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COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. In the United States, the term COPD includes two main conditions—emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

The risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect is influenced by family history and genetics, the mother’s health, sex, and exposure during pregnancy to environmental factors, such as smoke or certain medicines. Other medical conditions can also raise your risk for having a baby with a congenital heart defect.

People who do not know whether they carry an abnormal hemoglobin gene can ask their doctor to have their blood tested. Couples who are planning to have children and know that they are at risk of having a child with sickle cell disease may want to meet with a genetic counselor.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. Learn more about how the causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ischemic heart disease may be different for women than for men.

While Marfan syndrome has no cure, treatments can help delay or prevent complications, especially when started early. The type of treatment you receive will depend on what parts of your body are affected and the severity of your condition. You may have a team of doctors and specialists to coordinate your care.

High blood cholesterol is treated with heart-healthy lifestyle changes and medicines to control or lower your high blood cholesterol. Lipoprotein apheresis is a procedure that can be used to treat familial hypercholesterolemia.

Strokes are medical emergencies and treatment needs to begin immediately. Depending on the type of stroke, treatment may include medicines (such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or anticoagulants/antiplatelets) and procedures (such as carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery angioplasty). Surgery—such as aneurysm clipping and coil embolization or arteriovenous malformation repair—may be needed to treat a hemorrhagic stroke. Making lifestyle changes can help treat and control risk factors for a stroke.

La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, o EPOC, es una enfermedad progresiva que causa dificultad para respirar. En los Estados Unidos el término EPOC abarca dos enfermedades principales, el enfisema y la bronquitis crónica.

Causes of iron-deficiency anemia include blood loss, consuming too little iron, problems absorbing iron, and certain medical conditions.

Risk factors for overweight and obesity include having unhealthy lifestyle habits such as lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating behaviors, not getting enough sleep, having high amounts of stress; being a certain age; living in unhealthy environments, having a family history; being a certain race or ethnicity; or being a certain sex.