MediHealth
-
Haemoglobin
Updated: Nov 17, 2009 - 13:19Haemoglobin molecules are containers inside red blood cells that are specially designed to carry oxygen. Iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid (folate) all need to be taken in from food to make haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is made of four ball-shaped parts (globins), and needs two alpha parts and two ...
-
Haemophilia
Updated: Dec 21, 2009 - 14:58Haemophilia is a problem with bleeding that’s difficult to stop. When you get a small tear in a blood vessel, from a kick or a graze, you start bleeding. If you have haemophilia, your blood won’t clot because you have a clotting factor missing. This means that your blood keeps running out of the ...
-
Heart
Updated: Nov 17, 2009 - 13:19Your heart is a muscle that sits in your ribcage between your lungs. It acts as a pump, keeping you alive. It does this by continually pushing blood, carrying oxygen, to all the cells of your body through blood vessels. Your body tells your heart how much blood to pump, depending on how much oxyg...
-
Heart attack
Updated: Dec 22, 2009 - 11:25A heart attack is what happens when your heart stops beating properly, because it's not getting enough blood. This usually happens because fat has gradually built up over time in the arteries in your heart, making them get narrower and narrower. When your arteries are very narrow, your blood can'...
-
Heart disease
Updated: Dec 22, 2009 - 11:26Heart disease is any disease that affects your heart, like strokes and heart attacks. If extra fat in your body sticks to the inside of your blood vessels, and then slowly builds up, eventually it stops your blood from flowing properly, so that not enough of it gets to your heart. This can lead ...
-
Hepatitis
Updated: Dec 22, 2009 - 11:30Hepatitis is inflammation of your liver. There are different types of hepatitis, but A, B and C are the ones most people get. You get each type in a different way, for example, through blood or polluted water. If you have it for less than 6 months it is called acute hepatitis, and if you have it ...
-
Hip joint
Updated: Nov 17, 2009 - 13:20Your hip joints are two of the biggest joints in your body. They have to be big because your hips hold all your body weight when you stand up. Your hips are even stronger when you walk, run and jump. They have to bend in all directions too, like when you bend over to touch your toes, or sit with ...
-
Histamine
Updated: Nov 17, 2009 - 13:20Histamine is a protein that is released by your body as part of your immune system's response. When it is released, it causes inflammation that is meant to help your body heal or fight infection. Histamine is involved in a lot of allergic reactions. What happens is that loads of it gets relea...
-
HIV
Updated: Dec 22, 2009 - 11:32HIV is a virus. It is much more dangerous than other viruses like colds and flu, because it can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV’s full name is human immunodeficiency virus. It is a retrovirus that infects the T-cell commanders of your immune system army. Most kids with ...
-
Hives
Updated: Nov 26, 2009 - 10:11Hives are swollen, red bumps you can get on your skin. They are also called urticaria and can sometimes be itchy. The most common cause of hives is an allergic reaction to something, like food or a medicine. They can also be caused by stress or an infection. In most cases they’ll go away on their...
Search
Did you know
You don't seem to have Flash Player install (or have it disabled). Please correct this to view content. Thank you.
You don't seem to have Flash Player install (or have it disabled). Please correct this to view content. Thank you.
