health ABC > Risk
Am I at risk of developing dementia?
Many people worry that they may be at risk of developing dementia, particularly if they have a close relative with the condition. This information sheet explains what we know about the risks associated with d...read more
Are you at a greater risk of death from asthma?
Risk factors for death from asthma You may be at greater risk of death from asthma if you: have a past history of sudden, severe asthma attacks or a family history of such attacks. have been ...read more
Are you at risk for asthma and how can you tell ?
Who is at risk for asthma? In the United States, about 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma; nearly 9 million of them are children. Asthma is closely linked to allergies. Most, but not all, peop...read more
Asthma: emergency situations
What Happens in an Acute Attack? In an acute attack, the airways are greatly narrowed by swelling, bronchoconstriction and mucus plugging. It's like running on the spot for a few minutes and...read more
Bowel cancer- key stats
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, affecting men and women equally. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer affecting both men and women in the UK. Ev...read more
Bowel cancer: knowing the symptoms and who is at risk
However, if any of the following symptoms persist for more than a few weeks, talk to your GP: Recent, persistent changes of bowel habit, for example in consistency, including diarrhoea (loos...read more
Bowel cancer: risk factors
Age: Bowel cancer can occur in younger people but 8 out of 10 people who get cancer of the bowel are over the age of 60. A previous bowel polyp Personal hist...read more
Check out whether you are at risk
Understanding the risk factors that cause heart disease can be the first step towards a healthier heart. There are three main types of risk factors that can cause heart disease; lifestyle, clinical and natura...read more
Deep vein thrombosis
First recognised back in 1946, travel related DVT is an added potential problem for 'at risk' travellers who are immobile for extended periods of time. While the problem is often associated with air travel, t...read more
High risk pregnancy
For many women, pregnancy is a time of unparalleled joy and expectation. But for others, especially those with chronic medical conditions or who are expecting multipl...read more
Osteoporosis: are you at risk?
Did you know that 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men aged over 50 will break a bone mainly due to osteoporosis Consequences of osteoporosis may include a fracture, particularly at the wrist, spine and hip, after the ...read more
Prenatal testing for Down Syndrome
Many pregnant women want to know if they are at risk of having a child with Down syndrome and choose to undergo tests that can provide useful information. This aspect of pregnancy can be extremely stressful a...read more
Prostate cancer: risk factors
Age The majority of men with prostate cancer are aged over 60 years and the disease is very rare in men under 50. Family History Men with a brother or father who developed prostate cancer at a young age have an increased r...read more
Risks of developing MS
In the general population in the UK, the risk of developing MS is about 1 in 700. Studies have shown that the risk is higher for people who already have someone with MS in their family. On average, the risk for first degree r...read more
Should we see a genetic counselor?
Modern genetics has identified 3,000 different birth defects that can occur in one in 29 births. Yet the risk of an individual couple having a child with an abnormality depends on a variety of factors.Steps to reduce your risk
Get your blood pressure checked High blood pressure causes the arteries to fur up (atherosclerosis) and puts extra strain on the blood vessels. You may not know if you have high blood pressure, so you should have it checked ...read more
Stuttering: risk factors
Family history There is now strong evidence that almost half of all children who stutter have a family member who stutters. The risk that your child is actually stuttering instead of just having normal d...read more
Symptoms of bowel cancer
The most common symptoms of bowel cancer are: a persistent change in bowel habit, especially needing to go to the toilet more often or having diarrhoea for several weeks bleeding from the back passage or blood...read more
