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Angina is not a disease in itself but a symptom of underlying cardiac problems. It is important for both patients and healthcare providers to recognise that angina acts as a warning sign of the heart’s distress. Typically manifesting during activities that increase the heart’s demand for oxygen, such as physical exertion or emotional stress, the anginal symptom indicates that the heart is not receiving enough oxygenated blood.
An article written by Dr Edward Leatham, Consultant Cardiologist Tags: Podcast, AFib, Bradycardia, NH1 search website using Tags to find related stories. Introduction Pulse rate or heart rate is a fundamental metric of heart health. It’s easily accessible—whether through feeling the […]
This post is not for the faint hearted! It is a technical description of how the heart works, and may help some readers/listeners to understand the difference between HFpEF and HFrEF. The main objective of this blog is to emphasise the enormous potential of reducing left ventricular stiffening as we age. This can only be accomplished by paying attention to key health metrics from mid life, all influenced by lifestyle, diet and physical exercise
A slow heart rate may not cause symptoms in many people. However, when bradycardia leads to insufficient blood flow, symptoms may arise. The causes of bradycardia are discussed and what constitutes a normal range. An associated podcast is available too.
In atrial fibrillation or AFib, the atrial tissue quivers at approximately 600 cycles per minute, which means that it has no useful pumping function. The left atrium therefore, in patients with atrial fibrillation, merely acts as a passive conduit between the lungs and the left ventricle. It no longer serves to prime the left ventricle, and as a result, less blood enters the heart during diastole, less 'priming' occurs so cardiac output may fall. If ever you have experienced a car's turbo charger going 'on the blink' you will know that the car still GOES, but not very well, since it too suffers loss of output. The left atrial pressure in many such cases will increase, causing oedema or fluid in the alveolar space, reducing gas exchange and contributing to the symptom of breathlessness.
Recent scientific discoveries have aligned much like planets, leading to an inescapable conclusion among many physicians that glucose metabolism may be even more important than LDL cholesterol in the genesis of many modern diseases.
An article by Dr Edward Leatham, Consultant Cardiologist. As cardiologists, our primary focus is often on diagnosing, treating, and managing cardiovascular diseases, which is essential to healthcare. However, heart health involves more than just addressing immediate conditions—it also includes promoting […]
Mammalian hearts, including humans, feature two atria - the left and the right. These chambers serve as reception areas, collecting blood before it's dispatched to the ventricles. This system bears a resemblance to a turbocharger in an engine, where the atria boost the heart's efficiency, preparing it for a powerful contraction.
There are two main reasons left atrial thrombus forms then detaches to cause embolic stroke. The first is that during atrial fibrillation or flutter, a thrombus may develop in the left atrial appendage, which does not move as much as it does when in sinus rhythm. The likelihood of this occurring in any given year is low, correlated to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. The second reason is not related to CHA2DS2-VASc score
When clots from the left atrial appendage dislodge, they can travel to various parts of the body, including the coronary artery, which receives about 5% of the blood from each heartbeat, or the cerebral arteries, accounting for approximately 20% of each cardiac cycle's output
As only 10% of patients with high blood pressure are 'salt sensitive' (meaning that the blood pressure fails to fall in 90% of hypertensives when salt intake is greatly reduced), it seems plausible that consuming high levels of sodium from a young age can “programme” the cardiovascular system to maintain higher blood pressure later in life.
Statins are a mind boggling biological 'ruse'. When this medication is taken orally, it causes liver cells to become deficient in essential cholesterol, so they respond by increasing the number of cell surface LDL receptors, thereby enhancing their capacity to extract LDL particles from the blood, significantly lowering circulating LDL levels. Statins remain the most effective and well-known way that doctors can lower LDL levels to prevent or treat coronary heart disease.