heart-letter
Heart attacks are much less deadly than they used to be, primarily due to advances in knowledge and understanding of the underlying cause of heart attacks, and to the prevalence of specialized coronary care units.
I was admitted to the hospital with chest pain. The doctors found my blood pressure was much lower in my right arm than in my left. They rushed me for a CT scan, looking for a “tear.” Fortunately there wasn’t one. What was it they were worried about?
Gathering all your health records and vital information in one place can streamline your care and help doctors in the event of an emergency. Several web sites now offer ways to simplify the online storage of health information.
Taking a daily aspirin can help prevent heart attacks in men and strokes in women, but not everyone who takes aspirin should do so, because aspirin may increase the risk of stomach bleeding.
Two studies found that use of a statin or daily low-dose aspirin may artificially lower the reading of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
An excess of aldosterone, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, can increase the risk of heart disease. The problem can be treated with medication, but sometimes it is necessary to remove the glands.
Lower levels of testosterone may correlate with a higher risk of heart disease, but taking a testosterone supplement may also increase the risk of prostate cancer and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol.
In your article on blood sugar control, you kept talking about hemoglobin A1c. I measure my blood sugar all the time, but my meter doesn’t have a setting for a percentage reading. Is there a simple connection between blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c?
Most people with diabetes eventually develop some form of heart disease, but this is not inevitable. Focusing on improving health through diet, exercise, weight loss, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol can help prevent heart disease.
Two drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease have been found to cause heart valve leakage. If you take one of these medications, you should ask your doctor about switching to a safer one. If no other drug is effective, watch for signs of valve trouble.