shaneperry0101/health-chatbot huggingface dataset:
Question: Who is at risk for Patent Ductus Arteriosus? ?
Answer: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a relatively common congenital heart defect in the United States.
The condition occurs more often in premature infants (on average, occurring in about 8 of every 1,000 births). However, PDA also occurs in full-term infants (on average, occurring in about 2 of every 1,000 births).
PDA also is more common in:
Infants who have genetic conditions such as Down syndrome
Infants whose mothers had German measles (rubella) during pregnancy
PDA is twice as common in girls as it is in boys.
Question: What are the symptoms of Patent Ductus Arteriosus ?
Answer: A heart murmur may be the only sign that a baby has patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during the heartbeat. Heart murmurs also have other causes besides PDA, and most murmurs are harmless.
Some infants may develop signs or symptoms of volume overload on the heart and excess blood flow in the lungs. Signs and symptoms may include:
Fast breathing, working hard to breathe, or shortness of breath. Premature infants may need increased oxygen or help breathing from a ventilator.
Poor feeding and poor weight gain.
Tiring easily.
Sweating with exertion, such as while feeding.
Question: How to diagnose Patent Ductus Arteriosus ?
Answer: In full-term infants, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) usually is first suspected when the baby's doctor hears a heart murmur during a regular checkup.
A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during the heartbeat. Heart murmurs also have other causes besides PDA, and most murmurs are harmless.
If a PDA is large, the infant also may develop symptoms of volume overload and increased blood flow to the lungs. If a PDA is small, it may not be diagnosed until later in childhood.
If your child's doctor thinks your child has PDA, he or she may refer you to a pediatric cardiologist. This is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating heart problems in children.
Premature babies who have PDA may not have the same signs as full-term babies, such as heart murmurs. Doctors may suspect PDA in premature babies who develop breathing problems soon after birth. Tests can help confirm a diagnosis.
Diagnostic Tests
Echocardiography
Echocardiography (echo) is a painless test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your baby's heart. During echo, the sound waves bounce off your childs heart. A computer converts the sound waves into pictures of the hearts structures.
The test allows the doctor to clearly see any problems with the way the heart is formed or the way it's working. Echo is the most important test available to your baby's cardiologist to both diagnose a heart problem and follow the problem over time.
In babies who have PDA, echo shows how big the PDA is and how well the heart is responding to it. When medical treatments are used to try to close a PDA, echo is used to see how well the treatments are working.
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
An EKG is a simple, painless test that records the heart's electrical activity. For babies who have PDA, an EKG can show whether the heart is enlarged. The test also can show other subtle changes that can suggest the presence of a PDA.
Question: What causes Sickle Cell Disease ?
Answer: Abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S, causes sickle cell disease (SCD).
The problem in hemoglobin S is caused by a small defect in the gene that directs the production of the beta globin part of hemoglobin. This small defect in the beta globin gene causes a problem in the beta globin part of hemoglobin, changing the way that hemoglobin works. (See Overview.)
How Is Sickle Cell Disease Inherited?
When the hemoglobin S gene is inherited from only one parent and a normal hemoglobin gene is inherited from the other, a person will have sickle cell trait. People with sickle cell trait are generally healthy.
Only rarely do people with sickle cell trait have complications similar to those seen in people with SCD. But people with sickle cell trait are carriers of a defective hemoglobin S gene. So, they can pass it on when they have a child.
If the childs other parent also has sickle cell trait or another abnormal hemoglobin gene (like thalassemia, hemoglobin C, hemoglobin D, hemoglobin E), that child has a chance of having SCD.
Example of an Inheritance Pattern
In the image above, each parent has one hemoglobin A gene and one hemoglobin S gene, and each of their children has:
A 25 percent chance of inheriting two normal genes: In this case the child does not have sickle cell trait or disease. (Case 1)
A 50 percent chance of inheriting one hemoglobin A gene and one hemoglobin S gene: This child has sickle cell trait. (Cases 2 and 3)
A 25 percent chance of inheriting two hemoglobin S genes: This child has sickle cell disease. (Case 4)
It is important to keep in mind that each time this couple has a child, the chances of that child having sickle cell disease remain the same. In other words, if the first-born child has sickle cell disease, there is still a 25 percent chance that the second child will also have the disease. Both boys and girls can inherit sickle cell trait, sickle cell disease, or normal hemoglobin.
If a person wants to know if he or she carries a sickle hemoglobin gene, a doctor can order a blood test to find out.
Question: Who is at risk for Sickle Cell Disease? ?
Answer: In the United States, most people with sickle cell disease (SCD) are of African ancestry or identify themselves as black.
