Cardiogenic Shock

April 20, 2007 · Filed Under Heart Health · Comment 

The definition of cardiogenic shock is “a diseased state where the heart is damaged enough so that it is unable to supply sufficient blood to the body.” Sometimes simply referred to as “shock”, this takes place when the heart for whatever reason is not capable of pumping enough blood to the rest of the body to fulfill its needs.

Cardiogenic shock can be caused by a variety of disorders of the heart valves, the heart muscles, or sometimes even the electrical conduction system of the heart. There are some other heart disorders that are closely related to cardiogenic shock including heart failure, heart attack, the rupture of the heart, cardiomyopathy, heart valve disorders (in particular, when there are leaky valves in the heart) and abnormal heart rhythms.

Cardiogenic shock can be accompanied by a number of symptoms and while some patients only suffer a few of these others may suffer many.

Symptoms can include a weak pulse (sometimes referred to as thready),a rapid pulse, rapid breathing , anxiety or extreme nervousness, skin that feels cool to the touch and a decreased mental status. Other symptoms include feelings of fatigue, lethargy or general weakness of the body, loss of alertness, loss of the ability to think clearly and concentrate, feelings of restlessness, confusion and agitation, skin that has turned very pale or mottled, moist skin and a tremendous amount of sweating and little if any urine output. Some patients suffering from cardiogenic shock can very easily slip into a coma.

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Angina Symptoms

April 20, 2007 · Filed Under Heart Health · Comment 

While a great number of people are familiar with heart disease and the fact that it affects a vast cross-section of the population, comparatively few people know about the symptom known as angina. Angina can be agonizingly painful and in this article, we’ll be speaking about angina and letting you know how to identify the symptoms as well as telling you what you can do to lessen the impact.

In order for you to understand what angina is, you should first learn to be able to recognize the symptoms.

Most patients who experience angina say that the symptoms feel like pressure that is present within the chest. Sometimes there is pain in the neck and arms in addition to the pain in the chest. This pain most often occurs when the patient with heart disease is engaged in some kind of physical activity, which can activate the angina. Something else that can also happen during a bout of angina is shortness of breath.

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Statistics About Heart Disease

April 20, 2007 · Filed Under Heart Health · Comment 

Heart disease is a huge problem that is responsible for millions of deaths throughout the world. This deadly killer disease can strike anyone. In this article, we’ll go over some statistics about heart disease so that you can better understand the problem that it represents in society as we know it today.

Heart disease is without doubt one of the biggest problems ever faced by modern industrialized nations such as America. In the United States alone, one person dies as a result of heart disease approximately once every thirty four seconds. Heart attacks, one of the main reasons that people die from heart disease, occur in the United States once every twenty seconds. That’s 3 a minute or 180 an hour

Although both men and women are susceptible to heart attacks, research studies have shown that the risk of having a heart attack reaches men at a much earlier age than it does women. Current estimates place a man’s likelihood of having a heart attack at roughly ten years before the risk manifests in women.

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Heart Disease Questions And Answers

April 19, 2007 · Filed Under Heart Health · Comment 

Heart disease strikes a great many people throughout their lifetime, and it is a problem that can be deadly if not caught early and properly treated. There are many questions surrounding this often deadly ailment, so in this article, we’ll do our best to answer a few of the most common questions that you may have regarding heart disease.

Question: Is heart disease a problem that is determined by heredity?

Answer: Unfortunately, numerous studies have shown that heart disease is indeed passable through a family’s genetics. High blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol are all problems that can be hereditary in nature and having any of these conditions puts you at a much higher likelihood of developing a case of heart disease.

The good news is that although our genetics can place us at a higher risk for developing heart disease, there are many different lifestyle choices that you can make that will lessen your chances of developing heart disease. By maintaining a healthy diet, abstaining from tobacco and alcohol, and participating in a regular exercise program, you can keep your heart healthy and your health sound.

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What Is Heart Failure

April 19, 2007 · Filed Under Heart Health · Comment 

Heart failure is quite often referred to as congestive heart failure which is frequently abbreviated to CHF. If it is not treated immediately, heart failure can prove to be fatal. In this situation the heart has completely lost the ability to pump blood throughout the body. This condition is one in which time is of the essence and immediate medical assistance should be sought.

Heart failure is a chronic as well as a long-term heart condition. However having said that there are some rare cases where it can just begin out of the blue.

Heart failure can sometimes affect both sides of the heart or else it can affect just the right side or just the left side. Once the heart loses its ability to pump blood throughout the human body, blood will begin to back up into other organs of the body such as the lungs (which is known as left-sided heart failure), the liver or sometimes the gastrointestinal tract as well as the legs and arms (which is referred to as right-sided heart failure). When heart failure takes place, both oxygen supply as well as nutrients to organs are cut off and this can cause damage to occur very rapidly. If both sides of the heart are failing this can mean that the entire body, including the brain will be affected in harmful ways.

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