sarnsrun/medquad huggingface dataset:
Topic: Heart Attack
Question: Who is at risk for Heart Attack? ?
Answer: Certain risk factors make it more likely that you'll develop coronary heart disease (CHD) and have a heart attack. You can control many of these risk factors.
                
Risk Factors You Can Control
                
The major risk factors for a heart attack that you can control include:
                
Smoking
                
High blood pressure
                
High blood cholesterol
                
Overweight and obesity
                
An unhealthy diet (for example, a diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium)
                
Lack of routine physical activity
                
High blood sugar due to insulin resistance or diabetes
                
Some of these risk factorssuch as obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugartend to occur together. When they do, it's called metabolic syndrome.
                
In general, a person who has metabolic syndrome is twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times as likely to develop diabetes as someone who doesn't have metabolic syndrome.
                
For more information about the risk factors that are part of metabolic syndrome, go to the Health Topics Metabolic Syndrome article.
                
Risk Factors You Can't Control
                
Risk factors that you can't control include:
                
Age. The risk of heart disease increases for men after age 45 and for women after age 55 (or after menopause).
                
Family history of early heart disease. Your risk increases if your father or a brother was diagnosed with heart disease before 55 years of age, or if your mother or a sister was diagnosed with heart disease before 65 years of age.
                
Preeclampsia (pre-e-KLAMP-se-ah). This condition can develop during pregnancy. The two main signs of preeclampsia are a rise in blood pressure and excess protein in the urine. Preeclampsia is linked to an increased lifetime risk of heart disease, including CHD, heart attack, heart failure, and high blood pressure.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Heart Attack
Question: How to diagnose Heart Attack ?
Answer: Your doctor will diagnose a heart attack based on your signs and symptoms, your medical and family histories, and test results.
                
Diagnostic Tests
                
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
                
An EKG is a simple, painless test that detects and records the heart's electrical activity. The test shows how fast the heart is beating and its rhythm (steady or irregular). An EKG also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of the heart.
                
An EKG can show signs of heart damage due to coronary heart disease (CHD) and signs of a previous or current heart attack.
                
Blood Tests
                
During a heart attack, heart muscle cells die and release proteins into the bloodstream. Blood tests can measure the amount of these proteins in the bloodstream. Higher than normal levels of these proteins suggest a heart attack.
                
Commonly used blood tests include troponin tests, CK or CKMB tests, and serum myoglobin tests. Blood tests often are repeated to check for changes over time.
                
Coronary Angiography
                
Coronary angiography (an-jee-OG-ra-fee) is a test that uses dye and special x rays to show the insides of your coronary arteries. This test often is done during a heart attack to help find blockages in the coronary arteries.
                
To get the dye into your coronary arteries, your doctor will use a procedure called cardiac catheterization (KATH-e-ter-ih-ZA-shun).
                
A thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a blood vessel in your arm, groin (upper thigh), or neck. The tube is threaded into your coronary arteries, and the dye is released into your bloodstream.
                
Special x rays are taken while the dye is flowing through the coronary arteries. The dye lets your doctor study the flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels.
                
If your doctor finds a blockage, he or she may recommend a procedure calledpercutaneous (per-ku-TA-ne-us) coronary intervention (PCI), sometimes referred to ascoronary angioplasty(AN-jee-oh-plas-tee). This procedure can help restore blood flow through a blocked artery. Sometimes a small mesh tube called a stent is placed in the artery to help prevent blockages after the procedure.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Heart Attack
Question: How to prevent Heart Attack ?
Answer: Lowering your risk factors for coronary heart disease can help you prevent a heart attack. Even if you already have coronary heart disease, you still can take steps to lower your risk for a heart attack. These steps involve following a heart-healthy lifestyle and getting ongoingmedical care.
                
Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
                
A heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent a heart attack and includes heart-healthy eating, being physically active, quitting smoking, managing stress, and managing your weight.
                
Ongoing Care
                
Treat Related Conditions
                
Treating conditions that make a heart attack more likely also can help lower your risk for a heart attack. These conditions may include:
                
Diabetes (high blood sugar). If you have diabetes, try to control your blood sugar level through diet and physical activity (as your doctor recommends). If needed, take medicine as prescribed.
                
High blood cholesterol. Your doctor may prescribe a statin medicine to lower your cholesterol if diet and exercise arent enough.
                
