About half of the deaths associated with a heart attack occurs within the first hour and these patients never reach the hospital. Not every myocardial infarction (heart attack) is fatal and the advances made in modern medicine has drastically reduced the mortality associated with a myocardial infarction. However, there is >> Read More ...
The heart muscle, known as the myocardium, constitutes the bulk of the heart wall. It is responsible for the pumping action of the heart which serves to distribute blood throughout the body. The heart is functioning throughout life, although its activity may increase or decrease during different periods of cardiac demand. >> Read More ...
There are several types of drugs to treat hypertension and the use of each is dependent on the severity, duration and type of hypertension. Other underlying diseases also have to be taken into account when prescribing the most appropriate antihypertensive drug, even if the condition is not directly contributing to the >> Read More ...
Hypertension is the elevated pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. A sustained arterial pressure of 140/90 mm Hg (systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg) or more is conventionally considered to be hypertension. It is the most common cardiovascular disease in the >> Read More ...
The hearts has its own electrical system to control the rate and rhythm of the heart beat. Impulses are generated in the sinoatrial node (SA node) and immediately cause the muscles of the atria to contract. This pushes blood into the ventricles. The impulse travels along the internodal pathways to the atrioventricular node >> Read More ...
The heart has thick walls mainly composed of muscle in order for it to maintain its functioning of pumping blood throughout the body. This muscular layer is known as the myocardium and surrounded by the inner lining (endocardium) and outer layers (epicardium). The heart is working throughout life, contracting and relaxing, >> Read More ...
A throat infection is one of the most common upper respiratory tract conditions affecting every person at some point in life. The most common pathogens are viruses and then bacteria. Among the different types of bacteria, it is the group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes) that are more commonly involved in a sore >> Read More ...
The immune system has several mechanisms to neutralize invading microorganisms, limit the damage to the body and totally eradicate the infection. This immune response is a carefully coordinated sequence of events that ensures that the invaders are specifically targeted and the body’s tissues are spared. However, >> Read More ...
The heart valves are important structures in the heart and at its junction with the major arteries. By opening and closing at different stages of heart contraction, these valves ensure that blood flows in one direction through the heart. There are four main valves in the heart and blood vessels – one between the >> Read More ...
Hypertension is a blood pressure measuring 140/90 mmHg or greater most of the time. Blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day but normally does exceed levels above 130/80 mmHg except in acute stress or shock. A normal blood pressure may even drop as low as 100/60 mmHg during relaxed periods and sleep. With hypertension >> Read More ...
