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- What can you tell me about chest pain?
Chest pain or angina is a feeling of pain, tightness, burning or pressure in your chest and may be an indication that you have heart disease. Angina is not only felt in the chest but may also be felt in your jaw, left arm, neck and teeth. Angina can occur when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen because of a narrowing of one of the coronary arteries. Angina usually develops during physical exertion or emotional stress. If you experience symptoms of angina, contact your doctor immediately. Prompt attention to angina can prevent you from having a heart attack. Your physician may prescribe drugs that can reduce your heart's demand for oxygen or cause your arteries to relax or widen.
If you are experiencing chest pain call 911 immediately.
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- I have been told that I have a heart murmur. Is this something that I should be concerned about.?
A murmur is a soft blowing or rasping sound heard by the physician with his stethoscope over your heart. It results from vibrations produced by movement of the blood within the heart and adjacent large blood vessels. A blowing sound is heard if the heart valve does not close tightly. A murmur may represent a heart valve problem. Most heart murmurs are not serious and just need to be watched by your family doctor. If you notice other symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue or palpitations with your heart murmur, you will want to see your family doctor right away.
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- What is that pain in my legs that I sometimes get and what can I do about it.?
Some people experience pain and fatigue in the calves of their legs or in their buttocks. This may be due to peripheral artery disease. This condition reduces the blood flow to your lower body. This will cause your muscles to cramp during activity. As this disease process worsens, walking short distances may become painful. This pain is usually relieved with rest - only to return when you move again. This may be your first warning sign of peripheral artery disease.
Risk factors are certain physical traits and unhealthy habits that increase your chances of developing this disease. Some of the risk factors that increase your chances of developing peripheral artery disease are smoking, eating foods high in fat, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Your doctor may determine that you need to have some tests that can determine the severity of your disease. Depending on the extent of the disease, medical procedures or possibly surgery may be needed to improve blood flow.
Reducing your risk factors and getting regular exercise can help both before and after treatment.
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- I read recently that patients with heart disease are more likely to develop dementia. How can I prevent dementia as I age?
You are correct that patients with heart disease are at greater risk of developing cognitive dysfunction such as dementia as they get older. In part, the reason is that many of the risk factors associated with heart disease may lead to cognitive decline as well. For example, elevated blood pressure - a cardiac risk factor - can contribute to gradual impairment of mental processes involved in memory comprehension, and judgment. One reason is the occurrence of multiple silent strokes, over years, in patients with hypertension.
An elevated cholesterol level has also increasingly been linked to dementia. Recent reports have suggested but not conclusively proved that the use of statins, commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, may decrease the occurrence of dementia.
Source: The Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor. Vol. 5/ Number 9 - September 2002.
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- Lately I've noticed that my feet start to swell in the afternoon. It doesn't matter if I've been doing my regular walking exercise or not. What may be causing it?
Swelling of the feet (edema) has many causes. Feet swell up from standing too long, poor circulation, fluid retention from pregnancy or a diet high in salt, or a local injury. Other causes can include medications, such as corticosteroids or male hormones (androgens), as well as cirrhosis of the liver, protein deficiency, kidney infection, heart failure, or kidney failure. You need to make an appointment with your physician to find the cause of the problem and an appropriate treatment.
Source: Weill Medical College of Cornell University Food & Fitness Advisor. Vol. 8 / Number 1 - January 2003
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- What are the health risks of drinking four to five cups of coffee a day?
Coffee drinking has been studied to see whether it raises the risk of cancer or heart disease, and so far there is no firm link. But coffee is a potent stimulant, and drinking too much or drinking it at night can cause insomnia or restless sleep. During the day, excessive consumption may bring nervousness, irritability, or tremors. And if you're used to drinking coffee but skip a day, you are likely to develop a withdrawal headache. If you are prone to heartburn, coffee can aggravate it. Coffee is also a mild diuretic, so it can cause increased urination - not a good thing if you already suffer from urinary urgency or incontinence. Finally, although moderate coffee drinking can speed up your heart rate, studies have not shown it to clearly worsen atrial fibrillation or other heart rhythm abnormalities. The answer is "drink in moderation." Two or three cups of coffee a day is a reasonable amount. Four or five cups a day seems borderline-high, and could have some adverse effects. Another option: drink decaffeinated brews.
Source: Mount Sinai School of Medicine Focus on Healthy Aging. Vol. 6 / Number 2 - February 2003.
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