About 1 in 13 African American babies is born with sickle cell trait.
About 1 in every 365 black children is born with sickle cell disease.
There are also many people with this disease who come from Hispanic, southern European, Middle Eastern, or Asian Indian backgrounds.
Approximately 100,000 Americans have SCD.
Question: How to diagnose Sickle Cell Disease ?
Answer: Screening Tests
People who do not know whether they make sickle hemoglobin (hemoglobin S) or another abnormal hemoglobin (such as C, thalassemia, E) can find out by having their blood tested. This way, they can learn whether they carry a gene (i.e., have the trait) for an abnormal hemoglobin that they could pass on to a child.
When each parent has this information, he or she can be better informed about the chances of having a child with some type of sickle cell disease (SCD), such as hemoglobin SS, SC, S thalassemia, or others.
Newborn Screening
When a child has SCD, it is very important to diagnose it early to better prevent complications.
Every state in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories require that every baby is tested for SCD as part of a newborn screening program.
In newborn screening programs, blood from a heel prick is collected in spots on a special paper. The hemoglobin from this blood is then analyzed in special labs.
Newborn screening results are sent to the doctor who ordered the test and to the childs primary doctor.
If a baby is found to have SCD, health providers from a special follow-up newborn screening group contact the family directly to make sure that the parents know the results. The child is always retested to be sure that the diagnosis is correct.
Newborn screening programs also find out whether the baby has an abnormal hemoglobin trait. If so, parents are informed, and counseling is offered.
Remember that when a child has sickle cell trait or SCD, a future sibling, or the childs own future child, may be at risk. These possibilities should be discussed with the primary care doctor, a blood specialist called a hematologist, and/or a genetics counselor.
Prenatal Screening
Doctors can also diagnose SCD before a baby is born. This is done using a sample of amniotic fluid, the liquid in the sac surrounding a growing embryo, or tissue taken from the placenta, the organ that attaches the umbilical cord to the mothers womb.
Testing before birth can be done as early as 810 weeks into the pregnancy. This testing looks for the sickle hemoglobin gene rather than the abnormal hemoglobin.
Question: How to prevent Sickle Cell Disease ?
Answer: People who do not know whether they carry an abnormal hemoglobin gene can ask their doctor to have their blood tested.
Couples who are planning to have children and know that they are at risk of having a child with sickle cell disease (SCD) may want to meet with a genetics counselor. A genetics counselor can answer questions about the risk and explain the choices that are available.
Question: What causes Polycythemia Vera ?
Answer: Primary Polycythemia
Polycythemia vera (PV) also is known as primary polycythemia. A mutation, or change, in the body's JAK2 gene is the main cause of PV. The JAK2 gene makes a protein that helps the body produce blood cells.
What causes the change in the JAK2 gene isn't known. PV generally isn't inheritedthat is, passed from parents to children through genes. However, in some families, the JAK2 gene may have a tendency to mutate. Other, unknown genetic factors also may play a role in causing PV.
Secondary Polycythemia
Another type of polycythemia, called secondary polycythemia, isn't related to the JAK2 gene. Long-term exposure to low oxygen levels causes secondary polycythemia.
A lack of oxygen over a long period can cause your body to make more of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO). High levels of EPO can prompt your body to make more red blood cells than normal. This leads to thicker blood, as seen in PV.
People who have severe heart or lung disease may develop secondary polycythemia. People who smoke, spend long hours at high altitudes, or are exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide where they work or live also are at risk.
For example, working in an underground parking garage or living in a home with a poorly vented fireplace or furnace can raise your risk for secondary polycythemia.
Rarely, tumors can make and release EPO, or certain blood problems can cause the body to make more EPO.
Sometimes doctors can cure secondary polycythemiait depends on whether the underlying cause can be stopped, controlled, or cured.
Question: How to prevent Polycythemia Vera ?
Answer: Primary polycythemia (polycythemia vera) can't be prevented. However, with proper treatment, you can prevent or delay symptoms and complications.
Sometimes you can prevent secondary polycythemia by avoiding things that deprive your body of oxygen for long periods. For example, you can avoid mountain climbing, living at a high altitude, or smoking.
People who have serious heart or lung diseases may develop secondary polycythemia. Treatment for the underlying disease may improve the secondary polycythemia. Following a healthy lifestyle to lower your risk of heart and lung diseases also will help you prevent secondary polycythemia.
Question: Who is at risk for Heart Valve Disease? ?
Answer: Older age is a risk factor for heart valve disease. As you age, your heart valves thicken and become stiffer. Also, people are living longer now than in the past. As a result, heart valve disease has become an increasing problem.
