bowang0911/MedQuAD huggingface dataset:
Dry mouth is the feeling that there is not enough saliva in your mouth. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while - if they are nervous, upset or under stress. But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to serious health problems.    Symptoms of dry mouth include       - A sticky, dry feeling in the mouth    - Trouble chewing, swallowing, tasting, or speaking    - A burning feeling in the mouth    - A dry feeling in the throat    - Cracked lips    - A dry, rough tongue    - Mouth sores    - An infection in the mouth       Dry mouth is not a normal part of aging. Causes include some medicines, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and nerve damage. Salivary gland diseases, Sjogren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes can also cause dry mouth. Treatment depends on the cause. Things you can do include sipping water, avoiding drinks with caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol, and chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless hard candy.    NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Smallpox is a disease caused by the Variola major virus. Some experts say that over the centuries it has killed more people than all other infectious diseases combined. Worldwide immunization stopped the spread of smallpox three decades ago. The last case was reported in 1977. Two research labs still keep small amounts of the virus. Experts fear bioterrorists could use the virus to spread disease.    Smallpox spreads very easily from person to person. Symptoms are flu-like. They include       - High fever    - Fatigue    - Headache    - Backache    - A rash with flat red sores       There is no treatment. Fluids and medicines for pain or fever can help control symptoms. Most people recover, but some can die. Those who do recover may have severe scars.    The U.S. stopped routine smallpox vaccinations in 1972. Military and other high-risk groups continue to get the vaccine. The U.S. has increased its supply of the vaccine in recent years. The vaccine makes some people sick, so doctors save it for those at highest risk of disease.     NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Summary : A hysterectomy is surgery to remove a woman's uterus or womb. The uterus is the place where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. After a hysterectomy, you no longer have menstrual periods and can't become pregnant. Sometimes the surgery also removes the ovaries and fallopian tubes. If you have both ovaries taken out, you will enter menopause.    Your health care provider might recommend a hysterectomy if you have       - Fibroids     - Endometriosis that hasn't been cured by medicine or surgery    - Uterine prolapse - when the uterus drops into the vagina     - Cancer of the uterine, cervix, or ovaries    - Vaginal bleeding that persists despite treatment     - Chronic pelvic pain, as a last resort        Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
Gangrene is the death of tissues in your body. It happens when a part of your body loses its blood supply. Gangrene can happen on the surface of the body, such as on the skin, or inside the body, in muscles or organs. Causes include       - Serious injuries    - Problems with blood circulation, such as atherosclerosis and peripheral arterial disease    - Diabetes       Skin symptoms may include a blue or black color, pain, numbness, and sores that produce a foul-smelling discharge. If the gangrene is internal, you may run a fever and feel unwell, and the area may be swollen and painful.    Gangrene is a serious condition. It needs immediate attention. Treatment includes surgery, antibiotics, and oxygen therapy. In severe cases an amputation may be necessary.
A miscarriage is the loss of pregnancy from natural causes before the 20th week of pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur very early in the pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant. There are many different causes for a miscarriage. In most cases, there is nothing you can do to prevent a miscarriage.    Factors that may contribute to miscarriage include       - A genetic problem with the fetus. This is the most common cause in the first trimester.    - Problems with the uterus or cervix. These contribute in the second trimester.    - Polycystic ovary syndrome       Signs of a miscarriage can include vaginal spotting or bleeding, abdominal pain or cramping, and fluid or tissue passing from the vagina. Although vaginal bleeding is a common symptom of miscarriage, many women have spotting early in their pregnancy but do not miscarry. But if you are pregnant and have bleeding or spotting, contact your health care provider immediately.    Women who miscarry early in their pregnancy usually do not need any treatment. In some cases, you may need a procedure called a dilatation and curettage (D&C) to remove tissue remaining in the uterus.    Counseling may help you cope with your grief. Later, if you do decide to try again, work closely with your health care provider to lower the risks. Many women who have a miscarriage go on to have healthy babies.    NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Summary : Heart surgery can correct problems with the heart if other treatments haven't worked or can't be used. The most common type of heart surgery for adults is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). During CABG, a healthy artery or vein from the body is connected, or grafted, to a blocked coronary (heart) artery.    Doctors also use heart surgery to       - Repair or replace heart valves, which control blood flow through the heart    - Repair abnormal or damaged structures in the heart    - Implant medical devices that help control the heartbeat or support heart function and blood flow    - Replace a damaged heart with a healthy heart from a donor    - Treat heart failure and coronary heart disease    -  Control abnormal heart rhythms       Heart surgery has risks, even though its results often are excellent. Risks include bleeding, infection, irregular heartbeats, and stroke. The risk is higher if you are older or a woman. The risk is also higher if you have other diseases or conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, lung disease, or peripheral arterial disease.    NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
When you're short of breath, it's hard or uncomfortable for you to take in the oxygen your body needs. You may feel as if you're not getting enough air. Sometimes mild breathing problems are from a stuffy nose or hard exercise. But shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease.    Many conditions can make you feel short of breath. Lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema or pneumonia cause breathing difficulties. So can problems with your trachea or bronchi, which are part of your airway system. Heart disease can make you feel breathless if your heart cannot pump enough blood to supply oxygen to your body. Stress caused by anxiety can also make it hard for you to breathe. If you often have trouble breathing, it is important to find out the cause.
