Browse plain-English disease and condition guides, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment options, prevention, and when to seek medical care.
Blood Circulatory System/The circulatory system also called the cardiovascular system or the vascular system, is an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport nutrients (such as amino acids and electrolytes), oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, and blood cells to and from the cells in the...
Read articlePatent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) is a heart condition that affects some people, including babies. In simple terms, it’s when a small blood vessel in the heart,...
Read articleDeep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to...
Read articleBlood Flow Mechanisms through the body delivers oxygen, nutrients, hormones, cells, products of defense mechanisms for wound healing, and platelets. The heart pumps these products to...
Read article15 Foods That Are Good for High Blood Pressure/Hypertension or high blood pressure, refers to the pressure of blood against your artery walls. Over time, high...
Read article17 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Levels/High blood pressure, or hypertension, is called the “silent killer” for good reason. It often has no symptoms...
Read articleAbdominal aorta diseases can affect the large blood vessel in your abdomen, called the abdominal aorta. These conditions can lead to serious health problems, but understanding...
Read articleAbdominal aorta disorders refer to various health conditions that affect the abdominal aorta, a major blood vessel in your abdomen. This article aims to provide you...
Read articleAbdominal Aorta Dissection is a serious medical condition where a tear occurs in the inner layer of the aorta, the large blood vessel that supplies blood...
Read articleAbdominal aorta infarction is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to the abdominal aorta, a major blood vessel supplying blood to the...
Read articleAn abdominal aorta mass is a condition where there is an abnormal growth or swelling in the abdominal aorta, which is a major blood vessel supplying...
Read articleAbdominal Aorta Thrombosis is a serious condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in the large blood vessel (aorta) that supplies blood to the abdominal...
Read articleAortic arch interruption means the main artery leaving the heart—the aorta—has a gap in the arch. The arch should be a smooth curve that carries blood...
Read articleAortic arch defects are birth (congenital) problems in the curved part of the main artery (the aorta) as it leaves the heart and travels toward the...
Read articleAortic arch anomaly–facial dysmorphism–intellectual disability syndrome is a very rare congenital (present at birth) condition that combines a right-sided aortic arch (the main artery from the...
Read articleMYH11 familial thoracic aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection is an inherited condition that weakens the wall of the thoracic aorta (the big artery in your chest...
Read articleAortic aneurysm, familial thoracic 4 (TAAD4) is a specific, inherited form of disease that weakens the wall of the thoracic aorta (the large artery leaving the...
Read articleCoarctation of the aorta means there is a narrowed segment in the body’s main artery (the aorta). Because the tube is tighter in one area, the...
Read articleServelle–Martorell syndrome is a very rare birth-present (congenital) vascular condition in which abnormally enlarged, twisty superficial veins grow through an arm or a leg and the...
Read articleAngel-shaped phalango-epiphyseal dysplasia is a very rare, inherited bone growth condition. It mainly affects the small bones of the fingers. On hand X-rays, the middle finger...
Read articleSaccular aneurysm; berry aneurysm; cerebral (intracranial) aneurysm; saccular intracranial aneurysm; aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (when it ruptures, often shortened to “aSAH”). These all describe a small, round,...
Read articleA sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SOVA) is a bulge in one of the three pouches at the root of the aorta (the big artery leaving the...
Read articleChannelopathies are diseases that happen when the tiny “doors” in our cells—called ion channels—do not open and close properly. Ion channels let charged particles (sodium, potassium,...
Read articlePotassium-sensitive cardiodysrhythmic disease refers to heart-rhythm problems (arrhythmias) that are triggered or worsened by low blood potassium (hypokalemia), or by faulty potassium channels in heart cells....
Read articleLong QT syndrome type 7 (LQT7) is a rare, inherited condition that affects the heart’s rhythm, the muscles, and body shape. Most people with LQT7 have...
Read articleLong QT syndrome is a heart rhythm problem where the heart’s electrical system takes too long to “reset” between beats. On an ECG, this looks like...
Read articleAndersen syndrome is a rare, inherited condition that mainly affects muscles and the heart. People typically have a “triad” of features: (1) brief attacks of muscle...
Read articleAndersen cardiodysrhythmic periodic paralysis is a rare, inherited “channelopathy” that affects muscle and heart cells. People have episodes of flaccid limb weakness or paralysis, together with...
Read articleEchinococcus multilocularis infectious disease is also called alveolar echinococcosis (AE) or alveolar hydatid disease. It happens when a person swallows microscopic eggs of the fox tapeworm...
Read articleEchinococcus multilocularis infection is a tiny tapeworm that lives in the intestines of wild foxes and other canids. Its eggs leave the animal in feces and...
Read articleAlveolococcosis is a parasitic disease. It happens when tiny larval forms of a tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis grow inside the human body. People get infected after...
Read articleAlveolar echinococcosis is a long-lasting infection caused by a tiny tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis. You get it by swallowing parasite eggs from the environment (for example,...
Read article