People who have a history of infective endocarditis (IE), rheumatic fever, heart attack, or heart failureor previous heart valve diseasealso are at higher risk for heart valve disease. In addition, having risk factors for IE, such as intravenous drug use, increases the risk of heart valve disease.
You're also at higher risk for heart valve disease if you have risk factors for coronary heart disease. These risk factors include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, insulin resistance, diabetes, overweight or obesity, lack of physical activity, and a family history of early heart disease.
Some people are born with an aortic valve that has two flaps instead of three. Sometimes an aortic valve may have three flaps, but two flaps are fused together and act as one flap. This is called a bicuspid or bicommissural aortic valve. People who have this congenital condition are more likely to develop aortic heart valve disease.
Question: What are the symptoms of Heart Valve Disease ?
Answer: Major Signs and Symptoms
The main sign of heart valve disease is an unusual heartbeat sound called a heart murmur. Your doctor can hear a heart murmur with a stethoscope.
However, many people have heart murmurs without having heart valve disease or any other heart problems. Others may have heart murmurs due to heart valve disease, but have no other signs or symptoms.
Heart valve disease often worsens over time, so signs and symptoms may occur years after a heart murmur is first heard. Many people who have heart valve disease don't have any symptoms until they're middle-aged or older.
Other common signs and symptoms of heart valve disease relate to heart failure, which heart valve disease can cause. These signs and symptoms include:
Unusual fatigue (tiredness)
Shortness of breath, especially when you exert yourself or when you're lying down
Swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, abdomen, and veins in the neck
Other Signs and Symptoms
Heart valve disease can cause chest pain that may happen only when you exert yourself. You also may notice a fluttering, racing, or irregular heartbeat. Some types of heart valve disease, such as aortic or mitral valve stenosis, can cause dizziness or fainting.
Question: How to prevent Heart Valve Disease ?
Answer: To prevent heart valve disease caused by rheumatic fever, see your doctor if you have signs of a strep infection. These signs include a painful sore throat, fever, and white spots on your tonsils. If you do have a strep infection, be sure to take all medicines prescribed to treat it. Prompt treatment of strep infections can prevent rheumatic fever, which damages the heartvalves.
Its possible that exercise, a heart-healthy diet, and medicines that lower cholesterol might prevent aortic stenosis (thickening and stiffening of the aortic valve). Researchers continue to study this possibility.
Heart-healthy eating, physical activity, other heart-healthy lifestyle changes, and medicines aimed at preventing a heart attack, high blood pressure, or heart failure also may help prevent heart valve disease.
Question: What is the outlook for Oxygen Therapy ?
Answer: During an emergencysuch as a serious accident, possible heart attack, or other life-threatening eventyou might be started on oxygen therapy right away.
Otherwise, your doctor will decide whether you need oxygen therapy based on test results. An arterial blood gas test and a pulse oximetry test can measure the amount of oxygen in your blood.
For an arterial blood gas test, a small needle is inserted into an artery, usually in your wrist. A sample of blood is taken from the artery. The sample is then sent to a laboratory, where its oxygen level is measured.
For a pulse oximetry test, a small sensor is attached to your fingertip or toe. The sensor uses light to estimate how much oxygen is in your blood.
If the tests show that your blood oxygen level is low, your doctor may prescribe oxygen therapy. In the prescription, your doctor will include the number of liters of oxygen per minute that you need (oxygen flow rate). He or she also will include how often you need to use the oxygen (frequency of use).
Frequency of use includes when and for how long you should use the oxygen. Depending on your condition and blood oxygen level, you may need oxygen only at certain times, such as during sleep or while exercising.
If your doctor prescribes home oxygen therapy, he or she can help you find a home equipment provider. The provider will give you the equipment and other supplies you need.
Question: Who is at risk for Oxygen Therapy? ?
Answer: Oxygen therapy can cause complications and side effects. These problems might include a dry or bloody nose, skin irritation from the nasal cannula or face mask, fatigue (tiredness), and morning headaches.
If these problems persist, tell your doctor and home equipment provider. Depending on the problem, your doctor may need to change your oxygen flow rate or the length of time you're using the oxygen.
If nose dryness is a problem, your doctor may recommend a nasal spray or have a humidifier added to your oxygen equipment.
If you have an uncomfortable nasal cannula or face mask, your home equipment provider can help you find a device that fits better. Your provider also can recommend over-the-counter gels and devices that are designed to lessen skin irritation.
Complications from transtracheal oxygen therapy can be more serious. With this type of oxygen therapy, oxygen is delivered through a tube inserted into your windpipe through the front of your neck.
