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Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) What is a ventricular septal defect? A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital heart defect. This means that your baby is born with it. A VSD is a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the 2 lower chambers of the heart (right and left

Depression What is depression? Depression is a whole-body illness. It involves the body, mood, and thoughts. Depression affects the way you eat and sleep. It also can affect the way you feel about yourself, the people around you, and other things. It's not the same as being

HIV AIDS What is HIV/AIDS? The term AIDS refers to the most advanced stages of an infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The current definition of AIDS includes: All HIV-infected people who have fewer than 200 CD4+ T cells (also called T4 cells). These cells

Skin Self-Exam Skin cancer can be treated with more success if it’s found early. The way to find skin cancer early is with regular skin exams. This means having a healthcare provider check your skin. And it also means checking your skin at home regularly. Getting regular skin

Common Tests During Pregnancy These are some of the more common tests done during pregnancy. First trimester prenatal screening tests First trimester screening is a combination of fetal ultrasound and maternal blood testing. It can help find out the risk that the fetus has

Polio (Poliomyelitis) What is polio? Poliomyelitis is commonly called polio. It's an infectious disease. It is caused by 1 of 3 types of poliovirus. Polio is easily spread from person to person. The poliovirus is a virus that can cause paralysis. But most people who are infected

Firearms Safety The importance of firearms safety About one-third of homes in the U.S. have some type of firearm. Access to firearms in the home raise the risk of unintentional firearm-related death and injury among children. Unintentional shootings cause a major portion of all

Vulvitis What is vulvitis? Vulvitis is an inflammation of the vulva, the soft folds of skin outside the vagina. It’s a symptom that can result from an array of diseases. This can include infections, injuries, allergies, or irritants. Because it can be challenging to find the

Perimenopause What is perimenopause? Perimenopause is the transitional time around menopause. Menopause is when a woman’s periods stop. It’s marked by changes in the menstrual cycle, along with other physical and emotional symptoms. This time can last 2 to 8 years. During this

Gestational Diabetes What is gestational diabetes? Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens during pregnancy. Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes is not caused by having too little insulin. Instead, hormones made by your placenta keep your body from using