heart disease
Findings Concerning the Connection of Diabetes and Dementia Could Aid with Early Detection
There are some studies that indicate a strong connection between diabetes and dementia. Learning more about this connection is step in the right direction. The sooner either of them is detected, the better a patient is going to respond to treatment options. Vascular disease is known to contribute to dementia as well as to diabetes. There is also the connection of plaque in the arteries being a factor that links the two of them.
According to experts at the Mayo clinic, samples of Amyloid Beta proteins show that diabetics often have small vessel problems. However, with the right treatment for diabetes the risk of dementia can be significantly reduced. If the diabetes is not controlled, then it means a higher risk of dementia occurring in the future.
When someone has dementia, they can have diminished capacity when it comes to memory and with their speech. They may also have heart disease and vascular health problems. They may suffer from small strokes that prevent oxygen from reaching the brain. The other risk is that they may develop high blood pressure.
When someone has vascular dementia, they are less likely to have the physical or mental capacity to care for their diabetes on their own. As a result of this, their overall health may suffer. There are so many different health problems that can occur when diabetes is out of control.
Confusion, loss of memory, wandering around without any direction, changes in movement, emotional changes that are inappropriate, problems with finances, and frequent loss of concentration can also indicate that someone is suffering from some level of dementia. It is very important to get treatment through a qualified medical professional as soon as possible.
Individuals with diabetes have to realize from the very start that they have the power to do everything to care for their own needs. Working with the doctor is essential but you have to take action too. For example eating right and taking medications are all essential in order to properly manage diabetes and to offset the development of dementia. Too often people are careless with diabetes until it results in serious health concerns but you should do all you can to avoid those types of consequences.
There is still plenty that has to be evaluated in terms of the connection between diabetes and dementia. However, the early research is a strong indication that the two are linked more so than we thought before. Being able to find out more about it is going to ensure people are able to live a better lifestyle even with diabetes. It can also be a great way to reduce the onset of dementia.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_101105.html
http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=10024
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/587909
We are Getting Better at Stopping Heart Attacks and Minimizing the Damage
What’s the number one killer in the United States? It’s not a gun or a car accident. A person’s own body causes the number one killer. It’s coronary heart disease leading to a heart attack. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities (ARIC) and Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), there are 1,255,000 new and recurring cases of heart attacks every year.
Coronary heart disease caused 425,425 deaths in 2006 alone. With more people being aware of the warning signs of a heart attack, such as uncomfortable pressure or squeezing in the center of the chest and pain spreading from the chest to shoulders, neck or arms, more people are reacting faster to these symptoms and getting the treatment they need quicker, according to a recent study.
The study found that doctors and patients alike were responding faster. People with warning signs of a heart attack were getting to the hospital faster, leading to doctors treating the patient quicker. Research shows that U.S. hospitals are responding faster but safer. Researchers in the study pored over data from 131,000 heart attack patients treated between January 2007 and June 2009. The data was taken from 250 hospitals in the United States. The study showed that the patients saw the symptoms and got to the hospital faster to receive treatment.
The data showed that patients reduced the time between the heart attack and getting to the hospital. Time was reduced from an average of 1.7 hours to 1.5 hours after the attack. Time is extremely important when it comes to getting to the hospital and the hospital personnel responding to the warning signs of heart attack.
The researchers also looked at data from two registry programs of the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s National Cardiovascular Date Registry. The study was published in the July 20th, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Data from the two programs showed improvements in various areas, such as the increase in using treatment to clear blocked blood vessels (90.8 to 93.8 percent) which cause heart attacks, the increase in patients who received angioplasty after being at the hospital for 90 minutes (64.5 to 88 percent), and the improvement of scores that measure the therapy the patients received (89.6 to 92.3 percent).
Other improvements the researchers found were the drop in hospital deaths in heart attack patients and improvement in prescribing needed medication to the patients. Medication included blood thinners, aspirin, anti-platelet drugs, statins, beta blockers, angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors, and angiotension-receptor blockers. All the medication improved upon is important before, during, and after the heart attack, surgery, and therapy.
The lead researcher, Dr. Matthew T. Roe, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, said, “Patients should be aware that we are trying to be on the leading edge of making rapid improvements in care and sustaining those. Patients should also be aware that the U.S. is on the leading front of cardiovascular care worldwide.”
