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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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The lower number is the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure when the heart is filling or relaxing before the next beat. Normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/70(on average), but normal for an individual varies with the height, weight, fi...
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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 systolic p...
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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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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Primary, or essential, hypertension is caused by external factors; secondary hypertension is related to an underlying disorder, such as a congenital heart defect or kidney disease. Factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure include age(...
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High blood pressure is a sneaky ailment. The condition has no symptoms that you can see or feel. Having your blood pressure checked is the only way to know if it is high.
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Knowing the definitions of terms your doctor may use when talking with you about your blood pressure is important.
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This report explains what your blood pressure numbers mean and how hypertension can be prevented and treated by making diet and lifestyle changes. Also includes information on medications.
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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Each day that your blood pressure is too high, your chances of having a stroke are increased.
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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.
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When I get up in the morning, my systolic blood pressure is 30 to 50 points higher than it is later in the day (about 110). I am taking three different blood pressure medications. Is this unusual?
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Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don't take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.
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High blood pressure is more common among African Americans than other ethnic groups. Nearly 40 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have hypertension.
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High blood pressure has joined type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol on a list of ailments that once struck only adults but now afflict children.
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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 1900...
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Did you know you can purchase your own blood pressure monitor and check the reading yourself at home?
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While people with high blood pressure are typically told to abstain from alcohol, a study suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent them from having a heart attack.
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A Harvard Medical School doctor discusses possible causes of low blood pressure.
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Is it absolutely necessary for a diabetic who does not have high blood pressure to take a blood pressure pill anyway?
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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The FDA has approved a new blood pressure drug that works by inhibiting hte production of renin, a substance made by the kidneys that is the first step in the body's system of regulating blood pressure.
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Risk factors are things that make you more likely to have a disease or condition. Do you know your risk factors for high blood pressure?
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What causes high blood pressure in a 4-year-old?
Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a senior medical editor for Harvard Health Publications. She is an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Children's Hospital of Boston, and co-director of the pediatrics department at Martha Eliot Health Center, a neighborhood health service of Children's Hospital. The author of two books, "Learning How the Heart Beats" and "Everyone's Children", Dr. McCarthy was a regular columnist for "Sesame Street Parents Magazine" from 1995 to 1998 and is currently a contributing editor for "Parenting Magazine".
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common chronic adult illness in the United States. There is no cure for high blood pressure, but it can be controlled.
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A healthy blood pressure level can reduce your risk for many serious diseases and increase your longevity.
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High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the silent killer. This is because many people who have it don't know it. You can take an easy test to see if your blood pressure is too high. If it is high, you can take steps to lower it. Doing so could save your life.
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For those living with high blood pressure, lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, and losing weight will likely have a positive effect not just on blood pressure, but on overall health.
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In most cases, high blood pressure responds to treatment, but the success of the treatment is up to you.
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Hypertension, or high blood pressure, isn't limited to those 18 and older.Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects almost one in three adults in the United States. But this serious health condition isn't limited to those ages 18 and older, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
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Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the very real risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don't take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.
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Even if your blood pressure is normal or high-normal, you're still at increased risk for hypertension (high blood pressure), the condition in which your heart works too hard and the resulting forceful blood flow harms arteries.
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High blood pressure can contribute to sexual problems, as can some treatments for it.
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If you have high blood pressure, you need to know, so you can control it. If you don't, you increase your risk for serious illness.
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Is it possible for a blockage in the kidneys to cause high blood pressure? What type of blockage would there be in a kidney?
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The number of Americans with high blood pressure has risen steadily since the 1960s, and now tops 65 million.
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Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries.
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Isolated systolic hypertension, when the systolic blood pressure is above 140 while the diastolic pressure is below 90, is caused by stiffening of large arteries. Medication may be prescribed, but lifestyle changes will have more impact on overall health.
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A study reports that if the vertebra that supports the skull is misaligned, careful manipulation of it may result in a significant drop in blood pressure.
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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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The category of prehypertension was established to serve as a warning. Those whose blood pressure reading falls in it should work to lower their pressure through diet, exercise, and weight control, though in some cases medication may be prescribed.
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An old theory about the connection between headache and high blood pressure makes a comeback.
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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.As blood flows through arteries it pushes against the inside of the artery walls.
