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Heart Disease: Most Popular Articles

These articles are the most popular over the last month.
Increasing HDL
HDL cholesterol, or "good" cholesterol, appears to scour the walls of blood vessels, cleaning out excess cholesterol. It then carries that excess cholesterol -- which otherwise might have been used to make the "plaques" that cause coronary artery disease -- back to the liver for processing. So when we measure a person's HDL cholesterol level, we seem to be measuring how vigorously his or her blood vessels are being "scrubbed" free of cholesterol.
cardiac symptoms
common symptoms associated with heart disease
treating heart disease
articles on the treatment of heart disease
What is Heart Disease?
What is heart disease?
Women and heart disease
Two common misapprehensions are held by both women and their doctors: women don't really get much heart disease, and when they do, it behaves pretty much like the heart disease that men get. The real facts are that heart disease is the number one killer of women, and when women get heart disease it often acts quite differently than it does in men.
preventing heart disease
Preventing heart disease
Chest pain
Chest pain - its causes, and how it should be evaluated
bundle branch block
Bundle branch block - causes, significance, and treatment
PVCs
The evaluation and treatment of premature ventricular complexes, known as PVCs.
evaluating chest pain
how chest pain should be evaluated - how to tell if it's an emergency
Cholesterol and triglycerides
Evaluation and treatment of cholesterol and triglyceride
Red yeast rice
Red yeast rice for cholesterol
cardiac anatomy
A description of the heart's chambers and valves
Palpitations
When you're heartbeat feels unusually strong, or odd, it's known as a palpitation. Is it serious?
the MUGA scan
What the MUGA scan is used for in diagnosing heart disease
dysautonomia
The dysautonomias are serious medical disorders that are often missed, or dismissed
The statins
Statins are drugs that improve blood cholesterol levels. Their use results in a significant reduction in LDL "bad" cholesterol levels, and a moderate reduction in triglyceride levels, and an increase in levels of HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol).
metabolic syndrome x
Metabolic syndrome x is a constellation of common disorders that produce a high risk of cardiac disease
pacemakers
pacemakers - what they are and do, how they are implanted and followed, and complications
Symptoms in women
Cardiac symptoms in women are often different than in men
Trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids - what they are, where they are, and what they do to your heart
What Is "A Fib?"
Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders, especially among older adults. Learn how it develops, and how its treated, from an expert electrophysiologist.
Inappropriate sinus tachy
IST - inappropriate sinus tachycardia - what is it, and how is it treated?
amiodarone
The unique features of amiodarone
Diastolic Heart Failure
Diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure occur when the heart's ventricles become too stiff, leading to impaired filling of the ventricles with blood.
benign chest wall pain
benign chest wall pain as a cause of chest pain
The Electrocardiogram (ECG)
A description of the electrocardiogram, how it is performed, and what it shows
How Does the Heart Beat?
The cardiac electrical system controls the heart rate and coordinates the contraction of cardiac muscle.
Stress Test
A description of the stresss (or exercise) test
pericarditis
Pericarditis - its causes, diagnosis, and treatment
symptoms
Symptom checker - symptoms associated with heart disease
lung disorders
lung problems as a cause of chest pain
The Echocardiogram
A description of the echocardiogram and its uses
unstable angina
Unstable angina - what is it, and how should it be treated?
Ablating AF
Ablation is a procedure performed during an electrophysiology study or in the surgical suite, during which a patient's heart arrhythmia is mapped, localized, and then destroyed.
Heart failure
Cardiomyopathy and heart failure - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and prognosis
heart attack
How do you know you're having a heart attack?
Exercise and HDL
Duration of exercise correlates best with an increase in HDL cholesterol.
non cardiac syncope
Evaluating vaosmotor and vasovagal syncope
Common heart tests
A summary of the most common heart tests used in cardiology
Syncope
Evaluating cardiac syncope - First let's make sure you don't die
blood clotting
How the blood clots, and how to prevent abnormal clotting
exercise and the heart
Is an hour a day of exercise really necessary?
