A chronic cough is a cough that lasts eight weeks or longer in adults, or four weeks in children. A chronic cough is more than just annoying. It can interrupt your sleep and leave you feeling very tired. Severe cases of chronic cough can cause vomiting and lightheadedness, and even break a rib. The most common causes are tobacco use …

Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating. This condition happens when you sweat more than what your body needs to regulate your temperature. You may experience sweating when you’re at rest, in cold temperatures or randomly at times when you wouldn’t expect to sweat. Sweat is an odorless fluid released from your eccrine glands (sweat glands). Sweat’s job is to help regulate your …

Heart disease is a variety of issues that can affect your heart. When people think about heart disease, they often think of the most common type — coronary artery disease (CAD) and the heart attacks it can cause. But you can have trouble with different parts of your heart, like your heart muscle, valves or electrical system. When your heart isn’t working well, it has …

Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that causes a reaction in your body to the protein, gluten. Gluten in your digestive system triggers your immune system to produce antibodies against it. These antibodies damage the lining of your small intestine (the mucosa). Damage to the mucosa in your small intestine impairs its ability to absorb nutrients from your food, causing nutritional deficiencies. Gluten is a protein found …

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that affects women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB). It happens when cancerous cells in your breasts multiply and become tumors. About 80% of breast cancer cases are invasive, meaning a tumor may spread from your breast to other areas of your body. Breast cancer typically affects women age 50 and older, but it can …

Hypotension, or low blood pressure, is when your blood pressure is much lower than expected. It can happen either as a condition on its own or as a symptom of a wide range of conditions. It may not cause symptoms. But when it does, you may need medical attention. Types of low blood pressure Hypotension has two definitions: Absolute hypotension: Your resting …

A stress fracture is a small crack in one of your bones. It’s a type of bone fracture (the medical term for broken bones). Stress fractures are exactly what their name sounds like — fractures that happen when something puts too much stress on your bone. Healthcare providers sometimes call stress fractures overuse injuries because repetitively using the same part of your …

Burns are a type of injury that happens when something — usually something hot — damages tissues of your body. They’re more severe when they’re deeper and cover a larger part of your body’s surface area. Burns are extremely common and usually unintentional. Worldwide, about 10 million people experience burns, and about 180,000 die from them each year. In the …