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Anemia; Bone weakening and fractures; Cardiac tamponade; Changes in glucose metabolism; Changes in electrolyte levels (hyperkalemia) Congestive heart failure; End-stage kidney disease; Gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers; Hemorrhage; High blood pres...
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Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. It gives red blood cells their red color. Peopl...
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Anemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.
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Anemia is a blood disorder characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells (RBCs) or reduced hemoglobin (Hgb), the iron-bearing protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body. Reduced blood cell vo...
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Anemia is characterized by an abnormally low number of red blood cells in the circulating blood. It frequently affects patients with cancer. In fact, in many cancer diagnoses such as multiple myeloma and acute leukemia , the presence of anemia may...
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Deficiency of red cells, or hemoglobin, in the blood. Anemia is a medical condition in which the quantity of red blood cells falls below an acceptable level. Red blood cells, produced in the bone marrow, contain hemoglobin, the component of blood ...
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Anemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin (the component of red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body).
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Anemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin (the component of red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body).
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Anemia affects more than 30 percent of the world's population, and it is one of the most important worldwide health problems. It has a significant prevalence in both developing and industrialized nations. Causes of anemia include nutritional defic...
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Bleeding refers to the loss of blood. Bleeding can happen inside the body (internally) or outside the body (externally. It may occur: Inside the body when blood leaks from blood vessels or organs; Outside the body when blood flows through a natura...
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Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and usually given as two numbers. For example, 120 over 80 (written as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is your systoli...
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In populations, blood pressures fit a normal distribution, but the attendant risks of heart disease and stroke increase curvilinearly with increasing levels of blood pressure, without any obvious breakpoint ( Fig. 63-1 ). Thus, the separation of normal from high blood pressure is arbitrary, and the definition of hypertension has been a moving target.
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Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Like air in a balloon, blood fills arteries to a certain capacity—and just as too much air pressure can cause damage to a balloon, too muc...
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The following Clinical Topic Tour provides an overview of hypertension (HTN) and was adapted from materials published by the NHLBI.
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Also known as high blood pressure, a condition in which too much force is exerted by the blood as it travels through the body's arteries. There are two types of hypertension: primary and secondary. Primary, or essential, hypertension is caused by ...
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Hypertension is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke, leading causes of morbidity and mortality in North America. Concern has been raised that there is inadequate outpatient detection, evaluation, and treatment of hypertension, and that this is resulting in increased hospital admissions with complications of untreated hypertension: heart failure, and end-stage renal disease .
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Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body's ...
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The National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) was established in 1972 by the National Institute of Health to translate research results on the health hazards of high blood pressure into clinical and public health practice. Before 190...
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Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body's tissues.
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Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body's tissues.
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Hypertension is high blood pressure . Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
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Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body.
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Pericarditis is a condition in which the sac-like covering around the heart (pericardium) becomes inflamed. See also: Bacterial pericarditis
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Pericarditis is an inflammation of the two layers of the thin, sac-like membrane that surrounds the heart. This membrane is called the pericardium, so the term pericarditis means inflammation of the pericardium.
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Peripheral neuropathy is a problem with the nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord. This can produce pain, loss of sensation, and an inability to control muscles. "Peripheral" means nerves further out from the center o...
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Peripheral neuropathy is a condition involving the nerves of the peripheral portion of the nervous system. Neurobiologists describe the peripheral nervous system as any part of that system found in the arms or legs. The nerves that traverse the ar...
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The term peripheral neuropathy encompasses a wide range of disorders in which the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord—peripheral nerves—have been damaged. Peripheral neuropathy may also be referred to as peripheral neuritis, or if many ner...
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Similar to electrical wiring in a house, the body has a highly complex network of nerves made up of bundles of neurons, axons, and dendrites. This network originates in the brain and extends down through the spinal cord. These nerves branch off at...
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A peptic ulcer is erosion in the lining of the stomach or the first part of the small intestine, an area called the duodenum. If the peptic ulcer is located in the stomach it is called a gastric ulcer. See also: Gastritis; Gastroesophageal reflux ...
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In general, an ulcer is any eroded area of skin or a mucous membrane, marked by tissue disintegration. In common usage, however, ulcer is usually used to refer to disorders in the upper digestive tract. The terms ulcer, gastric ulcer, and peptic u...
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If more pressure is put on a bone than it can stand, it will split or break. A break of any size is called a fracture. If the broken bone punctures the skin, it is called an open fracture (compound fracture. A stress fracture is a hairline crack i...
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A fracture is a crack or break in a bone. It results from the application of excessive force through injuries, such as a fall or a hard blow.
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A fracture is a complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force.