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A heart attack is the death of, or damage to, part of the heart muscle because its blood supply is severely reduced or stopped.Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately every 29 seconds one American will have a...
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A heart attack is when blood vessels that supply blood to the heart are blocked, preventing enough oxygen from getting to the heart. The heart muscle dies or becomes permanently damaged.
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Detailed information on heart attack, symptoms of heart attack, warning signs, how to respond in an emergency, and heart attack treatment
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Detailed information on heart attack, symptoms of heart attack, warning signs, how to respond in an emergency, and heart attack treatment
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Detailed information on heart attack, symptoms of heart attack, warning signs, how to respond in an emergency, and heart attack treatment
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Over the long term, your quality of life is tied to how severe your heart attack was and how it was treated. Beyond that, any change will depend largely on you.
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The Framingham risk-assessment tool is used to evaluate a person's risk of heart attack, but it does not consider the influence of inflammation. Researchers have developed a new tool that uses three additional factors to evaluate your heart attack risk.
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Chest pain could be simple indigestion or a heart attack. Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack, and knowing how to respond, could save a life. The following guidelines can help you make the right decisions and take the right steps when seconds count.
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Discussion of what constitutes a heart attack and new ways to treat them.It's a story that is played out countless times every day. A 58-year-old man develops chest pain while watching a playoff game on TV. He's always been pretty healthy, but he hasn't had a check-up for years. He's had some heartburn from time to time, but this pain is different: a heavy pressure just below his breastbone with an ache in his jaw. He feels sweaty, nauseated, and a bit lightheaded. Probably the chips and garlic dip, he thinks, reaching for an antacid. But his wife knows better; she calls 911 and gives him an aspirin to chew. The EMTs arrive in a few minutes, but by then the pain is gone. Feeling foolish, he agrees to an IV, oxygen, and a trip to the hospital. In the emergency ward there are questions, EKGs, chest x-rays, and blood tests. And then the big question: Did I have a heart attack?
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A heart attack is an urgent message from your heart that it's starved for oxygen. When oxygen-rich blood to your heart is blocked by a clot, heart muscle begins to die and symptoms of a heart attack start.
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For many women, a heart attack may feel like a strange discomfort in the back or some other easily ignored sign, instead of crushing chest pain.
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Technology has given us the automated external defibrillator (AED), which is turning up far from hospitals. Some schools and public buildings already have AEDs.
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Detailed information on heart attack, symptoms of heart attack, warning signs, how to respond in an emergency, and heart attack treatment
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A new study suggests an aspirin before bed may lower blood pressure while protecting against heart attack and stroke.
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People who are at risk for heart disease may be fine for some time, until a stressful event or situation acts as a trigger for a heart attack or stroke. Even in those with heart disease, some of these triggers can be minimized or avoided.
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A Harvard Medical School physician answers your question about how to tell heartburn from more serious heart trouble.
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Besides the nutritional benefits, eating beans regularly can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of a heart attack.
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Research shows that heart attack risk varies by both the season and time of day.
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Researchers believe that enough evidence exists now to list rheumatoid arthritis as a marker of increased heart attack risk. The next step is to examine how people with RA might alter their drug treatment plan or make lifestyle changes to reduce their risk for heart attack.
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People at risk for heart attack or stroke will likely benefit from taking low-dose daily aspirin, but for some there are greater risks (such as ulcers or gastrointestinal bleeding) that outweigh aspirin's help.
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The Women's Health Study, released in March 2005, provides surprising new information about the health benefits of aspirin for women.
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Studies suggest mental health care following a heart attack can improve patient health and mortality.
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Heart attacks rise during winter and, especially, over the holidays. Possible explanations for this phenomenon, and how to protect yourself this season.
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Though clot-busting drugs are delivered with little delay in most emergency rooms, angioplasty does not fare as well, according to a new study.
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This article discusses the drug Plavix: what it does; who needs it; and, the risks and benefits.
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Advisory ratchets down targets for LDL (bad) cholesterol for some people, not others; no one-size-fits-all recommendation yet.
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Depression can often develop as a result of a heart attack or cardiac surgery, and has more serious effects on heart health and overall health than depression that was present before a heart attack.
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Aspirin is safe for some healthy women over age 65 to take to prevent stroke and heart attack, but probably not for most younger women.
