sarnsrun/medquad huggingface dataset:
Topic: Hemochromatosis
Question: What causes Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: The two types of hemochromatosis are primary and secondary. Each type has a different cause.
                
Primary Hemochromatosis
                
Primary hemochromatosis is caused by a defect in the genes that control how much iron you absorb from food. This form of the disease sometimes is called hereditary or classical hemochromatosis. Primary hemochromatosis is more common than the secondary form of the disease.
                
The genes usually involved in primary hemochromatosis are called HFE genes. Faulty HFE genes cause the body to absorb too much iron. If you inherit two copies of the faulty HFE gene (one from each parent), you're at risk for iron overload and signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis.
                
If you inherit one faulty HFE gene and one normal HFE gene, you're a hemochromatosis "carrier." Carriers usually don't develop the disease. However, they can pass the faulty gene on to their children. Estimates suggest that about 1 in 10 people in the United States are hemochromatosis carriers.
                
If two parents are carriers of the faulty HFE gene, then each of their children has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting two faulty HFE genes.
                
Although less common, other faulty genes also can cause hemochromatosis. Researchers continue to study what changes to normal genes may cause the disease.
                
Secondary Hemochromatosis
                
Secondary hemochromatosis usually is the result of another disease or condition that causes iron overload. Examples of such diseases and conditions include:
                
Certain types of anemia, such as thalassemias and sideroblastic anemia
                
Atransferrinemia and aceruloplasminemiaboth are rare, inherited diseases
                
Chronic liver diseases, such as chronic hepatitis C infection, alcoholic liver disease, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
                
Other factors also can cause secondary hemochromatosis, including:
                
Blood transfusions
                
Oral iron pills or iron injections, with or without very high vitamin C intake (vitamin C helps your body absorb iron)
                
Long-term kidney dialysis
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemochromatosis
Question: Who is at risk for Hemochromatosis? ?
Answer: Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic diseases in the United States. It's most common in Caucasians of Northern European descent. The disease is less common in African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians.
                
Primary hemochromatosis is more common in men than in women. Also, older people are more likely to develop the disease than younger people. In fact, signs and symptoms usually don't occur in men until they're 40 to 60 years old.
                
In women, signs and symptoms usually don't occur until after the age of 50 (after menopause). Young children rarely develop hemochromatosis.
                
Inheriting two faulty HFE genes (one from each parent) is the major risk factor for hemochromatosis. However, many people who have two copies of the faulty gene don't develop signs or symptoms of the disease.
                
Alcoholism is another risk factor for hemochromatosis. A family history of certain diseases and conditions also puts you at higher risk for hemochromatosis. Examples of such diseases and conditions include heart attack, liver disease, diabetes, arthritis, and erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemochromatosis
Question: What are the symptoms of Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: Hemochromatosis can affect many parts of the body and cause various signs and symptoms. Many of the signs and symptoms are similar to those of other diseases.
                
Signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis usually don't occur until middle age. Women are more likely to have general symptoms first, such as fatigue (tiredness). In men, complications such as diabetes or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) often are the first signs of the disease.
                
Signs and symptoms also vary based on the severity of the disease. Common signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis include joint pain, fatigue, general weakness, weight loss, and stomach pain.
                
Not everyone who has hemochromatosis has signs or symptoms of the disease. Estimates of how many people develop signs and symptoms vary greatly. Some estimates suggest that as many as half of all people who have the disease don't have signs or symptoms.
                
Hemochromatosis Complications
                
If hemochromatosis isn't found and treated early, iron builds up in your body and can lead to:
                
Liver disease, including an enlarged liver, liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
                
Heart problems, including arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and heart failure
                
Diabetes, especially in people who have a family history of diabetes
                
Joint damage and pain, including arthritis
                
Reproductive organ failure, such as erectile dysfunction (impotence), shrinkage of the testicles, and loss of sex drive in men, and absence of the menstrual cycle and early menopause in women
                
Changes in skin color that make the skin look gray or bronze
                
Underactive pituitary and thyroid glands
                
Damage to the adrenal glands
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemochromatosis
Question: What are the treatments for Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: Treatments for hemochromatosis include therapeutic phlebotomy (fleh-BOT-o-me), iron chelation (ke-LAY-shun) therapy, dietary changes, and treatment for complications.
                
