Abortion
Terminating a pregnancy is a major decision and an extremely difficult one to make. It is advisable that the woman discusses her concerns with someone close who she can trust. Women should always contact their GP if they are pregnant and do not ... [... more]
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Gastro-oesophageal reflux (acid reflux)
Gastro-oesophageal reflux is a condition where the lower oesophageal sphincter (the muscular ring at the lower end of the oesophagus) is abnormally relaxed and allows the stomach's acidic contents to flow back or 'reflux' into the gullet ... [... more]
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Acne
Acne is a very common skin disorder that most young people get in early puberty. It is caused by inflammation of the small oil glands (sebaceous glands) that surround the fine hairs on the face and chest. Everyone will experience acne. Here is an ... [... more]
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Acute bronchitis
Acute (ie recent onset) bronchitis is an inflammation of the lower respiratory passages (bronchi). The usual cause is an infection due to a virus. The viruses responsible for acute bronchitis include those that might otherwise only cause a cold, ... [... more]
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Acute leukaemia
Leukaemia, or blood cancer, is a disease of unknown cause where the bone marrow produces large numbers of abnormal cells. This means that the normal marrow is pushed into smaller and smaller areas, which results in fewer cells being produced and ... [... more]
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Drug abuse and addiction
Drug abuse refers to the use of a drug for purposes for which it was not attended, or using a drug in excessive quantities. Drug addiction is a state of physical or psychological dependence on a drug. Physical addiction is characterized by the ... [... more]
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Adenoids
There are four areas of tissue at the back of the throat that are concerned with the development of defences against infection in early infancy. These are the right and left tonsils, the base of the tongue and the adenoids. The adenoids are ... [... more]
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Adrenal adenomas
The adrenal glands are situated over the top of each kidney. Adrenal adenomas are benign (non-cancerous) tumours of the adrenal gland. They arise from the outer layer of the gland, called the adrenal cortex. The adrenal cortex normally makes ... [... more]
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Hypoadrenalism (underactivity of the adrenal glands)
The adrenal glands are two small but very important glands, situated one above each kidney, which produce a range of hormones, or 'chemical messengers'. Underactivity of the adrenal glands is called hypoadrenalism. Many of the symptoms of ... [... more]
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Age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a very common cause of reduced vision in the UK. As the name suggests, it is a condition that tends to become more common as people get older. Caroline MacEwen, consultant ophthamologist and Paul ... [... more]
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HIV and AIDS
HIV means 'human immunodeficiency virus'. As with all other kinds of virus, HIV does not have an individual metabolism and, therefore, has to attack other living cells and use their metabolism to make copies of itself. Unfortunately, HIV attacks ... [... more]
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Alcoholic liver disease
Most people in the UK drink alcohol. The General Household Survey of 1994 found that 93 per cent of men and 86 per cent of women over 16 do so regularly. The biggest drinkers are aged 18-24 years, with 35 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women ... [... more]
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