Statin dosages fall into three categories (low, moderate, or high) based on how much the medication can lower LDL. The choice of a statin depends on a person’s risk.
More than one in seven adults has chronic kidney disease, yet many of them aren’t aware of the problem. Early-stage kidney disease often has no symptoms, but the condition slowly and silently worsens over time. The two most common causes of chronic kidney disease—high blood pressure and diabetes—are also leading risk factors for heart disease, which means the two diseases often overlap. Most people know their blood pressure and cholesterol values, but few are familiar with the tests used to assess kidney health. They include serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and urine protein tests.
Marijuana use, which is rising among older adults, appears to heighten the risk of heart-related problems. Cannabis is known to increase heart rate and blood pressure, although high doses can have the opposite effect. Marijuana use has been implicated in causing heart attacks, atrial fibrillation, stress cardiomyopathy, and arteritis.
Major league baseball players have team cardiologists to diagnose and treat common cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. Distinguishing normal exercise-induced cardiac remodeling (which may cause the heart’s main pumping chamber to enlarge) from certain inherited or acquired heart diseases, known as cardiomyopathies, often requires a specialist.
Many foods traditionally eaten in China, such as vegetables, tofu, and seafood, are all linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So are the unsaturated oils (such as canola, soy, or peanut oil) frequently used to prepare Chinese dishes. But some Chinese cooking staples like soy sauce and other savory sauces (black bean, hoisin, and oyster) are quite high in sodium, which can raise blood pressure. At restaurants, people should request no monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer that also contains sodium. For home cooking, people can buy soy sauce with 37% less sodium, which is marketed as “less sodium soy sauce.
Ringworm is a common, contagious skin infection caused by a fungus. Children can get it from other people who have it or from an infected animal. While it can be itchy and unpleasant, ringworm is usually harmless.
If you work out at a gym, you may notice warnings on the exercise equipment. For most of us, these warnings should not be cause for alarm, although people with certain health conditions should be cautious about exercising.
As devices become more pervasive, and as many children become more scheduled with lessons and organized activities, making time for device-free play can be a challenge. Here's why it's important prioritize free play in a child's life.
High temperatures stress the body, leading to thousands of heat-related illnesses and deaths every year in the US. Learn when hot weather becomes dangerous and how to create your own hot weather safety plan.
Learn to manage your triglyceride levels to avoid having a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.