High blood pressure. Your doctor may prescribe medicine to keep your blood pressure under control.
                
Have an Emergency Action Plan
                
Make sure that you have an emergency action plan in case you or someone in your family has a heart attack. This is very important if youre at high risk for, or have already had, a heart attack.
                
Write down a list of medicines you are taking, medicines you are allergic to, your health care providers phone numbers (both during and after office hours), and contact information for a friend or relative. Keep the list in a handy place (for example, fill out this wallet card) to share in a medical emergency.
                
Talk with your doctor about the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, when you should call 911, and steps you can take while waiting for medical help to arrive.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Coronary Microvascular Disease
Question: What is (are) Coronary Microvascular Disease ?
Answer: Coronary microvascular disease (MVD) is heart disease that affects the tiny coronary (heart) arteries. In coronary MVD, the walls of the heart's tiny arteries are damaged or diseased.
                
Coronary MVD is different from traditional coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. In CHD, a waxy substance called plaque (plak) builds up in the large coronary arteries.
                
Plaque narrows the heart's large arteries and reduces the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle. The buildup of plaque also makes it more likely that blood clots will form in your arteries. Blood clots can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery.
                
In coronary MVD, however, the heart's tiny arteries are affected. Plaque doesn't create blockages in these vessels as it does in the heart's large arteries.
                
Coronary Microvascular Disease
                

                
Overview
                
Both men and women who have coronary microvascular disease often have diabetes or high blood pressure. Some people who have coronary microvascular disease may have inherited heart muscle diseases.
                
Diagnosing coronary microvascular disease has been a challenge for doctors. Standard tests used to diagnose coronary heart disease arent designed to detect coronary microvascular disease. More research is needed to find the best diagnostic tests and treatments for thedisease.
                
Outlook
                
Most of what is known about coronary MVD comes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Wise study (Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation).
                
The WISE study started in 1996. The goal of the study was to learn more about how heart disease develops in women.
                
Currently, research is ongoing to learn more about the role of hormones in heart disease and to find better ways to diagnose coronary MVD.
                
Studies also are under way to learn more about the causes of coronary MVD, how to treat the disease, and the expected health outcomes for people with coronary MVD.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Coronary Microvascular Disease
Question: What causes Coronary Microvascular Disease ?
Answer: The same risk factors that cause atherosclerosis may cause coronary microvascular disease. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up inside the arteries.
                
Risk factors for atherosclerosis include:
                
Diabetes. It is a disease in which the bodys blood sugar level is too high because the body doesnt make enough insulin or doesnt use its insulin properly.
                
Family history of early heart disease. Your risk of atherosclerosis increases if your father or a brother was diagnosed with heart disease before age 55, or if your mother or a sister was diagnosed with heart disease before age 65.
                
High blood pressure. Blood pressure is considered high if it stays at or above 140/90mmHg over time. If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercurythe units used to measure blood pressure.)
                
Insulin resistance. This condition occurs if the body cant use its insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps move blood sugar into cells where its used for energy. Overtime, insulin resistance can lead to diabetes.
                
Lack of physical activity. Physical inactivity can worsen some other risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, and overweight or obesity.
                
Older age. As you age, your risk for atherosclerosis increases. The process of atherosclerosis begins in youth and typically progresses over many decades before disease develops.
                
Overweight and obesity. The terms overweight and obesity refer to body weight thats greater than what is considered healthy for a certain height.
                
Smoking. Smoking can damage and tighten blood vessels, lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels, and raise blood pressure. Smoking also doesnt allow enough oxygen to reach the bodys tissues.
                
Unhealthy blood cholesterol levels. This includes high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol.
                
Unhealthy diet. An unhealthy diet can raise your risk for atherosclerosis. Foods that are high in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and sugar can worsen other risk factors for atherosclerosis.
                
In women, coronary microvascular disease also may be linked to low estrogen levels occurring before or after menopause. Also, the disease may be linked to anemia or conditions that affect blood clotting. Anemia is thought to slow the growth of cells needed to repair damaged blood vessels.
                
