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Your doctor will check your medical history, perform a physical exam, and do tests and procedures to diagnose cardiogenic shock. Tests are usually done after you have been admitted to a hospital for a possible heart attack or symptoms of shock. If the reason for the shock is that the heart is not pumping strongly enough, then the diagnosis is cardiogenic shock.

The exact cause of asthma is unknown, and the causes may vary from person to person. However, asthma is often the result of a strong response of the immune system to an allergen in the environment.

If you have been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, it is important to follow your treatment plan, make healthy lifestyle changes, and get mental health support. Learn how to prevent or reduce complications in the future. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, discuss the possible risks with your doctor.

The types of pleural disorders are pleural effusion, pleurisy, and pneumothorax. Pleural effusion is a buildup of fluid in the pleural space. Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleura. Pneumothorax occurs when air or other gas builds up in the pleural space and may cause part or all of the lung to collapse.

The TAH replaces the lower chambers of the heart, called ventricles. Tubes connect the TAH to a power source that is outside the body. The TAH then pumps blood through the heart’s major artery to the lungs and the rest of the body.

If you have known risk factors for developing an aortic aneurysm, your doctor may recommend screening. To screen for an aortic aneurysm, your doctor may recommend an imaging study to look at and measure the aorta. An aneurysm can develop and grow without any symptoms until it ruptures or dissects—events that are both life-threatening. If the aneurysm is found early, treatment or surgery may slow its growth and prevent rupture or dissection.

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.

Taking steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy might prevent your newborn from being born before his or her lungs have fully developed.

Taking steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy might prevent your newborn from being born before his or her lungs have fully developed. Your doctor may also give you injections of a corticosteroid medicine if he or she thinks you may give birth too early. This medicine can speed up development of the lungs, brain, and kidneys in your baby and surfactant production.

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.