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A fracture is a complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force.
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A fracture is a complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force. An injury may be classified as a fracture-dislocation when a fracture involves the bony structures of any joint with associated dislocation o...
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Primary infertility describes couples who have never been able to become pregnant after at least 1 year of unprotected sex (intercourse. Secondary infertility describes couples who have been pregnant at least once, but have not been able to become...
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Infertility is the failure to conceive a pregnancy after attempting for at least one full year. In primary infertility, pregnancy has never occurred. In secondary infertility, one or both members of the couple have previously conceived, but are un...
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Infertility is the failure of a couple to conceive a pregnancy after trying to do so for at least one full year. In primary infertility, pregnancy has never occurred. In secondary infertility, one or both members of the couple have previously conc...
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Infertility is the failure of a couple to conceive a pregnancy after trying to do so for at least one full year. In primary infertility, pregnancy has never occurred. In secondary infertility, one or both members of the couple have previously conc...
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Cardiac tamponade is the compression of the heart that occurs when blood or fluid builds up in the space between the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) and the pericardium (the outer covering sac of the heart.
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Cardiac tamponade occurs when the heart is squeezed by fluid that collects inside the sac that surrounds it.
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A miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. (Pregnancy losses after the 20th week are called preterm deliveries) A miscarriage may also be called a "spontaneous abortion." This refers to naturally occurring ...
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A miscarriage is the loss of an embryo or fetus before the twentieth week of pregnancy . A pregnancy loss after the twentieth week is called a stillbirth.
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Although it may be psychologically difficult, if a woman has a miscarriage at home she should try to collect any material she passes in a clean container for analysis in a laboratory. This may help determine why the miscarriage occurred. An incomp...
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Itching is a tingling or irritation of the skin that makes you want to scratch the affected area.
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Itching is an intense, distracting irritation or tickling sensation that may be felt all over the skin's surface or confined to just one area. The medical term for itching is pruritus.
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Itching, also called pruritus, is an unpleasant sensation of the skin that causes a person to scratch or rub the area to find relief. Itching can be confined to one spot (localized) or over the whole body (generalized). Severe scratching can injur...
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Itching is an intense, distracting irritation or tickling sensation that may be felt all over the skin's surface or confined to just one area. The medical term for itching is pruritus.
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Itching is an intense, distracting irritation or tickling sensation that may be felt all over the skin's surface, or confined to just one area. The medical term for itching is "pruritus."
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Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding refers to any bleeding that starts in the gastrointestinal tract, which extends from the mouth to the anus. The amount of bleeding can range from nearly undetectable to acute, massive, and life threatening. Bleeding ...
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GI bleeding studies uses radioactive materials in the investigation of bleeding from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These studies go under various names such as "GI bleeding scans" or "Tagged red blood cell scans." They are performed and interpr...
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End-stage kidney disease is the complete, or almost complete failure of the kidneys to function. The kidneys can no longer remove wastes, concentrate urine, and regulate many other important body functions.
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Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too low.
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Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by low blood sugar, or abnormally low levels of glucose in the blood.
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The condition called hypoglycemia is literally translated as low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar (or blood glucose) concentrations fall below a level necessary to properly support the body's need for energy and stability througho...
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Hypoglycemia, or abnormally low blood sugar, is caused by the impaired response (or failure) of the liver to release glucose as blood sugar levels decrease. The imbalance in the rate of glucose released from the liver and its use by other body tis...
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Abnormally low levels of glucose in the blood. Hypoglycemia, or insulin shock, is brought on by abnormally low levels of glucose in the blood. The condition is common among individuals with diabetes mellitus who are administering their own insulin...
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Hyperkalemia is higher-than-normal levels of potassium in the blood.
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The normal concentration of potassium in the serum is in the range of 3.5 to 5.0 mM. Hyperkalemia refers to serum or plasma levels of potassium ions above 5.0 mM. The concentration of potassium is often expressed in units of milliequivalents per l...
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Joints serve as links between structures; in this case, bones in the human body. There are numerous joints in the body that act to stabilize and control bony segments. One example is the knee joint, which joins the femur and tibia. This joint allo...
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Platelets are elements within the bloodstream that recognize and cling to damaged areas inside blood vessels. When they do this, the platelets trigger a series of chemical changes that result in the formation of a blood clot. There are certain her...
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Hyponatremia is a metabolic condition in which there is not enough sodium (salt) in the body fluids outside the cells.
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The normal concentration of sodium in the blood plasma is 136–145 mM. Hyponatremia occurs when sodium falls below 130 mM. Plasma sodium levels of 125 mM or less are dangerous and can result in seizures and coma .
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