Pulmonary Hypertension

Chest pain after COVID-19 may suggest possible complications that require treatment. A person should seek medical advice to receive a suitable diagnosis. Share on Pinterest Design by MNT; Photography by AsiaVision/Getty Images & Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images COVID-19 causes different symptoms in different people, including chest pain. Other symptoms may include: According to a 2021 study, around 2 in 10 people with acute COVID-19 report chest symptoms after recovering. This article explains the various causes of post-COVID-19 chest pain, the symptoms, and how to treat them. People who experience severe COVID-19 may feel a persistent ache in their chest muscles. Symptoms Post-COVID-19 muscular pain, or myalgia, can feel different for everyone who has it. It may be noticeable during or after COVID-19. Some people may feel it in one particular area of the chest, while for others, it is more widespread. Soreness upon touching the area is common, and specific movements such as ...

A device that uses ultrasound to calm overactive nerves in the kidneys may be able to help some people get their blood pressure under control. A study led by researchers at Columbia University and Université de Paris, France, has found that the device consistently reduced daytime ambulatory blood pressure by an average of 8.5 points among middle-aged people with hypertension. Doctors usually prescribe lifestyle changes, such as reducing salt intake or losing weight, and medications to lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Yet about one-third of hypertensive patients are unable to control their blood pressure despite these interventions. "Many patients in our clinical practice are just like the patients in our study, with uncontrolled blood pressure in the 150s despite some efforts," says Ajay Kirtane, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and co-leader of the study. Leaving blood pressure uncontrolled...

Hypertension means High Blood pressure. Normally, we measure blood pressure in the arm with a blood pressure instrument. If the reading is high, technically it is called Systemic Hypertension, or High Blood pressure in layman's terminology. Similar to this, there is a condition in which pressure in arteries travelling through lungs is very high. These arteries in the lung are called Pulmonary arteries , and high pressure in this field is known as Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) or simply Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). Why is it important to know about PAH? PAH is one of the important causes of poor quality of life and early death. Unlike Systemic Hypertension or high blood pressure, treatment options are limited. How does it affect a patient? It is important to understand normal blood flow through the heart and lungs. Impure blood from various parts of the body, through channels called veins, reaches the heart's upper-right-side chamber, known as Right Atrium (RA). From h...

Blood oxygen levels can be measured using several methods, some of which can be done from home. Pulse Oximetry Pulse oximetry is the most common test used to measure blood oxygen levels. The test uses a device called a pulse oximeter that clips onto a person's finger and emits light at two different wavelengths, infrared and red, which measure the oxygen saturation in the blood. The results of a pulse oximetry test provide an instant reading on the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream and other vital signs like your heart rate. However, false positives and false negatives are possible. Wearing nail polish, having a darker skin pigmentation, and moving while taking the test can all lead to less accurate results while using a pulse oximeter. Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) An arterial blood gas (ABG) test uses a blood sample from an artery or vein to measure blood oxygen levels. A venous blood gas (VBG) is a blood sample taken from a vein to measure blood oxygen levels, however th...

Researchers have tried for decades to use stem cells to restore a damaged heart. A new study shows they still haven't succeeded, but it offers the first glimmers of hope for heart disease, which is blamed for about 1 in 5 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 700,000 people a year. The trial, by the Texas Heart Institute, showed that a one-time treatment of cells didn't keep heart failure patients out of the hospital. But it dramatically reduced the risk of stroke or recurrent heart attack for the nearly three years of the study, particularly among people who also had high levels of inflammation. "At a year, the hearts were pumping stronger," said Dr. Emerson Perin, who led the research. While he will have to conduct another clinical trial before winning approval for his approach, he has a path forward, Perin said. "I now have the recipe," he said. "I know who I have to give (the cells) to, how I have to give th...

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A sore throat can stem from an infection, allergies, acid reflux, and other causes. Depending on the cause, home remedies may help soothe a sore throat. Some examples are lozenges, honey, and marshmallow root. A sore throat might feel scratchy or make it painful to swallow. This article explains some common causes of a sore throat, what people can do to ease it, and when to speak with a doctor. Causes of a sore throat include: According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), viruses are the most common cause of sore throats. A sore throat is usually nothing to worry about, but it can be uncomfortable. However, people can try the following remedies at home to help to ease discomfort. Lozenges are available over the counter (OTC) and can help to ease the symptoms of a sore throat. They dissolve in the mouth, releasing ingredients that soothe a dry, irritated throat. They may be medicated or nonmedicated. A 2017 study found that lozenges containing amylmetacresol and 2,4-dichlorobenz...