Anxiety or Panic disorder
anxiety disorder as a cause of chest pain
The MUGA scan in monitoring chemotherapy
The MUGA scan in monitoring breast cancer chemotherapy
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a common congenital heart disorder that causes several varieties of heart problems – not the least of which is sudden death.
Cardiac cath
What you need to know about heart catheterization and angiography
waist-to-hip ratio
Waist-to-hip ratio more important than obesity itself in predicting cardiac risk
Nonprescription cholesterol
Lowering cholesterol levels without prescription drugs
cardiac arrhythmias
Brief review of cardiac arrhythmias
Jaw pain
jaw pain
alcohol and the heart
Should doctors tell their patients about the benefits of alcohol?
conjugated linoleic acid - CLA
Conjugated linoleic acid - CLA - reduces weight and improves body composition
The electrophysiology study
the electrophysiology study
Stress and Heart Disease
Does stress really cause heart disease? Evidence shows that, while some kinds of stress are natural and healthy, other kinds of stress can promote heart disease
Assess your risk
You can assess your own risk for heart disease by answering a few simple questions
Thyroid and the heart
the cardiac effects of thyroid disease
mitral valve prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse - MVP - how it should be diagnosed and managed
Rimonabant for weight loss
Latest study confirms favorable effects of rimonabant Rio North America, but toxicity may be a problem
treating syncope
treatment of vasovagal syncope
Tilt Table Testing
tilt table testing for syncope
EECP
EECP for angina
diagnosing heart disease
tests commonly used to diagnose heart disease
Heart Rhythm Problems
A review of what you need to know about cardiac arrhythmias, or heart rhythm problems.
Holter Monitors and Event R...
the Holter monitor and event recorder in evaluating heart arrhythmias and palpitations
cardiomyopathy
Heart muscle problems - cardiomyopathy
treatment of hypertension
New treatment goals for hypertension
heartburn
heartburn as a cause of chest pain
aortic stenosis
aortic stenosis its causes and treatment
CRT for heart failure
Cardiac resynchronization therapy - CRT - for heart failure
palpitations and the Holter monitor
palpitations and the holter monitor
What is causing my chest pain?
What is causing my chest pain?
Plant sterols for cholesterol
Plant sterols for cholesterol lowering
Is digoxin dangerous for women?
Using digoxin in women with heart failure may increase the risk of death
Treating cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy and heart failure - treatment
angina
angina as a cause of chest pain
Patent foramen ovale
Patent foramen ovale - diagnosis or incidental finding?
sudden death after MI
Sudden death after heart attacks - the MADIT II study
Policosanol for cholesterol
Non-prescription cholesterol lowering - policosanol
Long QT syndrome
Long QT syndrome - torsades de pointes
Nuclear scans
Description of the nuclear perfusion studies - thallium and sestamibi
Treating AF
There are two basic approaches to the treatment of atrial fibrillation -- controlling the heart rate, or restoring a normal rhythm.
Diastolic HF Symptoms
While diastolic dysfunction often does not cause symptoms, diastolic heart failure causes extreme and often acute episodes of shortness of breath. Diagnosing diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure often presents a challenge.
Treating Diastolic Failure
Treating diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure mainly depends on treating underlying causes, such as hypertension and coronary artery disease.
bundle branch block
bundle branch block
Lightheadedness
Lightheadedness
Heart Failure Basics
The basics of heart failure and cardiomyopathy - causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
EBT - Ultrafast CT - scans
Are EBT - also called Ultrafast CT - scans worth the money and the heartache?
CRP guidelines
Guidelines for when to measure CRP levels
coronary artery spasm
Coronary artery spasm as a cause of chest pain
Prinzmetal's angina
Prinzemetal's angina is chest pain due to severe coronary artery spasm
CRP levels
CRP levels may be as predictive as cholesterol for cardiac risk
Chest pain, normal coronaries
Three conditions that produce anginal chest pain with "normal" coronary arteries
Cardiology 101 - the basics on heart disease and cardiology
Your resource for basic information on heart disease and cardiology
ejection fraction
Ejection fraction
Preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation
A new model - CHADS - helps to predict the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation
salt restriction
A new spin on the necessity of salt restriction for hypertension
transesophageal echocardiogram
The transesophageal echocardiogram
surviving a heart attack
How to prevent heart failure after a heart attack (myocardial infarction)
Causes of atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation can be caused by underlying heart disease, thyroid disease, lung disease, drugs and other ingested substances, or can have no clear cause.
