridement). Repositioning of bones (osteotomy). Resurfacing (smoothing out) bones (joint resurfacing). The decision to use surgery depends on several factors, including the patients age, occupation, level of disability, pain intensity, and the degree to which arthritis interferes with his or her lifestyle. After surgery and rehabilitation, the patient usually feels less pain and swelling and can move more easily.
How Tumors Form The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide and produce more cells as needed to keep the body healthy. Sometimes, however, the process goes wrong. Cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled way. These extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be benign, which means not cancerous, or malignant, which means cancerous. Breast cancer occurs when malignant tumors form in the breast tissue. Who Gets Breast Cancer?  Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in American women. It is most common among women between the ages of 45-85. (Watch the video to learn more about breast cancer survival rates. To enlarge the videos appearing on this page, click the brackets in the lower right-hand corner of the video screen. To reduce the videos, press the Escape (Esc) button on your keyboard.) Men can get breast cancer too, although they account for only 1 percent of all reported cases. Read more about breast cancer in men.  When Breast Cancer Spreads When cancer grows in breast tissue and spreads outside the breast, cancer cells are often found in the lymph nodes under the arm. If the cancer has reached these nodes, it means that cancer cells may have spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads from its original location in the breast to another part of the body such as the brain, it is called metastatic breast cancer, not brain cancer. Doctors sometimes call this "distant" disease.  Learn about different kinds of breast cancer. Breast Cancer is Not Contagious Breast cancer is not contagious. A woman cannot "catch" breast cancer from other women who have the disease. Also, breast cancer is not caused by an injury to the breast. Most women who develop breast cancer do not have any known risk factors or a history of the disease in their families. Treating and Surviving Breast Cancer  Today, more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before. Nearly three million women are breast cancer survivors. (Watch the video to hear a woman discuss surviving breast cancer.) There are several ways to treat breast cancer, but all treatments work best when the disease is found early. As a matter of fact, when it is caught in its earliest stage, 98.5 percent of women with the disease are alive five years later. Every day researchers are working to find new and better ways to detect and treat cancer. Many studies of new approaches for women with breast cancer are under way. With early detection, and prompt and appropriate treatment, the outlook for women with breast cancer can be positive. To learn more about what happens after treatment, see  Surviving Cancer.
There are many treatment options for women with breast cancer. The choice of treatment depends on your age and general health, the stage of the cancer, whether or not it has spread beyond the breast, and other factors. If tests show that you have cancer, you should talk with your doctor and make treatment decisions as soon as possible. Studies show that early treatment leads to better outcomes. Working With a Team of Specialists People with cancer often are treated by a team of specialists. The team will keep the primary doctor informed about the patient's progress. The team may include a medical oncologist who is a specialist in cancer treatment, a surgeon, a radiation oncologist who is a specialist in radiation therapy, and others. Before starting treatment, you may want another doctor to review the diagnosis and treatment plan. Some insurance companies require a second opinion. Others may pay for a second opinion if you request it. (Watch the video about this breast cancer survivor's treatment. To enlarge the video, click the brackets in the lower right-hand corner. To reduce the video, press the Escape (Esc) button on your keyboard.) Clinical Trials for Breast Cancer Some breast cancer patients take part in studies of new treatments. These studies, called clinical trials, are designed to find out whether a new treatment is both safe and effective. Often, clinical trials compare a new treatment with a standard one so that doctors can learn which is more effective. Women with breast cancer who are interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk to their doctor. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, through its National Library of Medicine and other Institutes, maintains a database of clinical trials at ClinicalTrials.gov. See a list of the current clinical trials on breast cancer.
There are a number of treatments for breast cancer, but the ones women choose most often -- alone or in combination -- are surgery, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. What Standard Treatments Do Here is what the standard cancer treatments are designed to do. - Surgery takes out the cancer and some surrounding tissue.   - Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from getting most of the hormones they need to survive and grow.  - Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors and some surrounding tissue.  -  Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to kill most cancer cells. Surgery takes out the cancer and some surrounding tissue. Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from getting most of the hormones they need to survive and grow. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors and some surrounding tissue.  Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to kill most cancer cells. Treatment for breast cancer may involve local or whole body therapy. Doctors use local therapies, such as surgery or radiation, to remove or destroy breast cancer in a specific area. Whole body, or systemic, treatments like chemotherapy, hormonal, or biological therapies are used to destroy or control cancer throughout the body. Some patients have both kinds of treatment. Treating Early-Stage Breast Cancer If you have early-stage breast cancer, one common treatment available to you is a lumpectomy combined with radiation therapy. A lumpectomy is surgery that preserves a woman's breast. In a lumpectomy, the surgeon removes only the tumor and a small amount of the surrounding tissue. The survival rate for a woman who has this therapy plus radiation is similar to that for a woman who chooses a radical mastectomy, which is complete removal of a breast. If Cancer Has Spread Locally If you have breast cancer that has spread locally -- just to other parts of the breast -- your treatment may involve a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. Doctors usually first shrink the tumor with chemotherapy and then remove it through surgery. Shrinking the tumor before surgery may allow a woman to avoid a mastectomy and keep her breast. In the past, doctors would remove a lot of lymph nodes near breast tumors to see if the cancer had spread. Some doctors also use a method called sentinel node biopsy. Using a dye or radioactive tracer, surgeons locate the first or sentinel lymph node closest to the tumor, and remove only that node to see if the cancer has spread. If Cancer Has Spread Beyond the Breast If the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lung or bone, you might receive chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy to destroy cancer cells and control the disease. Radiation therapy may also be useful to control tumors in other parts of the body. Get more information about treatment options for breast cancer  and for  recurrent breast cancer.
