Vaginal atrophy is a condition where the lining of your vagina gets drier and thinner. This results in itching, burning and pain during sex, among other symptoms. The condition also includes urinary tract problems such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and urinary incontinence. Vaginal atrophy most often occurs during perimenopause and menopause when your ovaries produce less estrogen. It can occur in younger women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) when their estrogen …

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is a condition where a child doesn’t form healthy emotional bonds with their caretakers (parental figures), often because of emotional neglect or abuse at an early age. Children with RAD have trouble managing their emotions. They struggle to form meaningful connections with other people. Children with RAD rarely seek or show signs of comfort and may …

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common and most studied neurodevelopmental disorders in children. “Neuro” means nerves. Scientists have discovered there are differences in the brains, nerve networks and neurotransmitters of people with ADHD. ADHD is a long-term (chronic) brain condition that causes executive dysfunction, which means it disrupts a person’s ability to manage their own emotions, thoughts and …

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a condition that affects the development of your brain. It starts in childhood. While people commonly outgrow this condition, many don’t. In children, ADHD can affect things like school performance and social skills. It can have very similar effects in adults, affecting things like work performance, friendships, relationships and mental health. How does this condition affect my …

Atypical hyperplasia of the breast is the development of precancerous cells in the breast. Atypical hyperplasia causes a buildup of cells in the breast tissue. When viewed with a microscope, the cells look different from typical breast cells. Atypical hyperplasia of the breast isn’t breast cancer. But it’s a sign that you have an increased risk of breast cancer in …

Asthma, also called bronchial asthma, is a disease that affects your lungs. It’s a chronic (ongoing) condition, meaning it doesn’t go away and needs ongoing medical management. Asthma affects more than 25 million people in the U.S. currently. This total includes more than 5 million children. Asthma can be life-threatening if you don’t get treatment. What is an asthma attack? …

An asthma attack describes a worsening of asthma symptoms. They can come on suddenly and take you completely by surprise or build up gradually over several hours. Asthma is a lung condition that makes your airways narrow. It causes symptoms like coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath that make it hard to breathe. Most people with asthma can manage their symptoms with a combination of medication …

Asthma is a long-term (chronic) lung disease that affects your airways. Your airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. When you have asthma, you can’t get air into your lungs because your airways swell and get too narrow. Like a pinched straw, this makes it hard for you to breathe, which can cause wheezing, coughing and chest …

Exercise-induced asthma happens when your airways get smaller during exercise, making it hard for you to breathe. You may have asthma symptoms like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath during or after physical activity. Symptoms can be worse when the air is cold and dry, or when pollution levels and pollen counts are high. Exercise-induced asthma is also called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) or sports-induced asthma. How common is …

Asthma is a disease that affects your airways, making it hard to breathe. When asthma begins or gets worse because of your job, healthcare providers may diagnose work-related asthma. For 15% to 33% of adult-onset asthma, their asthma is work-related. Work-related asthma has two categories: Occupational asthma starts due to inhaling (breathing in) irritants in the workplace. Work-exacerbated asthma is when existing asthma gets …