The heart is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body. It is about the size of your clenched fist and sits in centre of the chest cavity between your two lungs. Its walls are made up of muscle that can squeeze or pump blood out every time the heart “beats” or contracts. Fresh, oxygen-rich air
Alcohol and the heart
Alcohol is a drug that affects all parts of the body. It has important effects on the heart and influences your risk of developing heart disease. The bottom line: Long-term excessive drinking increases your risk of developing problems with your heart. Drinking within the daily unit guidelines is unlikely to cause damage and may
Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
What is a supraventricular tachycardia? Tachycardia means a fast heart rate. Supraventricular means coming from above the ventricle. During an episode of SVT, the heartbeat is not controlled by the SA node (the normal timer of the heart). Another part of the heart overrides this timer with faster impulses. The source or trigger of the
Prevention of Heart disease
While it is true that a significant percentage of coronary heart disease is genetically influenced, a large percentage of heart attacks are preventable, and are due to lifestyle factors and the influence of other diseases and conditions. Changing these lifestyle and disease factors has been shown time and again to make a significant difference to
Hypertension
Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated. This requires the heart to work harder than normal to circulate blood through the blood vessels. There are often no symptoms or signs of high blood pressure – you can have high blood pressure and
High Cholesterol Level (Hyperlipidemia)
Cholesterol is a fat (also called a lipid) that your body needs to work properly. Cholesterol levels that are too high can increase your chance of getting heart disease, stroke, and other problems. The medical term for high blood cholesterol is hyperlipidemia. There are many types of cholesterol. The ones talked about most are: Total
Atrial fibrillation (AF)
Atrial fibrillation (AF or A-fib) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal or irregular heart beat). The prevalence of AF in a population increases with age, with 8% of people over 80 having AF. Chronic AF leads to a small increase in the risk of death. AF is an important cause of stroke. A third