What is an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm? The aorta is the main blood vessel that leaves the heart and supplies the body with blood. The abdominal aorta is the aorta that starts below the chest and goes down to the hip area. Abdominal aortic aneurysm describes a disease process whereby the abdominal aorta dilates and becomes…
High Blood Pressure and Headache – Is There A Relationship?
High Blood Pressure and Headache – Is There A Relationship? Does high blood pressure cause headache? This has been the subject of much debate over the years and the subject of scientific investigation. In this article we will examine the evidence and see if there is an association between high blood pressure and headache. An…
Treatment of High Blood Pressure: When Medicines Don’t Work
The treatment of high blood pressure can be very challenging, especially when medicines don't work. Hypertension is defined as a consistent elevation of blood pressure. In the pre-hypertension stage, the systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or the diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89mmhg. In stage I, the systolic blood pressure is between…
Aortic Aneurysm – What You Need To Know
What Is An Aortic Aneurysm? Aortic aneurysm describes an aorta that is enlarged in size. If it becomes significantly large it can lead to catastrophic complications. The aorta is the large blood vessel that the heart pumps into via the aortic valve every time it beats. Incredibly the aorta pumps around 200,000,000 liters of blood around…
Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Pulmonary Endarterectomy
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is an uncommon disease but an important one for several reasons – it is substantially under recognized, it may result in progressive and disabling symptoms, the natural history is progression to death, but there is a highly effective operation (Pulmonary Endarterectomy) that may abolish symptoms and reverse the unfavorable natural…
Varicose Veins: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Varicose Veins are incredibly common and affect around 20% of the US population. In many people they are not just a cosmetic nuisance, but can lead to pain, ulcers and swelling and severely affect quality of life. Why Do Varicose Veins Happen? High Pressure In the Veins – This is known as venous hypertension, a…
Symptoms of Blood Clot in Leg
A blood clot in the leg is commonly known as a DVT, short for a deep venous thrombosis. In this article we will discuss symptoms of blood clot in leg. Common symptoms of a blood clot in your leg include leg pain, leg swelling, tenderness in the leg and leg cramping, although it is not…
Blood clot in lung: Should you worry?
Blood Clot In Lung – Known As Pulmonary Embolism The medical term for a blood clot in lung is Pulmonary Embolism. Pulmonary is the medical term for things related to the lung. Embolism here refers to the blood clot that has traveled and become stuck in the arteries of the lung. A blood clot in…
Pulmonary Embolism – The Killer Clot in the Lungs
What is a Pulmonary Embolism? A pulmonary embolism is the term for a clot trapped in the lung. It is often referred to simply as PE, which of course is short for pulmonary embolism. The clot that is trapped in the lung leads to blockage of blood flow and can be extremely dangerous if not…
Ideal Blood Pressure – What Do the New Guidelines Say?
Blood pressure is perhaps the most accurate “2 minute” health test that exists. However, what used to be considered a healthy diastolic or systolic count isn’t necessarily still the same. Get up to date with the most recent blood pressure guidelines released by the World Health Organization & Center for Disease Control. It’s information worth knowing!