Lynn Swisher, MD Congestive heart failure is a progressive failure of the heart to pump that may occur so gradually that patients overlook the early symptoms. New medications, surgical advances and innovative devices that assist a failing heart can slow the disease's progression and, in some cases, correct or cure the condition. The earlier the diagnosis, the sooner treatment can improve your health and prolong your life. When the heart cannot pump blood around the body as normal, congestive heart failure can occur. Heart pump function involves two phases: systole and diastole. During systole, the heart muscle contracts, causing the left ventricle to push oxygenated blood out to the body and the right ventricle to push unoxygenated blood into the lungs to receive oxygen. After the contraction, the ventricles relax and allow the heart muscle to prepare for the next systole. This relaxation phase/refilling phase of the cardiac cycle is called diastole. Heart pump fu...

From lifesaving intervention to ongoing cardiac rehabilitation, three Kerrville residents say that the care they have received from Peterson Health's Heart and Vascular Services has positively changed their respective lives forever. While each arrived at Peterson Regional Medical Center with varying health issues and symptoms, Dwayne Capps, Steve Gibson and Linda Hise credit their hard work and committed guidance from Cardiac Rehab team members for their ongoing success and healthy evolution. "Cardiac Rehab is an exercise and educational program." Jana Cain, registered nurse and clinical coordinator, said. "Benefitting anyone who has had a heart attack, heart stints, bypass surgery, heart valve surgery … usually it's a major surgery, or they are de-conditioned." Cain said the Cardiac Rehab team works with each patient to help build strength and sta...

Palliative care -; a specialized medical care focused on quality of life for people with a serious illness such as cancer or heart failure -; isn't likely to reduce psychological distress, according to a Rutgers study. Researchers involved with the study, published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, found there were no statistically significant improvements in patient or caregiver anxiety, depression or psychological distress in a meta-analysis of 38 randomized clinical trials of palliative care interventions. This study took results from 38 previously published studies and combined them to examine the average effect of the interventions on psychological distress. In palliative care, general psychosocial support is often offered, but this approach is less effective than evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Palliative care interventions vary widely in terms of professional backgrounds of team members and use of evidence-b...

As pharmacies play an ever-greater role in the support of local communities, they are helping to minimise GP workloads and reduce unnecessary appointments The results of the  Public Perceptions of Community Pharmacy Survey , conducted by Ipsos on behalf of NHS England, has found that 91% of patients who used a community pharmacy during the previous year for advice regarding medicine, a health problem, injury or guidance on health services said they received good advice.  The NHS is now launching a new pilot scheme across the UK to help pharmacies continue to support patients which will see pharmacies continue to work to minimise unnecessary GP appointments and flag patients who need urgent assistance in an attempt to help manage GPs' ever-rising workloads.  Cancer support  More than 11,000 pharmacies in England can now access training to spot signs of cancer as part of a new drive to catch tumours earlier, ...

Early data suggest that a machine learning (ML) approach can identify patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) earlier. If the findings are confirmed, the approach has potential to reduce delays in diagnosis, in turn improving patient outcomes. Study findings were published in International Journal of Cardiology . The ML model, which included 65 features and would be the first of its kind, was effectively able to pinpoint patients likely to have PH using an electronic health record (EHR) database of millions of patients. Having a diagnostic model that leverages artificial intelligence could fill a gap in the PH diagnostic pathway, as there are currently just 2 validated screening algorithms for PH: pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) secondary to scleroderma and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension following pulmonary embolism (CTEPH). "While several ML models have been developed for PH, they have either been applied to a single test or to EHR data for a specific PH su...

Congestive heart failure, also called heart failure, is a serious condition that happens when the heart can't get enough oxygen and blood to support other organs in the body. It doesn't mean the heart has stopped beating, but rather it has a hard time pumping much needed nutrients our body requires. "When this happens, blood often backs up and fluid can build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath," says the Mayo Clinic . "Certain heart conditions, such as narrowed arteries in the heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, gradually leave the heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump blood properly." Over 6 million Americans have congestive heart failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and "in 2018, heart failure was mentioned on 379,800 death certificates." John Whyte , MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, WebMD tells us, "Congestive Heart failure is quite common,"  It's the number...