Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common cardiovascular condition across the globe. It is believed to affect as much as 20% of the world’s adult population and the prevalence may be much higher since hypertension often remains undiagnosed for long periods of time. High blood pressure is often termed the >> Read More ...
What Is Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)? Sudden cardiac death is an unexpected death due to cardiac causes occurring within 1 hour of symptom onset in a person in whom no previously life threatening heart condition was diagnosed. Typical SCD victim is an adult, collapsing without obvious reason during regular activity and dying >> Read More ...
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common cardiovascular problem globally. You may have it for years or even decades before it kills you. That is the truth high blood pressure – it is deadly. In rare instances it can even kill you within weeks or months. But how does high blood pressure kill ? And how >> Read More ...
Most of us think that we will be able to spot a heart attack when we see one. The typical image of a person clutching their chest, gasping for air and falling to the ground is the way we have seen heart attacks portrayed time and again in the media. Pretty easy to spot even if you have absolutely no medical training. But >> Read More ...
Heart Attack but No Symptoms We all think of a heart attack presenting in a typical manner – the crushing chest pain, severe shortness of breath, dizziness and excessive sweating. These symptoms arise suddenly and are unmistakably due to a heart attack. The first warning signs can help us seek emergency medical >> Read More ...
What is holiday heart syndrome? Holiday heart syndrome is a term coined by a cardiologist, Philip Ettinger, M.D. to describe a cardiac condition associated mainly with excessive alcohol consumption coupled with overeating and possibly a lack of sleep. Despite the term, it does not not only occur on holidays although it is >> Read More ...
Myocardial Ischemia Definition Myocardial ischemia is injury to the heart muscle as a result of diminished or interrupted blood supply to the heart wall. The condition needs to be differentiated from myocardial infarction (heart attack). In myocardial ischemia the heart muscle undergoes injury due to an insufficient oxygen >> Read More ...
Cocaine and the Heart Cocaine is a potent illicit stimulant produced from the leaves of the coca plant. It is widely used in the powder form which is inhaled or in the chunky form which is smoked (crack cocaine). Cocaine is often mixed with other substances to ‘cut’ the pure drug, thereby diluting it. Sometimes >> Read More ...
What is aortic regurgitation? Aortic regurgitation is a condition where blood flows backward back from the aorta into the heart when the ventricles relax. Backward flow (regurgitation) is prevented by the aortic valve. In other words it ensures blood only flows in one direction – from the left ventricle into the >> Read More ...
Brugada Syndrome Definition Brugada syndrome is an inherited life-threatening condition where there is a disorder with the heart rhythm that leads to sudden death. The condition is characterized by a distinct abnormal heartbeat known as Brugada sign which can be detected on an electrocardiogram (ECG). Brugada syndrome >> Read More ...
