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Description The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck below the larynx (voice box) and has two lobes, one on each side of the windpipe. The thyroid is one of the endocrine glands, special groups of cells that make hormones. Hormones...
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Description High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Blood pressure is determined both ...
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Description Lipid is another word for fat. Lipids are easily stored in the body and serve as a source of energy. Cholesterol and triglycerides are lipids. When the concentration of triglycerides or cholesterol in your blood is too high, it is c...
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Description Haemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins (clotting factors). If you have haemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you wou...
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Description Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve. It is often associated with a build-up of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life. The increased pressure...
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Description Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. It is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy means the same thing as "seizure disorders". Seizures are episodes of...
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Description Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, which is the way the body uses digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food people eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel ...
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Description Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Inflammation caused...
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Description COPD is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. It is caused by damage to the lungs over many years and is a progressive disease that gets worse over time. It includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is a conditio...
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Description Heart failure, sometimes known as congestive heart failure, occurs when your heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Certain conditions, such as narrowed arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood...