The term cardiomegaly usually refers to an enlarged heart as seen on imaging tests, usually the chest X-ray. The heart is composed of four chambers, and an enlargement of any of the chambers can result in cardiomegaly. A patient with an irregular heartbeat, such as atrial fibrillation, can have a severe enlargement of the heart's…
COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease
Originally published April 9, 2020, on observatoireprevention.org OVERVIEWPeople with cardiovascular disease are more likely to develop the more severe forms of COVID-19, which significantly increases the mortality rate of this disease.In addition to being an important risk factor for COVID-19, cardiovascular disease can also be a consequence of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection.Patients with severe COVID-19 frequently…
What Causes High Blood Pressure? – Explained By A Cardiologist
What Causes High Blood Pressure? High blood pressure may be caused by a number of factors that include environmental exposures, genetics, lifestyle factors, activity levels, medications both prescribed and non prescribed and a number of medical conditions. What Causes High Blood Pressure – Our Exposures When we think about what causes high blood pressure, a…
UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION INCLUDING HYPERTENSION EMERGENCIES
Uncontrolled hypertension and hypertension emergencies are a powerful risk factor for future cardiac and non-cardiac events. Hypertension affects almost 1/3 of adults and over 1 billion people globally. Hypertension prevalence increases with aging of the population affecting over 50% of people over 60-years old. The new guidelines identified ideal blood pressure, even among the…
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. Normal blood pressure is when the systolic blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg and the diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 mm Hg. Hypertension is defined as a consistent elevation of blood pressure. Blood pressure is considered elevated when…
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!
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…
Hypertension
Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is the condition where one or both of your blood pressure values are elevated. When looking at your blood pressure recording you will notice two numbers. The top and bottom numbers of your blood pressure measurement are called the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure respectively. For years,…
