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More than nineteen million Americans carry the factor V gene that causes blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and heart disease.
When blood is exposed to air, it clots. Heparin allows the blood to come in direct contact with air without clotting.
People who have myopia, or nearsightedness, are not able to see objects at a distance but only up close. It occurs when the cornea is either curved too steeply, the eye is too long, or both. This condition is progressive and worsens with time. More than 100 million people in the United States are nearsighted, but only 20% of those are born with the condition. Diet, eye exercise, drug therapy, and corrective lenses can all help manage nearsightedness.
Medication errors are three times higher among children and infants than with adults.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system destroys its own healthy tissues. When this occurs, white blood cells cannot distinguish between pathogens and normal cells.