Summary : Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs, and many other products. They can come as pills, capsules, powders, drinks, and energy bars. Supplements do not have to go through the testing that drugs do.    Some supplements can play an important role in health. For example, calcium and vitamin D are important for keeping bones strong. Pregnant women can take the vitamin folic acid to prevent certain birth defects in their babies.    To take a supplement as safely as possible       - Tell your health care provider about any dietary supplements you use    - Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends    - Check with your health care provider about the supplements you take if you are going to have any type of surgery    - Read trustworthy information about the supplement       NIH: National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements
The uterus, or womb, is an important female reproductive organ. It is the place where a baby grows when a women is pregnant. There are different types of uterine cancer. The most common type starts in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. This type of cancer is sometimes called endometrial cancer.     The symptoms of uterine cancer include       - Unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge    - Trouble urinating    - Pelvic pain    - Pain during intercourse       Uterine cancer usually occurs after menopause. Being obese and taking estrogen-alone hormone replacement therapy (also called menopausal hormone therapy) also increase your risk. Treatment varies depending on your overall health, how advanced the cancer is and whether hormones affect its growth. Treatment is usually a hysterectomy, which is surgery to remove the uterus. The ovaries and fallopian tubes are also removed. Other options include hormone therapy and radiation.     NIH: National Cancer Institute
Aspergillosis is a disease caused by a fungus (or mold) called Aspergillus. The fungus is very common in both indoors and outdoors. Most people breathe in the spores of the fungus every day without being affected. But some people get the disease. It usually occurs in people with lung diseases or weakened immune systems.    There are different kinds of aspergillosis. One kind is allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (also called ABPA). Symptoms of ABPA include wheezing and coughing. ABPA can affect healthy people but it is most common in people with asthma or cystic fibrosis.    Another kind is invasive aspergillosis, which damages tissues in the body. It usually affects the lungs. Sometimes it can also cause infection in other organs and spread throughout the body. It affects people who have immune system problems, such as people who have had a transplant, are taking high doses of steroids, or getting chemotherapy for some cancers.    Your doctor might do a variety of tests to make the diagnosis, including a chest x-ray, CT scan of the lungs, and an examination of tissues for signs of the fungus. Treatment is with antifungal drugs. If you have ABPA, you may also take steroids.    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The stomach is an organ between the esophagus and the small intestine. It mixes food with stomach acid and helps digest protein. Stomach cancer mostly affects older people - two-thirds of people who have it are over age 65. Your risk of getting it is also higher if you       - Have had a Helicobacter pylori infection    - Have had stomach inflammation    - Are a man    - Eat lots of salted, smoked, or pickled foods     - Smoke cigarettes     - Have a family history of stomach cancer       It is hard to diagnose stomach cancer in its early stages. Indigestion and stomach discomfort can be symptoms of early cancer, but other problems can cause the same symptoms. In advanced cases, there may be blood in your stool, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, jaundice, or trouble swallowing. Doctors diagnose stomach cancer with a physical exam, blood and imaging tests, an endoscopy, and a biopsy.    Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat stomach cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.    NIH: National Cancer Institute
Summary : Your tonsils and adenoids are part of your lymphatic system. Your tonsils are in the back of your throat. Your adenoids are higher up, behind your nose. Both help protect you from infection by trapping germs coming in through your mouth and nose.    Sometimes your tonsils and adenoids become infected. Tonsillitis makes your tonsils sore and swollen and causes a sore throat. Enlarged adenoids can be sore, make it hard to breathe and cause ear problems.    The first treatment for infected tonsils and adenoids is antibiotics. If you have frequent infections or trouble breathing, you may need surgery. Surgery to remove the tonsils is tonsillectomy. Surgery to remove adenoids is adenoidectomy.
Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors in women of childbearing age. Fibroids are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus, or womb. The cause of fibroids is unknown. Risk factors include being African American or being overweight.    Many women with fibroids have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may include       - Heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods     - Feeling "full" in the lower abdomen     - Urinating often     - Pain during sex     - Lower back pain     - Reproductive problems, such as infertility, multiple miscarriages or early labor       Your health care provider may find fibroids during a gynecological exam or by using imaging tests. Treatment includes drugs that can slow or stop their growth, or surgery. If you have no symptoms, you may not even need treatment. Many women with fibroids can get pregnant naturally. For those who cannot, infertility treatments may help.    NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Your spleen is an organ above your stomach and under your ribs on your left side. It is about as big as your fist. The spleen is part of your lymphatic system, which fights infection and keeps your body fluids in balance. It contains white blood cells that fight germs. Your spleen also helps control the amount of blood in your body, and destroys old and damaged cells.     Certain diseases might cause your spleen to swell. You can also damage or rupture your spleen in an injury, especially if it is already swollen. If your spleen is too damaged, you might need surgery to remove it. You can live without a spleen. Other organs, such as your liver, will take over some of the spleen's work. Without a spleen, however, your body will lose some of its ability to fight infections.
Summary : Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage can prevent foodborne illness. There are four basic steps to food safety at home:       - Clean - always wash your fruits and vegetables, hands, counters, and cooking utensils.    - Separate - keep raw foods to themselves. Germs can spread from one food to another.    - Cook - foods need to get hot and stay hot. Heat kills germs.    - Chill - put fresh food in the refrigerator right away.       In the grocery store, avoid cans that are bulging or jars that have cracks or loose lids. Check packages to be sure food hasn't reached its expiration date.    United States Department of Agriculture
Summary : Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog.    Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside - the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.    Environmental Protection Agency
Turner syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects a girl's development. The cause is a missing or incomplete X chromosome. Girls who have it are short, and their ovaries don't work properly.    Other physical features typical of Turner syndrome are       -  Short, "webbed" neck with folds of skin from tops of shoulders to sides of neck    -  Low hairline in the back    -  Low-set ears    -  Swollen hands and feet       Most women with Turner syndrome are infertile. They are at risk for health difficulties such as high blood pressure, kidney problems, diabetes, cataracts, osteoporosis, and thyroid problems.    Doctors diagnose Turner syndrome based on symptoms and a genetic test. Sometimes it is found in prenatal testing. There is no cure for Turner syndrome, but there are some treatments for the symptoms. Growth hormone often helps girls reach heights that are close to average. Hormone replacement can help start sexual development. Assisted reproduction techniques can help some women with Turner syndrome get pregnant.    NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Candida is the scientific name for yeast. It is a fungus that lives almost everywhere, including in your body. Usually, your immune system keeps yeast under control. If you are sick or taking antibiotics, it can multiply and cause an infection.     Yeast infections affect different parts of the body in different ways:        - Thrush is a yeast infection that causes white patches in your mouth     - Candida esophagitis is thrush that spreads to your esophagus, the tube that takes food from your mouth to your stomach. It can make it hard or painful to swallow.     - Women can get vaginal yeast infections, causing itchiness, pain and discharge    - Yeast infections of the skin cause itching and rashes     - Yeast infections in your bloodstream can be life-threatening        Antifungal medicines get rid of yeast infections in most people. If you have a weak immune system, treatment might be more difficult.
Summary : A biopsy is a procedure that removes cells or tissue from your body. A doctor called a pathologist looks at the cells or tissue under a microscope to check for damage or disease. The pathologist may also do other tests on it.    Biopsies can be done on all parts of the body. In most cases, a biopsy is the only test that can tell for sure if a suspicious area is cancer. But biopsies are performed for many other reasons too.    There are different types of biopsies. A needle biopsy removes tissue with a needle passed through your skin to the site of the problem. Other kinds of biopsies may require surgery.
