sarnsrun/medquad huggingface dataset:
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What are the symptoms of Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: Adrenal Insufficiency
                
The most common symptoms of adrenal insufficiency are
                
- chronic, or long lasting, fatigue   - muscle weakness   - loss of appetite   - weight loss   - abdominal pain
                
Other symptoms of adrenal insufficiency can include
                
- nausea   - vomiting   - diarrhea   - low blood pressure that drops further when a person stands up, causing dizziness or fainting   - irritability and depression   - craving salty foods   - hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar   - headache   - sweating   - irregular or absent menstrual periods   - in women, loss of interest in sex
                
Hyperpigmentation, or darkening of the skin, can occur in Addisons disease, although not in secondary adrenal insufficiency. This darkening is most visible on scars; skin folds; pressure points such as the elbows, knees, knuckles, and toes; lips; and mucous membranes such as the lining of the cheek.
                
The slowly progressing symptoms of adrenal insufficiency are often ignored until a stressful event, such as surgery, a severe injury, an illness, or pregnancy, causes them to worsen.
                
Adrenal Crisis
                
Sudden, severe worsening of adrenal insufficiency symptoms is called adrenal crisis. If the person has Addisons disease, this worsening can also be called an Addisonian crisis. In most cases, symptoms of adrenal insufficiency become serious enough that people seek medical treatment before an adrenal crisis occurs. However, sometimes symptoms appear for the first time during an adrenal crisis.
                
Symptoms of adrenal crisis include
                
- sudden, severe pain in the lower back, abdomen, or legs   - severe vomiting and diarrhea   - dehydration   - low blood pressure   - loss of consciousness
                
If not treated, an adrenal crisis can cause death.
                

                
Get Treatment for Adrenal Crisis Right Away   People with adrenal insufficiency who have weakness, nausea, or vomiting need immediate emergency treatment to prevent an adrenal crisis and possible death. An injection with a synthetic glucocorticoid hormone called a corticosteroid can save a persons life. People should make sure to have a corticosteroid injection with them at all times, and make sure their friends and family know how and when to give the injection.   Read more under How is adrenal insufficiency treated?
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What are the treatments for Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: People with adrenal insufficiency who have weakness, nausea, or vomiting need immediate emergency treatment to prevent an adrenal crisis and possible death. An injection with a synthetic glucocorticoid hormone called a corticosteroid can save a persons life. People should make sure to have a corticosteroid injection with them at all times, and make sure their friends and family know how and when to give the injection.
                
Read more under How is adrenal insufficiency treated?
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What causes Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: A lack of CRH or ACTH causes secondary adrenal insufficiency. The lack of these hormones in the body can be traced to several possible sources.
                
Stoppage of Corticosteroid Medication
                
A temporary form of secondary adrenal insufficiency may occur when a person who has been taking a synthetic glucocorticoid hormone, called a corticosteroid, for a long time stops taking the medication. Corticosteroids are often prescribed to treat inflammatory illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and ulcerative colitis. In this case, the prescription doses often cause higher levels than those normally achieved by the glucocorticoid hormones created by the body. When a person takes corticosteroids for prolonged periods, the adrenal glands produce less of their natural hormones. Once the prescription doses of corticosteroid are stopped, the adrenal glands may be slow to restart their production of the bodys glucocorticoids. To give the adrenal glands time to regain function and prevent adrenal insufficiency, prescription corticosteroid doses should be reduced gradually over a period of weeks or even months. Even with gradual reduction, the adrenal glands might not begin to function normally for some time, so a person who has recently stopped taking prescription corticosteroids should be watched carefully for symptoms of secondary adrenal insufficiency.
                
Surgical Removal of Pituitary Tumors
                
Another cause of secondary adrenal insufficiency is surgical removal of the usually noncancerous, ACTH-producing tumors of the pituitary gland that cause Cushings syndrome. Cushings syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the bodys tissues to high levels of the hormone cortisol. When the tumors are removed, the source of extra ACTH is suddenly gone and a replacement hormone must be taken until the bodys adrenal glands are able to resume their normal production of cortisol. The adrenal glands might not begin to function normally for some time, so a person who has had an ACTH-producing tumor removed and is going off of his or her prescription corticosteroid replacement hormone should be watched carefully for symptoms of adrenal insufficiency.
                