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_100957.html
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4591
http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/patient-guide-44510-6_2.html
Why is Health Screening for Men Important?
A health screening for men is very important as there are numerous health concerns out there. With a screening, problems can be identified early and that intervention can make a huge difference. A man can also learn about what needs to be done in order to improve his overall health. It is never too late to make positive changes so that you can have a good quality of life down the road.
It is recommended that in addition to annual checkups, men over 40 years of age should be screened for various things. This includes heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, the risk that they may have for future health problems based on genetics and their lifestyle, and making sure that their entire medical history is documented.
High blood pressure screenings should be done every other year as long as the results are good. If you have a family history of it, though, you should be screened annually. Cholesterol levels should be checked every five years. If you are overweight or have a family history of high cholesterol, you should also be screened annually for this.
Colon cancer is common in males, so getting checked for it every five years is a good idea. Again, if you have a family history of cancer, you want to be screened for it every single year. Males over 50 should also have a prostate health screening completed. Since males can also be diagnosed with osteoporosis, those over 50 should also be screened for it every year or two.
Any male with kidney problems, diabetes, or heart disease needs to take part in all types of screenings annually. This is in addition to staying in close contact with their doctor. By doing so, the problems can be kept under control. When they are allowed to escalate, it can mean deteriorated health and serious symptoms to contend with.
Most health insurance companies do cover the cost of health screenings for men. They do so in order to help reduce the overall cost of medical care later on for those men. If your health insurance won’t cover screenings or you aren’t insured, there are other options. One of them is to go to a lower-priced clinic. They offer these health screenings on a sliding scale that is based on your income. There are also many free screenings, so find out when they may be offered in your community.
Men are encouraged to get a health screening annually. Sadly, more than half of them don’t. They only see a doctor when they are very ill and the symptoms have become too much to deal with. That is the wrong avenue to take, because it can allow serious health problems to affect someone. The technology we have today allows for early intervention to help reduce the effects of even serious health issues men may face.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007465.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007464.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007466.htm
Using a Family Health History to Keep Your Family Healthier Now and in Future Generations
It is important to know your family health history. You want that information as far back as you can get it. At the very least you need information from your parents, siblings, and both sets of grandparents. Based on that information, you can help to reduce your own risks of certain health issues.
By taking care of them successfully you can also help future family generations to be healthier. The technology we have today allows us to get quality care for most types of health problems. You can’t do anything about the genetics you have, so don’t worry too much about that. Rather, you can eat right, work with your doctor, exercise, and get routine screenings.
This information will help to lower your risk of the family disease occurring in your own life. Should it happen, though, you can find methods immediately to help you fight it. For example, early intervention for cancer or heart disease is very important. A woman who wants to have a baby may find out if her offspring could be at risk of certain birth defects that may run in the family.
One of the big issues is getting your family health history together. Many people are shy about talking about their health issues. They try to keep concerns to a minimum and only share what they have to. As an advocate for good health, though, you need to make them well aware of why the entire family needs to know about what has been going on.
If you were adopted, you should still strive to find out as much as you can about your family history. The importance of the facts you find can vary. It can depend on your own lifestyle habits as well as your environmental factors. Genetics are only one thing that can affect the health of an individual. Use that information as a tool to assist you with making good lifestyle choices.
Find out if anyone has had problems with arthritis, cancer, liver or kidney disease, heart attacks, strokes, and even mental health issues. You want to find out if there are fertility concerns, miscarriages, and even loss of memory such as Alzheimer’s Disease. There are other issues, too, such as blindness, numbing of the extremities, and even diabetes.
Always disclose as much information as you can to your doctor about your family health history. If you have members with cancer or heart disease or that smoke, it is very important for the doctor to know. Many people can also use this information in order to determine if their own offspring would be at risk of developing various types of health problems.
Living with Iron Storage Disease
Iron storage disease is more common than you might think. Yet it isn’t a health problem that we typically hear very much about. As a result, it can make you nervous to get a diagnosis that you are suffering with iron storage disease iron storage disease. Part of dealing with it though involves understanding what this health problem is and how you can control it. That information will put you in control and that can help to reduce anxiety. It can also help you to live a life that is as normal as possible.
You may be familiar with anemia which occurs when the blood doesn’t have enough iron in it. However, iron storage disease is the opposite. It happens when your body is actually storing too much iron. If you don’t take action to control it, your liver can be damaged, you can suffer from chronic abdominal pain, and you can even develop heart disease.
It is very important to find out how much iron you need. Many factors have to be considered including your age and your gender. If you eat too much food that is rich in iron, you can cause your body to have an adverse reaction. Taking vitamins and other supplements with large amounts of iron can actually create problems for you instead of improving your health.
Individuals that receive dialysis for their kidneys are at high risk of iron storage disease. Other people develop it after they have had several blood transfusions. There is also a genetic link too so if you have a family history of it, you should be extremely careful with iron that you consume.
Your doctor will likely do routine blood work when you go in for your annual checkup. That could reveal too much iron in your blood. Should you start to experience symptoms such as chronic fatigue, joint pain, recurring abdominal pain, shortness of breath, low libido, or changes in skin color, that can all indicate that consuming too much iron is the culprit. Talk to your doctor about the symptoms you have so that the proper blood work can be conducted.
If iron storage disease is the diagnosis, then you will be asked to continually monitor your intake of iron. This can be tricky at first but you will learn how to identify it in the foods you eat and any supplements you consume. You may be scheduled for phlebotomy sessions too that will remove the excess iron from your blood.
There is ongoing research going on involving iron storage disease. As a result, new information that comes to light often. It can be a good idea to sign up for newsletters and to gather other information about the problem from credible websites. Then you can always have the latest information at your fingertips relating to this health issue.
http://www.thirdage.com/blood-disorders/the-dangers-of-too-much-iron-0
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/hemochromatosis/
You Deserve to Understand the Risks of the Use of Radiation in Cardiac Screening
Before you agree to a cardiac screening, you need to find out about the risks relating to the radiation you will be exposed to during the procedure. With the number of individuals that have had some type of heart procedure done, this really is an issue that should be addressed. Many of these people are under the age of 65 too so it isn’t just the elderly that are being exposed to such radiation.
With heart disease being the number one cause of death for both males and females, you can bet the number of cardiac screenings will continue to rise too. Yet that doesn’t mean you should have to subject yourself to harmful radiation along the way. Being well informed about what you or your loved one are in for is very important for any type of medical procedure.
Many experts believe that the low level of radiation exposure during a cardiac screening will not seriously harm anyone. They remind us that in our daily lives we are continually exposed to levels of radiation. Radiation can be present in foods we consume and while performing various types of work.
They feel that the overall benefits that cardiac screening information can do for a patient more than justify the small exposure to radiation. These screenings can help to identify heart problems early on and reduce the overall damage to the heart. Not being effectively diagnosed with heart disease is something that is more serious than the radiation exposure used in such forms of testing.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now involved with conducting some unbiased testing about the levels of radiation and what that means for someone during a cardiac screening. In the meantime, this topic continues to be one that is highly debated. Many patients are afraid to undergo such a screening for fear of such exposure. The goal of the FDA is to offer quality information about the risks.
They have stated that if they find that there are adverse effects from the radiation exposure, then changes will have to be made. There will have to be concessions made in order to make these procedures safer. They aren’t denying that cardiac screenings are helpful but they do want to share all of the information with patients.
While you may benefit from a cardiac screening, you need to be well informed about what is taking place. The problem is that right now there isn’t enough information to decide if those levels of radiation during the exposure are enough to create health concerns or not. You will have to make up your own mind if you are willing to take that chance or not. But being informed is the best first step.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_100897.html
The Connection between Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that disturbs 9 percent of women and 24 percent of men. It occurs when a person’s breathing frequently stops and starts while sleeping. A person who suffers from sleep apnea usually experiences pauses in breathing while sleeping that last around 10 to 20 seconds. This incident can happen countless times during one night, causing a person to struggle for breath while sleeping.
If untreated, sleep apnea can endanger your health. Recent studies have confirmed a possible link between heart disease and sleep apnea, particularly in men who are middle-aged or older. According to Daniel J. Gottlieb, M.D., M.P.H., it is believed that “obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that warrants medical treatment.”
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. OSA happens when the throat’s airway is blocked by collapsed soft tissue that is in the back of the throat.
Sleep apnea can cause loud snoring, and it may trigger you to wake up choking during the night or to wake up gasping for breath. You may experience other symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, moodiness, poor concentration, or other indicators such as a dry mouth or sore throat after you wake up.
Research found in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association affirmed a connection between OSA and the increased chance of heart failure and coronary heart disease for men who were middle-aged and older. Researchers found that men who had severe OSA and were between the ages of 40 to 70 ran a 68 percent higher risk of experiencing coronary heart disease. In contrast, no connection was found regarding heart problems and women who suffered from OSA.
Sleep apnea is treatable, but it often goes undiagnosed for years. Treatment can vary from simple lifestyle changes to oral appliances to surgery, depending on the severity of your sleep apnea.
Lifestyle changes can help minimize mild cases of sleep apnea. If you lose weight and quit smoking, or if you avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and caffeine before bedtime, these steps can help you counteract sleep apnea’s negative effects. Also, home remedies such as opening your nasal passages with saline spray, or breathing strips, and elevating your body from the waist up sometimes helps treat sleep apnea.
For moderate to severe cases of sleep apnea, different treatments are available. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most prevalent treatment used. CPAP is a machine that sends air into the breathing passages via a mask which is worn while sleeping in order to keep your breathing passages open. Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BPAP) is another device that delivers air and acclimates to the changing pressure as you breathe.
Oral appliances are easier to use than CPAP, but they are less effective. These appliances open your throat and bring your tongue or jaw forward.
Dental devices can also help relieve sleep apnea symptoms, and they can be obtained from your dentist. These appliances, such as a tongue retaining device or a mandibular repositioning device, help with cases of mild to moderate sleep apnea. This type of treatment may, however, cause negative side effects such as soreness or saliva build-up. See your dentist for proper fitting and regular checkups if you decide to use a dental device.
Surgery is available for severe cases of sleep apnea. The goal is to eliminate the extra tissue in your throat or nose that is blocking your airway, and thus reduce your snoring and sleep apnea.
Various types of surgery exist, such as nasal surgery to eliminate polyps or surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids. Maxillomandibular advancement and tracheostomy are two other surgical procedures available. Lasers can also be utilized to target and remove the tissue found in the back part of the throat. This procedure is called a laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty. Surgery does, however, increase the risk of infection or complications.
Sleep apnea is a dangerous, but it is a treatable sleeping disorder that should be addressed as soon as possible. Since research has highlighted potential health dangers of sleep apnea and heart problems, it is imperative to consider lifestyle changes or to see a doctor or sleep specialist for help. Do not lose one more night of sleep. Trade in sleep apnea, and sleep all night.
http://www.newsroom.heart.org/index.php?s=43&item=1077
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep-apnea/DS00148/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_apnea.htm
Clues to Diagnosing Kidney Disease May All be in the Heart
Kidney disease is a very serious type of health problem due to the fact that the kidneys have a huge responsibility. The kidneys have to remove the various wastes and toxins from the body. When they don’t work like they should, it contributes to an array of very serious health problems. Many studies show that the heart may be the ticket to early diagnosis of kidney disease.
That is very important, because the sooner kidney disease can be identified, the faster treatment can begin. This will prevent the disease from progressing to more serious stages later on. There are studies that show that the actual heartbeat of someone can be an indicator of their risk of kidney disease. Those with a faster heartbeat seem to have a higher rate of problems with their kidneys.
When your kidneys don’t work like they should, you can develop serious health problems including high blood pressure, too much acid in the body, high cholesterol, and even heart disease. You should do all you can to reduce the chances of that occurring. If you are concerned about or are at risk for kidney disease, it is a good idea to ask your doctor to perform various tests to see what your heart rate is and to determine the level of potential of kidney disease in your health profile.
If you have a family history of kidney disease, it is even more important that you get early intervention. Talking to your doctor beforehand can be a valuable means of preventing kidney disease. You may want to talk to a specialist, too, as some doctors focus only on the heart. They know what it should sound like, what a normal heart rate should be, and even how you should go about attempting to reduce your overall resting heartbeat rate.
The use of such testing to determine kidney disease is fairly new. However, it involves the processes of the autonomic system. New technology has allowed us to explore this system in great detail. As a result, we have information about the heart and the link to kidney disease that we didn’t have before.
Being able to predict future kidney problems may be a way for many patients to have a better overall life, as the function of their kidneys may be able to be saved from permanent damage.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_100852.html
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/chronic_kidney_disease/article_em.htm
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=listening-to-the-heart-heartbeat-ma-2010-07-08
Understanding Senior Incontinence is the First Step to Treatment and Help
As parents know, it takes a young child several attempts to become potty trained. Individuals getting older in age can also have trouble with bladder control but for different reasons. Senior citizens have already mastered their bladders but the muscle control of their elimination systems begin to fail and that is the cause of problems. Old age can cause various things to happen to a body. Common illnesses associated with an aging body and mind can be arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, osteoporosis, strokes, cancer, and heart disease. Although urinary incontinence can affect any age, it is also a common problem for senior citizens.
Understanding and admitting to having urinary incontinence is the first step toward getting treatment and help. Urinary incontinence happens when there is an accidental leakage of urine. Many people, men and women, young and old, suffer from this bladder malfunction. As you age, your body isn’t as strong or fast as it used to be. Urinary incontinence works the same way. As you age, the muscles that support your bladder are not as strong so you are not able to hold urine as long as you used to. One minute you may find yourself fine and then the next minute have the unmistakable feeling that your bladder is not going to be able to hold your need to eliminate.
Admitting to these symptoms of urinary incontinence may be hard for you, but you are not alone. 25 million people in the United States are going through exactly what you are going though. Of that 25 million, about 75 to 80 percent of those people are women suffering from the same problems as you are. Senior incontinence is likely to occur in 5 to 15 percent in men over the age of 60. The reason that women are more than 4 times more likely to have bladder problems is because of the toll pregnancy and childbirth takes on the body.
A specific form of senior incontinence is an overactive bladder (OAB). Nearly 34 to 35 million people have to deal with OAB. About 3 or 4 million have accidents associated with the disorder. They can’t make it to the bathroom in time. This is because they experience a sudden urge to go. They will find themselves having to run to the bathroom more than their families and friends.
It is important that you seek medical assistance when you can’t control your bladder. Don’t wait for your body to fix the problem like it would in fighting the flu or a cold. This isn’t a virus. Your doctor can work with you. Understanding senior incontinence is an important step. You need to know and understand that you aren’t alone. There are different types of medications and therapies that can be done to help with senior incontinence. It could be as simple as taking a pill every morning or changing your diet to lose a little weight. Your doctor can’t help you fight senior incontinence, however, until you first decide that you don’t want to continue dealing with it alone.
The Link Between Anxiety Disorders and Heart Disease
Anxiety disorders affect more people than most of us think. In society, though, anxiety disorders are commonly misunderstood. As a result, many people try to hide them. They don’t go out socially and their personal relationships suffer. It is important to get help for anxiety disorders, though, so you can enjoy life to the fullest. You don’t want to miss out on great activities due to anxiety.
There is another reason why you should get the problem under control as well. It has to do with the fact that studies show a link between anxiety disorders and heart disease. Anyone that has an anxiety disorder may also be at an increased the risk of a heart attack or stroke occurring. With heart disease being the number one cause of death in the United States, it is important to address such issues as early as possible.
This information is based on a large study involving 1,000 individuals. The study lasted for 5 ½ years and during that time more than 350 of the participants suffered from a heart attack or some other health problem that caused damage to the heart. There is a great deal of stress on the heart during an anxiety attack and that is where the risk is coming from. The more anxiety attacks that a person has and the longer they last, the higher the risk of permanent damage to the heart.
When anxiety disorders also cause symptoms of depression, there is also additional stress on the heart. When problems of anxiety are combined with other serious health problems, such as diabetes, it can be very serious due to the way in which the nerves that go to the heart are affected adversely. The way in which this all occurs is very complex and there is still a lot of research that has to be done. Still, there is enough information that has been uncovered to explain just how important the link between anxiety disorders and heart disease can be.
Taking steps to treat depression and to alleviate anxiety disorders is very important. There are breathing techniques that you can learn that can help when an anxiety attack is coming on. Therapy to help alter behavior has been very successful as a form of treatment. However, these types of solutions to anxiety problems seem to work best when the patient is also taking some form of medication to assist with reducing anxiety disorders.
It is believed that there is definitely a link between anxiety disorders and heart disease. The risk can increase as much as 75% which is dangerously high. For those individuals with a family history of heart disease, that percentage can be even higher. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, you definitely need to schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss the related risk to your heart.
Don’t be afraid to explain the symptoms you are having, their severity, and their frequency. The more accurate information they have, the easier it will be for them to assist you. Be willing to try a combination of different forms of treatment so that you can keep your heart as healthy as possible. Offsetting heart disease can add many more years to your life.