With transtracheal oxygen therapy:
Mucus balls might develop on the tube inside the windpipe. Mucus balls tend to form as a result of the oxygen drying out the airways. Mucus balls can cause coughing and clog the windpipe or tube.
Problems with the tube slipping or breaking.
Infection.
Injury to the lining of the windpipe.
Proper medical care and correct handling of the tube and other supplies may reduce the risk of complications.
Other Risks
In certain people, oxygen therapy may suppress the drive to breathe, affecting how well the respiratory system works. This is managed by adjusting the oxygen flow rate.
Oxygen poses a fire risk, so you'll need to take certain safety steps. Oxygen itself isn't explosive, but it can worsen a fire. In the presence of oxygen, a small fire can quickly get out of control. Also, the cylinder that compressed oxygen gas comes in might explode if exposed to heat.
Your home equipment provider will give you a complete list of safety steps you'll need to take at home and when out in public.
For example, when you're not using the oxygen, keep it in an airy room. Never store compressed oxygen gas cylinders and liquid oxygen containers in small, enclosed places, such as in closets, behind curtains, or under clothes.
Oxygen containers let off small amounts of oxygen. These small amounts can build up to harmful levels if they're allowed to escape into small spaces.
Question: How to diagnose Diabetic Heart Disease ?
Answer: Your doctor will diagnose diabetic heart disease (DHD) based on your signs and symptoms, medical and family histories, a physical exam, and the results from tests and procedures.
Doctors and researchers are still trying to find out whether routine testing for DHD will benefit people who have diabetes but no heart disease symptoms.
Initial Tests
No single test can diagnose DHD, which may involve coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure, and/or diabetic cardiomyopathy. Initially, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following tests.
Blood Pressure Measurement
To measure your blood pressure, your doctor or nurse will use some type of a gauge, a stethoscope (or electronic sensor), and a blood pressure cuff.
Most often, you'll sit or lie down with the cuff around your arm as your doctor or nurse checks your blood pressure. If he or she doesn't tell you what your blood pressure numbers are, you should ask.
Blood Tests
Blood tests check the levels of certain fats, cholesterol, sugar, and proteins in your blood. Abnormal levels of these substances may show that you're at risk for DHD.
A blood test also can check the level of a hormone called BNP (brain natriuretic peptide) in your blood. The heart makes BNP, and the level of BNP rises during heart failure.
Chest X Ray
A chest x ray takes pictures of the organs and structures inside your chest, such as your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. A chest x ray can reveal signs of heart failure.
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
An EKG is a simple, painless test that detects and records your heart's electrical activity. The test shows how fast your heart is beating and its rhythm (steady or irregular). An EKG also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through your heart.
An EKG can show signs of heart damage due to CHD and signs of a previous or current heart attack.
Stress Test
Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your heart is working hard and beating fast. Stress testing gives your doctor information about how your heart works during physical stress.
During a stress test, you exercise (walk or run on a treadmill or pedal a bicycle) to make your heart work hard and beat fast. Tests are done on your heart while you exercise. If you cant exercise, you may be given medicine to raise your heart rate.
Urinalysis
For this test, you'll give a sample of urine for analysis. The sample is checked for abnormal levels of protein or blood cells. In people who have diabetes, protein in the urine is a risk factor for DHD.
Other Tests and Procedures
Your doctor may refer you to a cardiologist if your initial test results suggest that you have a form of DHD. A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating heart diseases and conditions.
The cardiologist may recommend other tests or procedures to get more detailed information about the nature and extent of your DHD.
For more information about other tests and procedures, go to the diagnosis sections of the Health Topics Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Failure, and Cardiomyopathy articles.
Question: How to prevent Diabetic Heart Disease ?
Answer: Taking action to control risk factors can help prevent or delay heart disease in people who have diabetes and in those who don't. Your risk of heart disease increases with the number of risk factors you have.
One step you can take is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle should be part of a lifelong approach to healthy living. A healthy lifestyle includes:
Following a healthy diet
Maintaining a healthy weight
Being physically active
Quitting smoking
Managing stress
You also should know your family history of diabetes and heart disease. If you or someone in your family has diabetes, heart disease, or both, let your doctor know.
Your doctor may prescribe medicines to control certain risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Take all of your medicines exactly as your doctor advises.
People who have diabetes also need good blood sugar control. Controlling your blood sugar level is good for heart health. Ask your doctor about the best ways to control your blood sugar level.
For more information about lifestyle changes and medicines, go to "How Is Diabetic Heart Disease Treated?"