Did You Know: Breast Cancer Statistics? Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in American women. It is most common among women between the ages of 45-85. Today, more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before. Over two million women are breast cancer survivors. (Watch the video to learn more about breast cancer survival rates. To enlarge the video, click the brackets in the lower right-hand corner. To reduce the video, press the Escape (Esc) button on your keyboard.) Men can get breast cancer too, although they account for only one percent of all reported cases. Read more about breast cancer in men.
When breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that women should watch for. You can help safeguard your health by learning the following warning signs of breast cancer. -  a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area  - a change in the size or shape of the breast  - a dimple or puckering in the skin of the breast  -  a nipple turned inward into the breast  -  fluid, other than breast milk, from the nipple, especially if it's bloody  - scaly, red, or swollen skin on the breast, nipple, or areola (the dark area of skin around the nipple)  - dimples in the breast that look like the skin of an orange. a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area a change in the size or shape of the breast a dimple or puckering in the skin of the breast a nipple turned inward into the breast fluid, other than breast milk, from the nipple, especially if it's bloody scaly, red, or swollen skin on the breast, nipple, or areola (the dark area of skin around the nipple) dimples in the breast that look like the skin of an orange. Don't Ignore Symptoms You should see your doctor about any symptoms like these. Most often, they are not cancer, but it's important to check with the doctor so that any problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. Some women believe that as they age, health problems are due to "growing older." Because of this myth, many illnesses go undiagnosed and untreated. Don't ignore your symptoms because you think they are not important or because you believe they are normal for your age. Talk to your doctor.
One definition of cure is being alive and free of breast cancer for 5 years. If the cancer is found early, a woman's chances of survival are better. In fact, nearly 98 percent of women who discover their breast cancer when it is near the site of origin and still small in size are alive 5 years later. However, women whose cancer is diagnosed at a late stage, after it has spread to other parts of the body, have only a 23.3 percent chance of surviving 5 years. To learn more about what happens after treatment, see Surviving Cancer.
When studying ways to prevent breast cancer, scientists look at risk factors and protective factors. Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor. Anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor. Some risk factors for cancer can be avoided, but many cannot. For example, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors for some types of cancer. Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may lower your risk but it does not mean that you will not get cancer. Different ways to prevent cancer are being studied, including - changing lifestyle or eating habits  - avoiding things known to cause cancer  - taking medicine to treat a precancerous condition or to keep cancer from starting. changing lifestyle or eating habits avoiding things known to cause cancer taking medicine to treat a precancerous condition or to keep cancer from starting.
When breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that women should watch for. You can help safeguard your health by learning the following warning signs of breast cancer. - a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area  - a change in the size or shape of the breast  - ridges or pitting of the breast; the skin looks like the skin of an orange  - a change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels; for example, it may be warm, swollen, red, or scaly  - nipple discharge or tenderness, or the nipple is pulled back or inverted into the breast. a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area a change in the size or shape of the breast ridges or pitting of the breast; the skin looks like the skin of an orange a change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels; for example, it may be warm, swollen, red, or scaly nipple discharge or tenderness, or the nipple is pulled back or inverted into the breast. You should see your doctor about any symptoms like these. Most often, they are not cancer, but it's important to check with the doctor so that any problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
You can seek conventional treatment from a specialized cancer doctor, called an oncologist. The oncologist will usually assemble a team of specialists to guide your therapy. Besides the oncologist, the team may include a surgeon, a radiation oncologist who is a specialist in radiation therapy, and others. Before starting treatment, you may want another doctor to review the diagnosis and treatment plan. Some insurance companies require a second opinion. Others may pay for a second opinion if you request it. You might also be eligible to enroll in a clinical trial to receive treatment that conventional therapies may not offer.
Clinical trials are research studies on people to find out whether a new drug or treatment is both safe and effective. New therapies are tested on people only after laboratory and animal studies show promising results. The Food and Drug Administration sets strict rules to make sure that people who agree to be in the studies are treated as safely as possible. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials can be found at http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials on the website of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Check NCI's list of cancer clinical trials for breast cancer prevention trials that are now accepting patients.