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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Anaemia during pregnancy
Anaemia is a lack of red blood cells, which can lead to a lack of oxygen-carrying ability, causing unusual tiredness. Pregnant women need more iron and often become anaemic as a result. The deficiency occurs either through the reduced production ... [... more]
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Anaemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anaemia)
Anaemia is a deficiency of red blood cells that can lead to a mild lack of oxygen-carrying ability causing unusual tiredness. Red blood cells are manufactured in the bone marrow and have a life expectancy of approximately four months. Anaemia ... [... more]
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Asthma - how to use your peak flow meter
Peak flow meters are available on NHS prescription in the UK. Some people may find it useful to have a peak flow meter to help them manage their asthma, so you could ask your doctor to prescribe one for you. You can also purchase one from a ... [... more]
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Backache
Lumbago is defined as mild to severe pain or discomfort in the area of the lower back. The pain can be acute (sudden and severe) or chronic if it has lasted more than three months. Lumbago often occurs in younger people whose work involves ... [... more]
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irritants:
Balanitis is a term used to include all inflammation of the skin covering the head (glans) of the penis. Balanitis in young boys is usually associated with a tight foreskin that cannot be pulled back behind the glans (phimosis). Phimosis leads to ... [... more]
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Benign prostatic hyperplasia (benign enlargement of the ...
The prostate is a gland the size of a chestnut. It is only present in men, and it is situated under the bladder surrounding the urethra, the passageway that takes the urine to the outside. The gland produces seminal fluid, which is mixed with ... [... more]
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Primary biliary cirrhosis
Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a slowly progressive form of liver inflammation. It is so called because the liver disease starts around small bile ducts (ie it is biliary) rather than being caused by obstruction of these ducts by ... [... more]
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Bleeding in the late stages of pregnancy
Bleeding is a sign that cannot be ignored. If a woman bleeds at any time during pregnancy she should tell her doctor or midwife straight away. The bleeding can be caused by quite harmless changes in the cervix (neck of the womb) called an ... [... more]
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Porphyria cutanea tarda
The porphyrias are a group of diseases in which there is a defect somewhere in the complex chain of chemical steps that are required for the synthesis of the molecule known as haem. Haem is one of a group of compounds called porphyrins and is an ... [... more]
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Purpura
Spontaneous bleeding into the skin usually appears as a rash known as purpura (Figure 1). Dr Claire Harrison, lecturer in haematology and Professor Samuell Machin, professor of haematology Petechiae is the term given to the individual small red ... [... more]
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Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia)
Up to 1 in 10 pregnant women develop raised blood pressure accompanied by the appearance of protein in the urine (proteinuria) and retention of excessive amounts of fluid in the body (oedema). It is not usually seen before the sixth month of ... [... more]
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