Hypertension is a phenomenon that affects between 6% and 8% of pregnant women, and is the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality. Often, the main complication is the need to induce the baby very early to prevent later problems.

Based on calculations by the World Health Organization, around 3 million health workers out of 35 million, almost 10%, are exposed each year to the risk of contracting infections from infected blood caused by needlestick injuries. The fact is, a lot of workplaces and other environments deal with needles: from prisons to tattoo artists. What are the dangers? AIDS and hepatitis.

Noise pollution, especially in larger urban areas, can have a negative effect on health in a variety of ways, ranging from loss of sleep and mood swings to adverse effects on the ability to concentrate, hearing and the cardiovascular system.

Sprains are part of everyday life; all you need to do is to place a foot wrongly on the pavement, or jerk a hand too hard and you've sprained an ankle, a knee or a wrist. In common usage it's also called 'twisting' and at the time it seems like the physical manifestation of a dose of bad luck, but it's actually one of the most common injuries that can happen. Some parts of the body are more prone to sprains, like ankles, knees and wrists.

Actors, writers, musicians and Nobel Prize winners: diabetes even happens to celebrities. Here's a list of VIPs and great performers who live with diabetes. It’s not a question of people with diabetes following their example just because they happen to have it too - it's simply a list of interesting facts and sometimes rather bizarre anecdotes - about their diets and habits.

Tetanus is caused by the spores of the Clostridium tetani, a bacterium often found in topsoil as well as contaminated syringes, which gets into the body through a wound. Tetanus often starts with a simple accident, but without vaccination, the consequences can be very serious.

Interesting fact: there are over 200 cold viruses that are constantly mutating. They're like an army of pathogens that take advantage of weakened immune systems. They cause problems and can be found in lots of different places; it's pretty obvious that the airways are still the favourite place for cold viruses to establish themselves.

Why do we get fevers? This article explains the main causes of a high temperature, and how the body protects itself.

Hypertension means high blood pressure, and is the most common cardiovascular risk factor - in other words, the probability of heart attack or stroke. In Italy, according to the most recent statistics, only 35% of people have had this checked, so each year there are many preventable cardiovascular incidents.