how the heart works
How the heart works
LDL cholesterol guidelines
Expert panel recommends much lower target levels for LDL cholesterol
Cardiac syndrome x
Cardiac syndrome x - chest pain with normal coronary arteries
Restenosis
Restenosis remains a challenge after angioplasty and stenting
peptic ulcer
peptic ulcer as a cause of chest pain
When your CRP is high
Your CRP level is high - what should you do now?
pump head
Bypass surgery leaves some patients with permanent mental deficits
broken heart syndrome
Can you really die from a broken heart?
Irregular heart beat
irregular heart beat
cholesterol triglcyerides
Articles about cholesterol and triglycerides
coronary arteries
Normal coronary artery anatomy
The heart and how it works
A primer on the heart, heart valves, and cardiac chambers
PACs
PACs, or premature atrial complexes, are the most common heart arrhythmias.
Shrinking plaques
A new synthetic HDL shrinks coronary artery plaques.
Amiodarone Lung Toxicity
The most feared side effect of amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone) is pulmonary, or lung toxicity, which can be difficult to diagnose and treat, and which can be fatal.
Coronary calcium scores
The American Heart Association finally recommends coronary artery calcium scores by CT scans for some
Top 10 Heart Disease Articles (MVP)
Top 10 heart disease articles
Stent restenosis
Is it safe to stop Plavix for surgery after drug-coated stents?
Secondhand smoke
Effects of secondhand smoke are worse than previously thought
MVP - mitral valve propapse
mitral valve prolapse as a cause of chest pain
Women risk factors
Cardiac risk factors in women -- how they are different from risk factors in men.
C-reactive protein and fibrinogen - newer risk factors for coronary artery disease
C-reactive protein and fibrinogen - newer risk factors for coronary artery disease
Tachycardias
Tachycardias are fast heart rhythm disturbances. They are categorized as either the supraventricular tachycardias or ventricular tachycardia.
Risk factors in women
The risk factors for heart disease in women
Robotic heart surgery - a status report
an update on the status of robotic heart surgery
cardiac risk factors
The cardiac risk factors
melatonin for hypertension
melatonin may aid hypertension and sleep
Women minimize symptoms
Women minimize symptoms of heart disease, leading to suboptimal care
chest trauma
Chest trauma as a cause of chest pain
Weight gain
Weight gain
Rimonabant
Rimonabant helps with weight loss, lipids, and smoking cessation
How To Eat For a Healthy Heart
a simple how to on eating for a healthy heart , from your about.com guide
treatment of CAD
Articles about the treatment of coronary artery disease
When to measure CRP
The pros and cons of measuring CRP levels
metabolic syndrome, soda pop
A study has associated the consumption of soft drinks, even diet soft drinks, with metabolic syndrome -- what you need to know.
chocolate and health
Chocolate and cocoa may improve vascular health
Subclinical hypothyroidism
subclinical hypothyroidism increases cardiac risk
cardiac enzyme elevations
cardiac enzyme elevations
fish and mercury
Eating fish is heart healthy, but avoiding mercury toxicity requires knowing which fish are safe.
Viagra in heart disease
Viagra (sildenafil) can be used safely in most patients with heart disease
How to survive a heart attack
Surviving a heart attack and living with coronary artery disease
How To Prevent Heart Disease
a simple how to on preventing heart disease , from your about.com guide
low fats vs low carbs
Low fat diets vs low carbohydrate diets - is there common ground?
The Fish Controversy
The Institute of Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health have released reports on the risks and benefits of eating seafood, much to the dismay of environmental and consumer groups.
coronary artery disease
Brief summary of coronary artery disease
muscle cramps
Muscle cramps
Cardiac conditions in women
Cardiac conditions that are diagnosed as "anxiety"
South Beach Diet
Why the newest low-carb South Beach diet makes sense.
high risk for heart disease
What to do if you have high risk for heart disease
The treatment of vasovagal syncope
The treatment of syncope.
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