Decades ago in the 70’s and 80’s there was a flurry of articles published in major medical journals that implicated coffee drinking as a risk factor for heart attacks. It was reported that the risk was related to the amount of coffee consumed: the more coffee, the higher the risk. But as research techniques improved,…
Coronary Artery Disease Overview
According to the World Health Organization, coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Check out some interesting statistics about this killer and causes in the info-graphic below.
PVC Heart Beats – Are They Dangerous?
PVC’s are common. Some people are troubled by just a few PVC’s where as others may have a PVC heart beat almost every other beat and not even notice it. Apart from being annoying to some (symptoms are sometimes described as heart flutter), are they of long-term significance? In this article we will look at…
Amlodipine Side Effects – What To Expect
The most likely reason to be started on amlodipine is for blood pressure control. It causes relaxation and dilation of the blood vessels leading to lowering of blood pressure. The other reason people are started on amlodipine is for control of chest pain in people with coronary artery disease, amlodipine is thought to achieve this…
Heart Blockage – Explained With Pictures!
Heart blockage is a term commonly used by patients referring to coronary artery disease, a build up of plaque causing narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. This heart blockage, if severe enough can prevent the muscle getting the blood it needs to function, especially at times when more blood flow…
Can Alcohol Make You Live Longer?
Many myths surround the consumption of alcohol, its effects on the heart and the question 'can alcohol make you live longer?'. One myth proposes that if some alcohol is good for the heart, more must be better. Another myth contends that the best way to protect the heart is to avoid alcohol altogether. Like all…
How To Survive A Heart Attack
To survive a heart attack you first must understand what is actually happening to the body when a heart attack occurs. What happens in a heart attack? A sudden rupture in an unstable area of a wall in an artery leads to buildup of clot with often-total blockage of the artery. This cuts off the blood…
Did That Stent Save My Life?
Pretty much everyone knows someone who has had a stent placed in his or her heart. The story told by the patient with the stents is classic. The chest pains had been coming and going for a while, but they had been passed off as indigestion or muscle pain. Tests were done, and showed that…
The 35-45 year old health check – (Part III) – The Physical Examination
By Murtaza Ahmed MD So hopefully before reading this you have already read Part I and Part II and understand why it is so important that you have a health check and what kind of things should have been focused on in the history. Only after a good thorough history has been taken should…
The 35-45 Year-Old Health Check – (Part 1) – Why is it so important?
By Murtaza Ahmed MD As I mentioned in my previous post, the obesity epidemic, one of the most common presentations of the 35-45 year old patient is for a ‘general health check’. There is something about this age that makes people conscious that there may be aspects of their health that require attention. The…