Researchers continue to explore other possible causes of coronary microvascular disease.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Coronary Microvascular Disease
Question: Who is at risk for Coronary Microvascular Disease? ?
Answer: Coronary microvascular disease can affect both men and women. However, women may be at risk for coronary microvascular disease if they have lower than normal levels of estrogen at any point in their adult lives. (This refers to the estrogen that the ovaries produce, not the estrogen used in hormone therapy.) Low estrogen levels before menopause can raise younger womens risk for the disease. Causes of low estrogen levels in younger women can be mental stress or a problem with the function of theovaries.
                
The causes of coronary microvascular disease and atherosclerosis are also considered risk factors for the disease.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Coronary Microvascular Disease
Question: What are the symptoms of Coronary Microvascular Disease ?
Answer: The signs and symptoms of coronary microvascular disease (MVD) often differ from the signs and symptoms of traditional coronary heart disease (CHD).
                
Many women with coronary MVD have angina (an-JI-nuh or AN-juh-nuh). Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood.
                
Angina may feel like pressure or squeezing in your chest. You also may feel it in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may even feel like indigestion.
                
Angina also is a common symptom of CHD. However, the angina that occurs in coronary MVD may differ from the typical angina that occurs in CHD. In coronary MVD, the chest pain usually lasts longer than 10 minutes, and it can last longer than 30 minutes. Typical angina is more common in women older than 65.
                
Other signs and symptoms of coronary MVD are shortness of breath, sleep problems, fatigue (tiredness), and lack of energy.
                
Coronary MVD symptoms often are first noticed during routine daily activities (such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, and going to work) and times of mental stress. It's less likely that women will notice these symptoms during physical activity (such as jogging or walking fast).
                
This differs from CHD, in which symptoms often first appear while a person is being physically activesuch as while jogging, walking on a treadmill, or going up stairs.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Coronary Microvascular Disease
Question: What are the treatments for Coronary Microvascular Disease ?
Answer: Relieving pain is one of the main goals of treating coronary microvascular disease (MVD). Treatments also are used to control risk factors and other symptoms. Treatments may include medicines, such as:
                
ACE inhibitors and beta blockers to lower blood pressure and decrease the hearts workload
                
Aspirin to help prevent blood clots or control inflammation
                
Nitroglycerin to relax blood vessels, improve blood flow to the heart muscle, and treat chest pain
                
Statin medicines to control or lower your blood cholesterol.
                
Take all medicines regularly, as your doctor prescribes. Dont change the amount of your medicine or skip a dose unless your doctor tells you to.
                
If youre diagnosed with coronary MVD and also haveanemia, you may benefit from treatment for that condition. Anemia is thought to slow the growth of cells needed to repair damaged blood vessels.
                
If youre diagnosed with and treated for coronary MVD, you should get ongoing care from your doctor. Research is under way to find the best treatments for coronary MVD.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency
Question: Who is at risk for Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? ?
Answer: Sleep deficiency, which includes sleep deprivation, affects people of all ages, races, and ethnicities. Certain groups of people may be more likely to be sleep deficient. Examples include people who:
                
Have limited time available for sleep, such as caregivers or people working long hours or more than one job
                
Have schedules that conflict with their internal body clocks, such as shift workers, first responders, teens who have early school schedules, or people who must travel for work
                
Make lifestyle choices that prevent them from getting enough sleep, such as taking medicine to stay awake, abusing alcohol or drugs, or not leaving enough time for sleep
                
Have undiagnosed or untreated medical problems, such as stress, anxiety, or sleep disorders
                
Have medical conditions or take medicines that interfere with sleep
                
Certain medical conditions have been linked to sleep disorders. These conditions include heart failure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke or transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), depression, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
                
If you have or have had one of these conditions, ask your doctor whether you might benefit from a sleep study.
                
A sleep study allows your doctor to measure how much and how well you sleep. It also helps show whether you have sleep problems and how severe they are. For more information, go to the Health Topics Sleep Studies article.
                
If you have a child who is overweight, talk with the doctor about your child's sleep habits.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency
Question: What are the symptoms of Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency ?
Answer: Sleep deficiency can cause you to feel very tired during the day. You may not feel refreshed and alert when you wake up. Sleep deficiency also can interfere with work, school, driving, and social functioning.
                
How sleepy you feel during the day can help you figure out whether you're having symptoms of problem sleepiness. You might be sleep deficient if you often feel like you could doze off while:
                
Sitting and reading or watching TV
                
Sitting still in a public place, such as a movie theater, meeting, or classroom
                
Riding in a car for an hour without stopping
                
Sitting and talking to someone
                
Sitting quietly after lunch
                
Sitting in traffic for a few minutes
                
Sleep deficiency can cause problems with learning, focusing, and reacting. You may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, remembering things, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change. You may take longer to finish tasks, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes.
                