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Although their symptoms and effects can be similar—and confusing—strokes and heart attacks are two different medical problems.
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A myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is the death or damage of part of the heart muscle because the supply of blood to the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped.Myocardial infarction(MI) is the leading cause of death in the United State...
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A heart attack is the death of, or damage to, part of the heart muscle because the supply of blood to the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped.Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the United States. More than 1.5 million Americans ...
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Two new tests aim to provide better measures of "bad" cholesterol in order to more accurately predict the risk of heart attack.
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A review of advances in heart medicine since the 1950s, when President Eisenhower bucked conventional wisdom by returning to physical activity several months after a heart attack.
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If hospitals become accredited as "chest pain centers," it could make deciding where to go for treatment easier, and also increase recovery rates.
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Normally, your body warns you of a problem by making you feel pain. But over time, high blood sugar damages nerves in your body. This may keep you from feeling pain caused by a heart problem.
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More Americans have their hypertension under control. Folic acid does not prevent heart attacks. Exercise after heart surgery is safe and beneficial. Program your cell phone with an emergency contact.
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The Harvard Health Letter celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. In the first of a series, the Health Letter takes a look back at three decades in medicine.
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A recent study offers evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may help those who develop depression after a heart attack.
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Sweating is an almost as common, but lesser-known, sign of heart attack as more "classic" chest pains.
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If you're looking for a reason to exercise, try this one: A routine workout may help ward off blood clots, the villains behind most heart attacks. You suffer a heart attack when a blood clot forms in an artery, blocking oxygen-rich blood from reaching the heart.
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The experience of a heart attack can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder, which can delay recovery and perhaps cause heart disease to progress further.
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Many instances of "sudden" cardiac arrest are not sudden at all. In the majority of occurrences there is at least one warning sign before the event: chest pain, shortness of breah, nausea, and dizziness are the most common ones.
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The benefits of aspirin for those at risk for heart disease are clear, but for women under 65 who are not at risk, there is no benefit to a daily aspirin. There is evidence that taking aspirin regularly may reduce the risk of stroke, regardless of age.
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An expert shares his beliefs about how best to treat and avoid cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
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A pair of studies found that increased, prolonged strain in people's close relationships or jobs correlated with an increased risk for a cardiac event.
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Angioplasty to treat chest pain will be most efffective if the procedure is done within the first 12 hours after onset. If you have had symptoms for longer, drug treatment is likely to be as effective as angioplasty.
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Unlike traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen, COX-2 drugs have been linked to heart attacks because they encourage blood clots to form.
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Pulmonary hypertension is a rare lung disorder characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the lower chamber on the right side of the heart(right ventricle) to the lungs where it...
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Detailed information on persistent pulmonary hypertension, including cause, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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What pulmonary hypertension is and treatments that offer help and hope to people who have it.
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Large amounts of alcohol can result in depression of the various body systems, resulting in coma or death. The immediate physical effects of alcohol depend on the amount and frequency of drinking, while the mental and emotional effects are influen...
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This report includes information on recognizing the symptoms of problem drinking, treatment techniques, coping with a loved one's drinking, and overcoming denial.
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Alcoholism is defined as alcohol seeking and consumption behavior that is harmful. Long-term and uncontrollable harmful consumption can cause alcohol-related disorders that include: antisocial personality disorder, mood disorders(bipolar and major...
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It's important to understand how alcohol and drugs can affect your health and well being.
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Besides having trouble with school and relationships, teenagers taking drugs may display emotional extremes with irritability, anger and changes in sleep patterns.
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Excessive drinking can cause potentially fatal conditions, not only high blood pressure, but also damage to the brain, heart or liver; diabetes and stroke.
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Like cancer or heart disease, alcoholism is a primary chronic disease with its own symptoms and causes. The disease is progressive and often fatal if not treated.
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Effective treatment for alcohol dependency is available, but treatment rates among alcohol abusers are low because of lack of awareness and embarrassment.
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Misuse of alcohol can lead to serious consequences. Alcohol abuse differs from alcoholism. Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in failure to meet work, home or school responsibilities, among other things.
Alcoholism is a disease that includes an extremely strong craving for alcohol, loss of control over drinking, or physical dependence.
Learn more about the effects of abusing alcohol by taking this quiz, based on information from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
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