The goals of treating hemochromatosis include:
                
Reducing the amount of iron in your body to normal levels
                
Preventing or delaying organ damage from iron overload
                
Treating complications of the disease
                
Maintaining a normal amount of iron in your body for the rest of your life
                
Therapeutic Phlebotomy
                
Therapeutic phlebotomy is a procedure that removes blood (and iron) from your body. A needle is inserted into a vein, and your blood flows through an airtight tube into a sterile container or bag.
                
The process is similar to donating blood; it can be done at blood donation centers, hospital donation centers, or a doctor's office.
                
In the first stage of treatment, about 1 pint of blood is removed once or twice a week. After your iron levels return to normal, you may continue phlebotomy treatments. However, you may need them less oftentypically every 24 months.
                
As long as treatment continues, which often is for the rest of your life, you'll need frequent blood tests to check your iron levels.
                
Iron Chelation Therapy
                
Iron chelation therapy uses medicine to remove excess iron from your body. This treatment is a good option for people who can't have routine blood removal.
                
The medicine used in iron chelation therapy is either injected or taken orally (by mouth). Injected iron chelation therapy is done at a doctor's office. Oral iron chelation therapy can be done at home.
                
Dietary Changes
                
Your doctor may suggest that you change your diet if you have hemochromatosis. You may be advised to:
                
Avoid taking iron, including iron pills, iron injections, or multivitamins that contain iron.
                
Limit your intake of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from food. Talk with your doctor about how much vitamin C is safe for you.
                
Avoid uncooked fish and shellfish. Some fish and shellfish contain bacteria that can cause infections in people who have chronic diseases, such as hemochromatosis.
                
Limit alcohol intake. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of liver disease. It also can make existing liver disease worse.
                
Treatment for Complications
                
Your doctor may prescribe other treatments as needed for complications such as liver disease, heart problems, or diabetes.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemochromatosis
Question: How to prevent Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: You can't prevent primary, or inherited, hemochromatosis. However, not everyone who inherits hemochromatosis genes develops symptoms or complications of the disease. In those who do, treatments can keep the disease from getting worse.
                
Treatments include therapeutic phlebotomy, iron chelation therapy, dietary changes, and other treatments. For more information, go to "How Is Hemochromatosis Treated?"
                
People who have hemochromatosis (or a family history of it) and are planning to have children may want to consider genetic testing and counseling. Testing will help show whether one or both parents have faulty HFE genes. A genetic counselor also can help figure out the likelihood of the parents passing the faulty genes on to their children.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemolytic Anemia
Question: What is (are) Hemolytic Anemia ?
Answer: Hemolytic anemia (HEE-moh-lit-ick uh-NEE-me-uh) is a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed and removed from the bloodstream before their normal lifespan is over.
                
Red blood cells are disc-shaped and look like doughnuts without holes in the center. These cells carry oxygen to your body. They also remove carbon dioxide (a waste product) from your body.
                
Red blood cells are made in the bone marrowa sponge-like tissue inside the bones. They live for about 120 days in the bloodstream and then die.
                
White blood cells and platelets (PLATE-lets) also are made in the bone marrow. White blood cells help fight infections. Platelets stick together to seal small cuts or breaks on blood vessel walls and stop bleeding.
                
When blood cells die, the body's bone marrow makes more blood cells to replace them. However, in hemolytic anemia, the bone marrow can't make red blood cells fast enough to meet the body's needs.
                
Hemolytic anemia can lead to many health problems, such as fatigue (tiredness), pain, irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs), an enlarged heart, and heart failure.
                
Overview
                
Hemolytic anemia is a type of anemia. The term "anemia" usually refers to a condition in which the blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells.
                
Anemia also can occur if your red blood cells don't contain enough hemoglobin (HEE-muh-glow-bin). Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
                
Anemia has three main causes: blood loss, lack of red blood cell production, or high rates of red blood cell destruction.
                
Hemolytic anemia is caused by high rates of red blood cell destruction. Many diseases, conditions, and factors can cause the body to destroy its red blood cells.
                