The signs and symptoms of sleep deficiency may differ between children and adults. Children who are sleep deficient might be overly active and have problems paying attention. They also might misbehave, and their school performance can suffer.
                
Sleep-deficient children may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation.
                
You may not notice how sleep deficiency affects your daily routine. A common myth is that people can learn to get by on little sleep with no negative effects. However, research shows that getting enough quality sleep at the right times is vital for mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.
                
To find out whether you're sleep deficient, try keeping a sleep diary for a couple of weeks. Write down how much you sleep each night, how alert and rested you feel in the morning, and how sleepy you feel during the day.
                
Compare the amount of time you sleep each day with the average amount of sleep recommended for your age group, as shown in the chart in "How Much Sleep Is Enough?" If you often feel very sleepy, and efforts to increase your sleep don't help, talk with your doctor.
                
You can find a sample sleep diary in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "Your Guide to Healthy Sleep."
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Varicose Veins
Question: What is (are) Varicose Veins ?
Answer: Espaol
                
Varicose (VAR-i-kos) veins are swollen, twisted veins that you can see just under the surface of the skin. These veins usually occur in the legs, but they also can form in other parts of the body.
                
Varicose veins are a common condition. They usually cause few signs and symptoms. Sometimes varicose veins cause mild to moderate pain, blood clots, skin ulcers (sores), or other problems.
                
Overview
                
Veins are blood vessels that carry blood from your body's tissues to your heart. Your heart pumps the blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen. The oxygen-rich blood then is pumped to your body through blood vessels called arteries.
                
From your arteries, the blood flows through tiny blood vessels called capillaries, where it gives up its oxygen to the body's tissues. Your blood then returns to your heart through your veins to pick up more oxygen. For more information about blood flow, go to the Health Topics How the Heart Works article.
                
Veins have one-way valves that help keep blood flowing toward your heart. If the valves are weak or damaged, blood can back up and pool in your veins. This causes the veins to swell, which can lead to varicose veins.
                
Many factors can raise your risk for varicose veins. Examples of these factors include family history, older age, gender, pregnancy, overweight or obesity, lack of movement, and leg trauma.
                
Varicose veins are treated with lifestyle changes and medical procedures. The goals of treatment are to relieve symptoms, prevent complications, and improve appearance.
                
Outlook
                
Varicose veins usually don't cause medical problems. If they do, your doctor may simply suggest making lifestyle changes.
                
Sometimes varicose veins cause pain, blood clots, skin ulcers, or other problems. If this happens, your doctor may recommend one or more medical procedures. Some people choose to have these procedures to improve the way their veins look or to relieve pain.
                
Many treatments for varicose veins are quick and easy and don't require a long recovery.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Varicose Veins
Question: What causes Varicose Veins ?
Answer: Weak or damaged valves in the veins can cause varicose veins. After your arteries and capillaries deliver oxygen-rich blood to your body, your veins return the blood to your heart. The veins in your legs must work against gravity to do this.
                
One-way valves inside the veins open to let blood flow through, and then they shut to keep blood from flowing backward. If the valves are weak or damaged, blood can back up and pool in your veins. This causes the veins to swell.
                
Weak vein walls may cause weak valves. Normally, the walls of the veins are elastic (stretchy). If these walls become weak, they lose their normal elasticity. They become like an overstretched rubber band. This makes the walls of the veins longer and wider, and it causes the flaps of the valves to separate.
                
When the valve flaps separate, blood can flow backward through the valves. The backflow of blood fills the veins and stretches the walls even more. As a result, the veins get bigger, swell, and often twist as they try to squeeze into their normal space. These are varicose veins.
                
Normal Vein and Varicose Vein
                

                
Figure A shows a normal vein with a working valve and normal blood flow. Figure B shows a varicose vein with a deformed valve, abnormal blood flow, and thin, stretched walls. The middle image shows where varicose veins might appear in a leg.
                
Older age or a family history of varicose veins may raise your risk for weak vein walls. You also may be at higher risk if you have increased pressure in your veins due to overweight or obesity or pregnancy.
Source: NHLBI