For patients and caregivers, understanding clinical progression, diagnostic imaging results, and pharmacological treatment options is vital for managing acute and chronic health conditions.
Around 4 percent of women in the United States take illegal drugs while pregnant, the March of Dimes states. A number of pregnant women who take illegal drugs also use legal drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol. All these drugs cross the placenta and can affect the fetus prenatally, causing withdrawal symptoms at birth.
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Approximately 5.9 percent of pregnant women admit to using illicit drugs or nonprescribed narcotics during pregnancy, according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Many more women take prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI, antidepressants.
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For the safety and well-being of both the mother and the baby, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends vaginal delivery unless there is medical reason for a cesarean section.
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The duodenum, the starting point of the small intestine, attaches to the stomach at one end and the jejunum, the middle portion of the intestine, at the other. The first of three sections making up the small intestine, the duodenum is short, only about 8-inches long.
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Insulin-dependent diabetics take insulin injections because their pancreas no longer produces insulin. Insulin helps cells absorb glucose, the body’s main energy source, from the blood.
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Dark yellow urine while breast-feeding is a concern whether it's you or your baby that's experiencing this symptom. Dark yellow urine can indicate a need to drink more fluids, but could also indicate more serious disorders.
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If you have gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease, you already know that you need to scrutinize labels of any products that might contain wheat, rye or barley. As little as one-eighth of a tsp. of the gluten protein found in these grains can set off a reaction.
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Reaching for your nebulizer if you have asthma or other respiratory problems becomes as natural as putting on your glasses in the morning if you have vision problems. Nebulizers deliver liquid or aerosol medications that help you breathe to your lungs via a mask or mouthpiece.
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Diarrhea, one of the most common childhood illnesses, has numerous causes in toddlers, from allergy to infection.
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Though testosterone is the dominant male hormone, women have some as well. Women who have high levels of testosterone, however, often have difficulty getting pregnant and carrying a pregnancy full-term. Complications may also arise during pregnancy if you have high testosterone levels.
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An excess of stomach acid does not cause blood pressure to rise. While high blood pressure, medically termed "hypertension," and heartburn, known as acid reflux, both occur more commonly if you're overweight or obese, one does not cause the other.
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Growths on the surface of the eye can be unsightly and frightening. Most growths on the eye, which often occur as people age, pose no threat to health or vision and aren’t cancers.
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Bronchial pneumonia, also called bronchopneumonia, infects the bronchioles, the tubes leading to the lungs and the lungs themselves. Bronchial pneumonia affects millions of Americans each year, particularly the elderly and immunocompromised. Many different bacteria, viruses or fungi can cause bronchial pneumonia.
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Plaque, a buildup of low-density lipoprotein (the so-called “bad” cholesterol), white blood cells, calcium and debris on the inside of the arteries, can lead to heart attack and stroke.
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Various rat poisons used to control rodents have potent effects on people if ingested. Many rat poisons contain anticoagulants, which are medications that interfere with blood clotting. As rats have become resistant to poisons, new superwarfarins that are more toxic to both rats and people have been marketed.
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Women who are addicted to heroin are often given methadone, a synthetic narcotic, to take instead of heroin. Methadone withdrawal is a common cause of withdrawal in newborns. The majority of mothers who take methadone in pregnancy will give birth to an addicted baby.
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