These causes can be inherited or acquired. "Inherited" means your parents passed the gene(s) for the condition on to you. "Acquired" means you aren't born with the condition, but you develop it. Sometimes the cause of hemolytic anemia isn't known.
                
Outlook
                
There are many types of hemolytic anemia. Treatment and outlook depend on what type you have and how severe it is. The condition can develop suddenly or slowly. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.
                
Hemolytic anemia often can be successfully treated or controlled. Mild hemolytic anemia may need no treatment at all. Severe hemolytic anemia requires prompt and proper treatment, or it may be fatal.
                
Inherited forms of hemolytic anemia are lifelong conditions that may require ongoing treatment. Acquired forms of hemolytic anemia may go away if the cause of the condition is found and corrected.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemolytic Anemia
Question: What causes Hemolytic Anemia ?
Answer: The immediate cause of hemolytic anemia is the early destruction of red blood cells. This means that red blood cells are destroyed and removed from the bloodstream before their normal lifespan is over.
                
Many diseases, conditions, and factors can cause the body to destroy its red blood cells. These causes can be inherited or acquired. "Inherited" means your parents passed the gene for the condition on to you. "Acquired" means you aren't born with the condition, but you develop it.
                
Sometimes, the cause of hemolytic anemia isn't known.
                
For more information about the specific causes of hemolytic anemia, go to "Types of Hemolytic Anemia."
                
Inherited Hemolytic Anemias
                
In inherited hemolytic anemias, the genes that control how red blood cells are made are faulty. You can get a faulty red blood cell gene from one or both of your parents.
                
Different types of faulty genes cause different types of inherited hemolytic anemia. However, in each type, the body makes abnormal red blood cells. The problem with the red blood cells may involve the hemoglobin, cell membrane, or enzymes that maintain healthy red blood cells.
                
The abnormal cells may be fragile and break down while moving through the bloodstream. If this happens, an organ called the spleen may remove the cell debris from the bloodstream.
                
Acquired Hemolytic Anemias
                
In acquired hemolytic anemias, the body makes normal red blood cells. However, a disease, condition, or other factor destroys the cells. Examples of conditions that can destroy the red blood cells include:
                
Immune disorders
                
Infections
                
Reactions to medicines or blood transfusions
                
Hypersplenism (HI-per-SPLEEN-izm; an enlarged spleen)
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemolytic Anemia
Question: Who is at risk for Hemolytic Anemia? ?
Answer: Hemolytic anemia can affect people of all ages and races and both sexes. Some types of hemolytic anemia are more likely to occur in certain populations than others.
                
For example, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency mostly affects males of African or Mediterranean descent. In the United States, the condition is more common among African Americans than Caucasians.
                
In the United States, sickle cell anemia mainly affects African Americans.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemolytic Anemia
Question: What are the symptoms of Hemolytic Anemia ?
Answer: The signs and symptoms of hemolytic anemia will depend on the type and severity of the disease.
                
People who have mild hemolytic anemia often have no signs or symptoms. More severe hemolytic anemia may cause many signs and symptoms, and they may be serious.
                
Many of the signs and symptoms of hemolytic anemia apply to all types of anemia.
                
Signs and Symptoms of Anemia
                
The most common symptom of all types of anemia is fatigue (tiredness). Fatigue occurs because your body doesn't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to its various parts.
                
A low red blood cell count also can cause shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, coldness in your hands and feet, pale skin, and chest pain.
                
A lack of red blood cells also means that your heart has to work harder to move oxygen-rich blood through your body. This can lead to arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), a heart murmur, an enlarged heart, or even heart failure.
                
Signs and Symptoms of Hemolytic Anemia
                
Jaundice
                
Jaundice refers to a yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes. When red blood cells die, they release hemoglobin into the bloodstream.
                
The hemoglobin is broken down into a compound called bilirubin, which gives the skin and eyes a yellowish color. Bilirubin also causes urine to be dark yellow or brown.
                
Pain in the Upper Abdomen
                
Gallstones or an enlarged spleen may cause pain in the upper abdomen. High levels of bilirubin and cholesterol (from the breakdown of red blood cells) can form into stones in the gallbladder. These stones can be painful.
                
The spleen is an organ in the abdomen that helps fight infection and filters out old or damaged blood cells. In hemolytic anemia, the spleen may be enlarged, which can be painful.
                
Leg Ulcers and Pain
                
In people who have sickle cell anemia, the sickle-shaped cells can clog small blood vessels and block blood flow. This can cause leg sores and pain throughout the body.
                
A Severe Reaction to a Blood Transfusion
                
You may develop hemolytic anemia due to a blood transfusion. This can happen if the transfused blood is a different blood type than your blood.
                
Signs and symptoms of a severe reaction to a transfusion include fever, chills, low blood pressure, and shock. (Shock is a life-threatening condition that occurs if the body isn't getting enough blood flow.)
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hemolytic Anemia
Question: How to prevent Hemolytic Anemia ?
Answer: You can't prevent inherited types of hemolytic anemia. One exception is glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.
                
If you're born with G6PD deficiency, you can avoid substances that may trigger the condition. For example, avoid fava beans, naphthalene (a substance found in some moth balls), and certain medicines (as your doctor advises).
                
Some types of acquired hemolytic anemia can be prevented. For example, reactions to blood transfusions, which can cause hemolytic anemia, can be prevented. This requires careful matching of blood types between the blood donor and the recipient.
                
Prompt and proper prenatal care can help you avoid the problems of Rh incompatibility. This condition can occur during pregnancy if a woman has Rh-negative blood and her baby has Rh-positive blood. "Rh-negative" and "Rh-positive" refer to whether your blood has Rh factor. Rh factor is a protein on red blood cells.
                
Rh incompatibility can lead to hemolytic anemia in a fetus or newborn.
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
Question: What causes Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis ?
Answer: Repeatedly breathing in foreign substances can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Examples of these substances include molds, dusts, and chemicals. (Mold often is the cause of HP.) These substances also are known as antigens.
                
Over time, your lungs can become sensitive to antigens. If this happens, your lungs will become inflamed, which can lead to symptoms and may even cause long-term lung damage.
                
Antigens may be found in the home, workplace, or in other settings. Antigens can come from many sources, such as:
                
Bird droppings
                
Humidifiers, heating systems, and hot tubs
                
Liquid chemicals used in the landscaping and florist industries
                
Moldy hay, straw, and grain
                
Chemicals released during the production of plastics and electronics, and chemicals released during painting
                
Mold released during lumber milling, construction, and wood stripping
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
Question: Who is at risk for Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis? ?
Answer: People who repeatedly breathe in foreign substances are at risk for hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). These substances, which also are known as antigens, include molds, dusts, and chemicals. However, most people who breathe in these substances don't develop HP.
                
People at increased risk include:
                
Farm and dairy cattle workers
                
People who use hot tubs often
                
People who are exposed to molds or dusts from humidifiers, heating systems, or wet carpeting
                
Bird fanciers (people who keep pet birds) and poultry handlers
                
Florists and landscapers, especially those who use liquid chemicals on lawns and gardens
                
People who work in grain and flour processing and loading
                
Lumber milling, construction, wood stripping, and paper and wallboard workers
                
People who make plastics or electronics, and those who paint or work with other chemicals
Source: NHLBI
Topic: Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
Question: What are the symptoms of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis ?
Answer: Signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) depend on whether the disease is acute (short-term) or chronic (ongoing).
                
Acute Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
                
With acute HP, symptoms usually occur within 29 hours of exposure to an antigen you're sensitive to. (An antigen is a substance that your body reacts against, such as molds, dusts, and chemicals.)
                
Acute HP can cause chills, body aches, coughing, and chest tightness. After hours or days of no contact with the antigen, symptoms usually go away.
                
Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
                
If acute HP isn't found and treated early, chronic HP may develop. With chronic HP, symptoms occur slowly, over months. Chronic HP can cause a worsening cough, shortness of breath with physical activity, fatigue (tiredness), and weight loss.
                
Some symptoms may continue and/or worsen, even after avoiding the antigen. Chronic HP can cause long-term lung damage, such as pulmonary fibrosis. This is a condition in which tissue deep in your lungs becomes scarred over time.
                
Clubbing also may occur if HP is severe. Clubbing is the widening and rounding of the tips of the fingers or toes. A low level of oxygen in the blood causes this condition.
Source: NHLBI