Hypothyrodism is a very common condition characterised by reduction in effective levels of a hormone called thyroxine. It is usually seen in women between the ages of 40-50 (but can be seen at any age) and is almost 10 x commoner in women than in men. It is estimated that about 1 in every 50 people you meet is overtly hypothyroid and it is estimated that there are many more people who are probably [...]
When the heart is significantly damaged for any reason, there is an increased risk that it can become irritable and go into a fast abnormal rhythm (ventricular tachycardia) which may make the heart so inefficient that it can no longer effectively function as a pump. This may happen out of the blue with no real warning even if the patient has been well. If left unchecked for even a few minut [...]
In simplistic terms, this is an inherited condition which is diagnosed by finding an abnormally muscular heart (ventricular hypertrophy) without an obvious cause to explain the increased muscularity. It is caused by mutations in the genes that encode components of the contractile apparatus of the heart and therefore the heart muscle itself is abnormal and this is why it looks thicker. One thing to [...]
Ecstasy or MDMA is a psychoactive stimulant which is used as an illicit recreational drug. It shares properties of both amphetamines and hallucinogens. It typically causes wakefulness, feelings of euphoria, emotional intimacy and empathic communication, sexual arousal and disinhibition. This is because it increases the amount of noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine in the body. Its half life of a [...]
This is a common type of ‘hole in the heart’ where there is a communication between the left and the right ventricle through the ventricular septum. VSDs may be congenital (meaning that the patient is born with it) or acquired (meaning that the patient develops it later on in life due to some damage to the heart) VSDs can be of various sizes and may be present in different locations within the v [...]
There is a perception within the public and many healthcare professionals that ingestion of caffeine may contribute to the development of heart rhythm disturbances and this leads to an almost universal recommendation in patients with heart palpitations to abstain from caffeine. In this blog, I wanted to explore the evidence or lack of to support this proposition. Caffeine is a stimulant and is fou [...]
1. Arrhythmia literally translated means absence of a normal heart rhythm. Actually the term dysrhythmia is much more accurate because this means disturbance of a normal heart rhythm 2. The heart is a pump and to beat most effectively it has to beat at a certain rate and with a certain rhythm and therefore any unsolicited disruption of this will lead to inefficiency of the heart as a pump and the [...]
BNP stands for Brain natiruretic peptide BNP is produced by the walls of the heart when the pressure in the heart goes up excessively. The most common cause for this is to happen is when the heart is damaged or weak. In this setting the heart struggles to push blood out with as much vigour and therefore the pressure within the heart increases, the walls stretch and BNP is produced BNP is the hea [...]
In the most simplistic sense cardiomyopathy means a diseased and weakened heart and no more than that. It is therefore never enough as a complete diagnosis. The nature of the cardiomyopathy needs to be described further Most cardiomyopathies are diagnosed and further stratified either on the basis of the visual appearance of the heart on some form of imaging modality or on the basis of an electri [...]
POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) is commoner than we think. 1 in 3 people with a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS) or ME also have POTS. Similarly a large number of patients with Fibromyalgia probably also have POTS. In my practice, I have the privilege of managing the treatment of about 150 patients with POTS . I have found that lifestyle and behaviour change recommendati [...]
SINUS ARRHYTHMIA Sinus rhythm means that the electrical impulses which regulate the heart rhythm are being produced in the pacemaker that god gives us all when we are born. This ‘pacemaker’ is otherwise called the Sino-atrial node and this is why this rhythm that is generated from the sinus node is called sinus rhythm. A nice analogy is to think of the sinus node as a drummer who beats th [...]
Patients with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (Afib) who are above the age of 65 or who have co-morbidities such as heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, vascular disease or previous strokes are believed to be at a higher risk of future strokes. There is overwhelming evidence that such patients should be started on lifelong stroke prevention medications. All currently prescribed stroke- [...]
Cocaine is purported to be the most potent stimulant of natural origin and is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant which is indigineous to the andean highlands of south america. It is a highly addictive and once someone uses it, it causes an irresistable craving in the user to use it again. Despite the ecstacy and euphoria, it never gives a feeling of satisfaction. Pure cocaine was first is [...]
The heart is a muscle and as with any muscle, when it has to work against a higher pressure over a prolonged period of time, it becomes more muscular. This increased muscle mass is seen as an increased thickness in the walls of the heart and is known as hypertrophy. Doctors sometimes erroneously refer to this as an enlarged heart. This is not true - the heart is not bigger but it is heavier; the w [...]
Vaping and the heart - e-cigarettes Very recently, there have been a large number of news reports alerting the public about possible dangers of vaping after 5 deaths and 450 possible causes of vape-related lung illnesses were reported across 33 states in the USA. Whilst it is unclear what the exact cause is, it is believed that chemicals like Vitamin-E acetate which are used to emulsify THC (tet [...]
Today I am going to talk about a really interesting blood test that detects weakness of the heart muscle (heart failure). This test is called BNP. BNP stands for brain natriuretic peptide and this test is already being used commonly in medical practice. Before I talk about this BNP, I wanted to start off by talking about heart failure. In heart failure, the fundamental problem is that the heart [...]
If there is one thing that causes a tonne of anxiety, it is the mention of high blood pressure. A common scenario, for example is that the patient goes to see his doctor for a routine visit or a completely unrelated complaint and the first thing the doctor or the practice nurse will do is measure the patient’s blood pressure. Then the doctor will shake his head, and say the words “your blood pres [...]
A lot of my work involves talking to and reassuring people who suffer from ectopic heart beats which seem to cause a great deal of anxiety and really seem to have a negative impact on quality of life. Most patients I have spoken to have already seen a doctor for their symptoms of ectopic beats and the doctor has told them that they are not dangerous but for many this reassurance is seldom enough. [...]