More information is provided in the NIDDK health topic, Cushings Syndrome.
                
Changes in the Pituitary Gland
                
Less commonly, secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the pituitary gland either decreases in size or stops producing ACTH. These events can result from
                
- tumors or an infection in the pituitary   - loss of blood flow to the pituitary   - radiation for the treatment of pituitary or nearby tumors   - surgical removal of parts of the hypothalamus   - surgical removal of the pituitary
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What are the treatments for Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: Adrenal insufficiency is treated by replacing, or substituting, the hormones that the adrenal glands are not making. The dose of each medication is adjusted to meet the needs of the patient.
                
Cortisol is replaced with a corticosteroid, such as hydrocortisone, prednisone, or dexamethasone, taken orally one to three times each day, depending on which medication is chosen.
                
If aldosterone is also deficient, it is replaced with oral doses of a mineralocorticoid hormone, called fludrocortisone acetate (Florinef), taken once or twice daily. People with secondary adrenal insufficiency normally maintain aldosterone production, so they do not require aldosterone replacement therapy.
                
During adrenal crisis, low blood pressure, low blood glucose, low blood sodium, and high blood levels of potassium can be life threatening. Standard therapy involves immediate IV injections of corticosteroids and large volumes of IV saline solution with dextrose, a type of sugar. This treatment usually brings rapid improvement. When the patient can take liquids and medications by mouth, the amount of corticosteroids is decreased until a dose that maintains normal hormone levels is reached. If aldosterone is deficient, the person will need to regularly take oral doses of fludrocortisone acetate.
                
Researchers have found that using replacement therapy for DHEA in adolescent girls who have secondary adrenal insufficiency and low levels of DHEA can improve pubic hair development and psychological stress. Further studies are needed before routine supplementation recommendations can be made.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What are the treatments for Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: Adrenal crisis is treated with adrenal hormones. People with adrenal crisis need immediate treatment. Any delay can cause death. When people with adrenal crisis are vomiting or unconscious and cannot take their medication, the hormones can be given as an injection.
                
A person with adrenal insufficiency should carry a corticosteroid injection at all times and make sure that others know how and when to administer the injection, in case the person becomes unconscious.
                
The dose of corticosteroid needed may vary with a persons age or size. For example, a child younger than 2 years of age can receive 25 milligrams (mg), a child between 2 and 8 years of age can receive 50 mg, and a child older than 8 years should receive the adult dose of 100 mg.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: How to prevent Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: The following steps can help a person prevent adrenal crisis:
                
- Ask a health care provider about possibly having a shortage of adrenal hormones, if always feeling tired, weak, or losing weight.   - Learn how to increase the dose of corticosteroid for adrenal insufficiency when ill. Ask a health care provider for written instructions for sick days. First discuss the decision to increase the dose with the health care provider when ill.   - When very ill, especially if vomiting and not able to take pills, seek emergency medical care immediately.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What to do for Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: Some people with Addisons disease who are aldosterone deficient can benefit from following a diet rich in sodium. A health care provider or a dietitian can give specific recommendations on appropriate sodium sources and daily sodium guidelines if necessary.
                
