These Med-Help guides explain 23 common health conditions in plain language. A name for a condition can raise as many questions as it answers. Each guide helps you prepare to talk with a health professional.
Three in four US adults report at least one chronic condition (CDC). The newest estimate in the study CDC cites is for 2023 (CDC study). CDC defines chronic diseases as conditions that last a year or more. They need ongoing medical attention, limit daily activities, or both.
What this section covers and how to use it
Each guide covers one topic and lists its sources. The section covers long-term conditions and short illnesses, such as colds and flu. The guides give general health information. They cannot diagnose a condition or replace care from a health professional.
Use a guide to build questions for your visit. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) says: “Answers to simple questions can help you feel better, take better care of yourself, or even save your life.”
Find a guide by topic
Pick the group that fits your question. Groups help you browse. They do not say what a symptom means. MedlinePlus sorts its topics by body location and system (MedlinePlus). Our groups borrow that idea.
- Breathing and lungs: asthma, adult onset asthma, COPD and emphysema, and pleurisy.
- Heart and blood vessels: heart disease, heart attack symptoms in women, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, blood clots, and aneurysm.
- Diabetes and kidneys: diabetes and nephrotic syndrome.
- Joints, pain, immunity and allergy: arthritis, fibromyalgia, your immune system, and allergic rhinitis.
- Everyday infections: cold vs flu, sinus infection vs cold, ear infections, and laryngitis.
- Skin: athlete’s foot and jock itch.
- Mind and behavior: Munchausen syndrome.
When to get help now
Call 911 or your local emergency number if a person’s condition is “life threatening.” Examples include a heart attack or severe allergic reaction (MedlinePlus). These guides cannot tell you if a situation is an emergency. For urgent situations, see our first aid guide.
Before your visit
Read how to prepare for your next appointment and how to read health information with context. See Understanding Care for more tools. Your health professional decides what applies to you.