Patients (News) articles

The more time a person spends watching TV, the worse their vascular functions become.

The more time a person spends watching TV, the worse their vascular functions become.

There is a connection between the number of hours a person spends watching TV and his/her cardiovascular health. The results of this study, which were recently published in the American Journal of Hypertension, are taken from the work on healthy lifestyles collected from six primary care centers in Barcelona, Zaragoza, Cuenca, Bilbao, Valladolid and Salamanca.

What is an angioplasty?

An angioplasty is a procedure performed to improve blood flow in the body’s arteries and veins. In an angioplasty procedure, imaging techniques are used to guide a balloon tipped catheter (a very thin tube) into an artery or a vein and advance it to where the vessel is blocked or narrowed. The balloon is then

What is the difference between a bypass and angioplasty?

We first need to emphasize that both procedures, angioplasty and bypass surgery, are suitable strategies for the treatment of coronary artery disease. In choosing the best alternative to treat their condition, patients usually consult with their physician.  Angioplasty is a procedure that uses endovascular techniques, that is to say, through guide wire crossing (what is

Aortic stenosis, patient guide

Aortic valve stenosis occurs when calcium deposits in the valve cause leaflets hardening. It is a degenerative process that gets worse as the person ages. As the disease develops, valve opening is narrowed, obstructing blood flow and forcing the heart to pump harder.  Aortic valve replacement is the standard treatment for severe aortic stenosis. Without

Erectile dysfunction is associated to cardiovascular disease

The risk of future cardiovascular disease and death increases with the severity of erectile dysfunction in men with and without a history of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in ‘Plos Medicine’. Severe erectile dysfunction directly correlates with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and hospitalization for all cause mortality. Men with no known history

What can we do to improve our cardiovascular health?

Among the things we do to take care of our health are: . Regular exercise: ideally, we should practice sports for 20 minutes, three days a week. Any activity serves well, as long as it adjusts to age, physical condition and cardiovascular situation. Regular exercise produces endorphins, which improve your mood and cause euphoria and

What is a Catheterization?

A catheterization is a procedure used to examine the condition of arteries in a specific organ of the body, for example, the arteries of the heart. To visualize vessels, an iodinated contrast dye is injected directly into the artery, which is reached from the peripheral access sites (a.k.a. thegroin, femoral access, traditionally preferred; the wrist,

Warning against cardiovascular risk of Diclofenac 

Diclofenac is the most popular of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) in 15 countries, according to studies, and it is listed as an essential medicine in 74 middle and high income countries, despite its association to heart attack and stroke in vulnerable patients, alerts a study published in PLoS Medicine manazine.  This risk, claim the authors,

Unemployment can affect cardiovascular health

Obesity, tobacco, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes, the main causes of more than 17 million deaths by infarction in the world, now add to this list loosing or working precarious jobs.  Though there is no significant research on this issue, Dr Mauricio Torres, specialized in occupational health and president of the Health Policies International Association,

Deaths by cardiovascular disease drop less than expected

Death caused by cardiovascular disease still strikes hard in Argentina. During the last decade, mortality rates from cardiovascular conditions, including infarction, stroke, hypertension and arrhythmia, dropped a mere 6%, according to the registry of vital statistics of de National Health Ministry. In the previous decade, this rate was lower: it had reduced 22%. This difference

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