Corticosteroid treatment is linked to an increased risk of osteoporosisa condition in which the bones become less dense and more likely to fracture. People who take corticosteroids should protect their bone health by consuming enough dietary calcium and vitamin D. A health care provider or a dietitian can give specific recommendations on appropriate daily calcium intake based upon age and suggest the best types of calcium supplements, if necessary.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease
Question: What to do for Adrenal Insufficiency and Addison's Disease ?
Answer: - Adrenal insufficiency is an endocrine, or hormonal, disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of certain hormones.   - Addisons disease, the common term for primary adrenal insufficiency, occurs when the adrenal glands are damaged and cannot produce enough of the adrenal hormone cortisol. The adrenal hormone aldosterone may also be lacking.   - Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the pituitary gland fails to produce enough adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), a hormone that stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. If ACTH output is too low, cortisol production drops.   - The most common symptoms of adrenal insufficiency are chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and abdominal pain. The slowly progressing symptoms are often ignored until a stressful event, such as surgery, a severe injury, an illness, or pregnancy, causes them to worsen.   - If not treated, an adrenal crisis can cause death.   - A diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency is confirmed through hormonal blood and urine tests. Imaging studies of the adrenal and pituitary glands can be useful in helping to establish the cause.   - Adrenal insufficiency is treated by replacing, or substituting, the hormones that the adrenal glands are not making.   - Problems can occur in people with adrenal insufficiency who are undergoing surgery, suffer a severe injury, have an illness, or are pregnant. These conditions place additional stress on the body, and people with adrenal insufficiency may need additional treatment to respond and recover.   - People with adrenal insufficiency should always carry identification stating their condition, adrenal insufficiency, in case of an emergency, as well as the supplies necessary to administer an emergency corticosteroid injection.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young
Question: What is (are) Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young ?
Answer: NDM is a monogenic form of diabetes that occurs in the first 6 months of life. It is a rare condition occurring in only one in 100,000 to 500,000 live births. Infants with NDM do not produce enough insulin, leading to an increase in blood glucose. NDM can be mistaken for the much more common type 1 diabetes, but type 1 diabetes usually occurs later than the first 6 months of life. In about half of those with NDM, the condition is lifelong and is called permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM). In the rest of those with NDM, the condition is transient and disappears during infancy but can reappear later in life; this type of NDM is called transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM). Specific genes that can cause NDM have been identified. More information about each type of NDM is provided in the appendix.
                
Symptoms of NDM include thirst, frequent urination, and dehydration. NDM can be diagnosed by finding elevated levels of glucose in blood or urine. In severe cases, the deficiency of insulin may cause the body to produce an excess of acid, resulting in a potentially life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis. Most fetuses with NDM do not grow well in the womb and newborns are much smaller than those of the same gestational age, a condition called intrauterine growth restriction. After birth, some infants fail to gain weight and grow as rapidly as other infants of the same age and sex. Appropriate therapy improves and may normalize growth and development.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young
Question: What is (are) Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young ?
Answer: MODY is a monogenic form of diabetes that usually first occurs during adolescence or early adulthood. However, MODY sometimes remains undiagnosed until later in life. A number of different gene mutations have been shown to cause MODY, all of which limit the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin. This process leads to the high blood glucose levels characteristic of diabetes and, in time, may damage body tissues, particularly the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels. MODY accounts for about 1 to 5 percent of all cases of diabetes in the United States. Family members of people with MODY are at greatly increased risk for the condition.
                
People with MODY may have only mild or no symptoms of diabetes and their hyperglycemia may only be discovered during routine blood tests. MODY may be confused with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. People with MODY are generally not overweight and do not have other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, such as high blood pressure or abnormal blood fat levels. While both type 2 diabetes and MODY can run in families, people with MODY typically have a family history of diabetes in multiple successive generations, meaning that MODY is present in a grandparent, a parent, and a child. Unlike people with type 1 diabetes who always require insulin, people with MODY can often be treated with oral diabetes medications. Treatment varies depending on the genetic mutation that has caused the MODY. More information about each type of MODY is provided in the appendix.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young
Question: What is (are) Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young ?
Answer: Testing for monogenic diabetes involves providing a blood sample from which DNA is isolated. The DNA is analyzed for changes in the genes that cause monogenic diabetes. Abnormal results can determine the gene responsible for diabetes in a particular individual or show whether someone is likely to develop a monogenic form of diabetes in the future. Genetic testing can also be helpful in selecting the most appropriate treatment for individuals with monogenic diabetes. Prenatal testing can diagnose these conditions in unborn children.
                
Most forms of monogenic diabetes are caused by dominant mutations, meaning that the condition can be passed on to children when only one parent is affected. In contrast, if the mutation is a recessive mutation, a disease gene must be inherited from both parents for diabetes to occur. For recessive forms of monogenic diabetes, testing can indicate whether parents or siblings without disease are carriers for recessive genetic conditions that could be inherited by their children.
                