Your soft tissues connect, support, or surround other tissues. Examples include your muscles, tendons, fat, and blood vessels. Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer of these soft tissues. There are many kinds, based on the type of tissue they started in. They may cause a lump or swelling in the soft tissue. Sometimes they spread and can press on nerves and organs, causing problems such as pain or trouble breathing.    No one knows exactly what causes these cancers. They are not common, but you have a higher risk if you have been exposed to certain chemicals, have had radiation therapy, or have certain genetic diseases.    Doctors diagnose soft tissue sarcomas with a biopsy. Treatments include surgery to remove the tumor, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination.    NIH: National Cancer Institute
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby's lip or mouth do not form properly. They happen early during pregnancy. A baby can have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both.    A cleft lip happens if the tissue that makes up the lip does not join completely before birth. This causes an opening in the upper lip. The opening can be a small slit or a large opening that goes through the lip into the nose. It can be on one or both sides of the lip or, rarely, in the middle of the lip.    Children with a cleft lip also can have a cleft palate. The roof of the mouth is called the "palate." With a cleft palate, the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not join correctly. Babies may have both the front and back parts of the palate open, or they may have only one part open.    Children with a cleft lip or a cleft palate often have problems with feeding and talking. They also might have ear infections, hearing loss, and problems with their teeth.    Often, surgery can close the lip and palate. Cleft lip surgery is usually done before age 12 months, and cleft palate surgery is done before 18 months. Many children have other complications. They may need additional surgeries, dental and orthodontic care, and speech therapy as they get older. With treatment, most children with clefts do well and lead a healthy life.    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. One type, hepatitis A, is caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The disease spreads through contact with an infected person's stool. You can get it from       - Eating food made by an infected person who did not wash their hands after using the bathroom    - Drinking untreated water or eating food washed in untreated water    - Putting into your mouth a finger or object that came into contact with an infected person's stool    - Having close contact with an infected person, such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill       Most people do not have any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may feel as if you have the flu. You may also have yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice. A blood test will show if you have HAV.    HAV usually gets better in a few weeks without treatment. However, some people can have symptoms for up to 6 months. Your doctor may suggest medicines to help relieve your symptoms.    The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent HAV. Good hygiene can also help. Wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food, after using the toilet, or after changing a diaper. International travelers should be careful about drinking tap water.    NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
A hearing aid is a small electronic device that you wear in or behind your ear. It makes some sounds louder. A hearing aid can help people hear more in both quiet and noisy situations.     Hearing aids help people who have hearing loss from damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear. The damage can occur as a result of disease, aging, or injury from noise or certain medicines. Only about one out of five people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually uses one. If you think a hearing aid could help you, visit your doctor.     There are different kinds of hearing aids. They differ by size, their placement on or inside the ear, and how much they amplify sound. The hearing aid that will work best for you depends on what kind of hearing loss you have, and how severe it is.    NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Until recently, the common type of diabetes in children and teens was type 1. It was called juvenile diabetes. With Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose,or sugar, get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much sugar stays in the blood.    But now younger people are also getting type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But now it is becoming more common in children and teens, due to more obesity. With Type 2 diabetes, the body does not make or use insulin well.    Children have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if they are obese, have a family history of diabetes, or are not active, and do not eat well. To lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in children       - Have them maintain a healthy weight    - Be sure they are physically active    - Have them eat smaller portions of healthy foods    - Limit time with the TV, computer, and video       Children and teens with type 1 diabetes may need to take insulin. Type 2 diabetes may be controlled with diet and exercise. If not, patients will need to take oral diabetes medicines or insulin. A blood test called the A1C can check on how you are managing your diabetes.
Summary : Puberty is the time in life when a boy or girl becomes sexually mature. It is a process that usually happens between ages 10 and 14 for girls and ages 12 and 16 for boys. It causes physical changes, and affects boys and girls differently.    In girls:       - The first sign of puberty is usually breast development.    - Then hair grows in the pubic area and armpits.    - Menstruation (or a period) usually happens last.       In boys:       - Puberty usually begins with the testicles and penis getting bigger.    - Then hair grows in the pubic area and armpits.    - Muscles grow, the voice deepens, and facial hair develops as puberty continues.       Both boys and girls may get acne. They also usually have a growth spurt (a rapid increase in height) that lasts for about 2 or 3 years. This brings them closer to their adult height, which they reach after puberty.     NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development