Toxemia

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Toxemia, poisoned condition of the blood caused by the presence of toxic materials, usually bacterial but occasionally chemical or hormonal in nature. When bacteria themselves find entrance into the bloodstream, the condition is known as bacteremia. Toxins are not due to absorption of putrefied or fermented foodstuffs, nor are they absorbed from the colon in conditions of constipation.

The term toxemia is also sometimes applied to preeclampsia, a condition that occasionally occurs in late pregnancy and is characterized by high blood pressure and kidney malfunction.

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