If you suspect that you or a member of your family may have a monogenic form of diabetes, you should seek help from health care professionals-physicians and genetic counselors-who have specialized knowledge and experience in this area. They can determine whether genetic testing is appropriate, select the genetic tests that should be performed, and provide information about the basic principles of genetics, genetic testing options, and confidentiality issues. They also can review the test results with the patient or parent after testing, make recommendations about how to proceed, and discuss testing options for other family members.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young
Question: What to do for Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young ?
Answer: - Mutations in single genes can cause rare forms of diabetes.  - Genetic testing can identify many forms of monogenic diabetes.  - A physician evaluates whether genetic testing is appropriate.  - A correct diagnosis aided by genetic testing can lead to optimal treatment.  - Recent research results show that people with certain forms of monogenic diabetes can be treated with oral diabetes medications instead of insulin injections.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy
Question: What is (are) Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy ?
Answer: Too much glucose in the blood for a long time can cause diabetes problems. This high blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can damage many parts of the body, such as the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. Heart and blood vessel disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes, the leading causes of death for people with diabetes. You can do a lot to prevent or slow down diabetes problems.
                
This booklet is about heart and blood vessel problems caused by diabetes. You will learn the things you can do each day and during each year to stay healthy and prevent diabetes problems.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy
Question: How to prevent Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy ?
Answer: You can do a lot to prevent heart disease and stroke.
                
- Keep your blood glucose under control. You can see if your blood glucose is under control by having an A1C test at least twice a year. The A1C test tells you your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months. The target for most people with diabetes is below 7. In some people with heart disease or other special circumstances, their doctor may recommend slightly higher levels of A1C.  - Keep your blood pressure under control. Have it checked at every doctor visit. The target for most people with diabetes is below 140/80, unless their doctor sets a different target.  - Keep your cholesterol under control. Have it checked at least once a year. The targets for most people with diabetes are      - LDLbadcholesterol: below 100    - HDLgoodcholesterol: above 40 in men and above 50 in women    - triglyceridesanother type of fat in the blood: below 150    - Make sure the foods you eat are "heart-healthy." Include foods high in fiber, such as oat bran, oatmeal, whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Cut back on foods high in saturated fat or cholesterol, such as meats, butter, dairy products with fat, eggs, shortening, lard, and foods with palm oil or coconut oil. Limit foods with trans fat, such as snack foods and commercial baked goods.  - If you smoke, quit. Your doctor can tell you about ways to help you quit smoking.  - Ask your doctor whether you should take an aspirin every day. Studies have shown that taking a low dose of aspirin every day can help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.  - Take your medicines as directed.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy
Question: What are the symptoms of Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy ?
Answer: You may have one or more of the following warning signs:
                
- chest pain or discomfort  - pain or discomfort in your arms, back, jaw, or neck  - indigestion or stomach pain  - shortness of breath  - sweating  - nausea  - light-headedness
                
Or, you may have no warning signs at all. Warning signs may come and go. If you have any of these warning signs, call 911 right away. Getting prompt treatment can reduce damage to the heart.
Source: NIDDK
Topic: Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy
Question: What causes Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy ?
Answer: Narrowed blood vessels leave a smaller opening for blood to flow through. Having narrowed blood vessels is like turning on a garden hose and holding your thumb over the opening. The smaller opening makes the water shoot out with more pressure. In the same way, narrowed blood vessels lead to high blood pressure. Other factors, such as kidney problems and being overweight, also can lead to high blood pressure.
                
Many people with diabetes also have high blood pressure. If you have heart, eye, or kidney problems from diabetes, high blood pressure can make them worse.
                
You will see your blood pressure written with two numbers separated by a slash. For example, your reading might be 120/70, said as "120 over 70." For most people with diabetes, the target is to keep the first number below 140 and the second number below 80, unless their doctor sets a different target.
                
If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor how to lower it. Your doctor may ask you to take blood pressure medicine every day. Some types of blood pressure medicine can also help keep your kidneys healthy.
                
You may also be able to control your blood pressure by
                
- eating more fruits and vegetables  - eating less salt and high-sodium foods  - losing weight if you need to  - being physically active  - not smoking  - limiting alcoholic drinks
Source: NIDDK