Heart failure is the medical term used to describe ineffective pumping of the heart. It is usually caused by structural damage of the heart muscle via a heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many other conditions. When blood is...
According to The Merck Manuals, cardiovascular heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood adequately. Cardiovascular heart failure causes reduced blood flow and congestion of blood in veins and lungs, as well as other...
More than 16 percent of people in the United States have high blood levels of cholesterol. Physicians prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs in patients with high cholesterol to reduce risks of heart disease. Lifestyle changes that involve diet are...
A heart attack refers to a sudden and potentially life-threatening condition in which the heart does not receive enough blood. The Mayo Clinic indicates that heart attack symptoms include crushing chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting,...
Diet drugs line the shelves in drugstores and supermarkets, each announcing the healthiest or fastest way to shed pounds. Some pills help you shed weight by losing water weight or increasing your heart rate to speed up your metabolism. While this...
According to the book, "Essentials of Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States" by Carol Porth, heart failure is a condition where the pumping ability of the heart is impaired. A healthy heart pumps enough blood to all parts of the body....
Your doctor may prescribe a statin (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) to lower your cholesterol. Too much cholesterol in your blood could cause a heart attack or stroke. Cholesterol can be reduced with diet and exercise, but if that isn't enough, a...
Many people try to reverse ailments or improve general health through the use of medicinal herbs and supplements. This strategy may prove harmless and beneficial to some, however if you take a prescription drug for a chronic condition you have to...
Most often, heart failure develops after cardiovascular conditions such as coronary artery disease and hypertension have damaged and weakened the heart. Heart muscle damage or cardiomyopathy is caused by infections, alcohol abuse and the toxic...
Many medications can decrease the heart rate. Drugs are classified according to how they work in the body. Medications that affect the heart rate do so by interfering with or altering how heart cells send and receive electrical impulses. A cardiac...
Congestive heart failure refers to a potentially fatal medical condition in which the heart no longer properly pumps blood to the body. The Mayo Clinic says that signs of congestive heart failure include shortness of breath, weakness, swelling of...
Rheumatic heart disease is damage to the valves in the heart caused by rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an immune disease that can develop following a Streptococcus bacterial infection. The Streptococcus bacteria are responsible for illnesses...
Heart conditions exist that require the use of rate-lowering medications. Arrhythmias or irregular fast heartbeats need certain drugs to lower the rate; treatments for heart attack and congestive heart failure can also include these kinds of...
The normal adult heart beats from 60 to 100 beats a minute when the person is not active. Tachycardia, or increased heart rate, is more than 100 beats per minute and may be accompanied with shortness of breath and dizziness. Sometimes, the heart...
Together your heart and blood vessels comprise the cardiovascular system. Substances you ingest daily such as caffeine, nicotine, over-the-counter preparations for flu and cold symptoms, weight loss and increased stamina affect your cardiovascular...
The circulatory system of the body consists of the heart, blood vessels and blood. The heart works to pump the blood, which travels through the complex network of arteries, veins and capillaries to supply all the cells of the body with oxygen and...
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood throughout the body. When it fails to do so adequately, fluids build up, or become congested, in the lungs or body tissues. This can occur either...
A high heart rate in adults is generally over about 90 to 100 beats per minute, but depends on the circumstances. For example, a high heart rate in a healthy person during exercise is normal. A high heart rate at rest may be indicative of a...
Teratogen is the medical term for any substance that causes abnormalities in a fetus. Teratogenic drugs can cause congenital heart disease, but in almost every situation where a pregnant woman would need to take a teratogenic drug, a safe,...
Drugs that lower levels of cholesterol include the statins, fibrates, niacin, ezetimibe and bile acid sequestrants. They act by different mechanisms to reduce cholesterol levels and low density lipoproteins, or LDLs. They are often used in...
Being overweight can increase your risk of developing many different problems, including heart disease as extra weight can increase your blood pressure and cause atherosclerosis. Consequently, losing excess weight is one of the best things you can...
Heart failure is a chronic progressive condition where the heart is no longer able to keep up with the demands of pumping adequate amounts of blood. As a result, the heart is unable to maintain vital supplies of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues...
Men can develop large breasts for a number of reasons, even just from being overweight. Body fat can accumulate beneath the wall of your breasts, creating large breasts. Certain medications --- such as some chemotherapy treatments, antibiotics,...
Diet medications that decrease appetite are related to amphetamines, which increase heart rate and blood pressure. These drugs can lead to problems with the heart valves or a condition involving the lungs known as pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary...
Viagra is the brand name for the drug sildenafil citrate. It is prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, or ED, a form of male impotence that occurs with aging. The drug works by dilating blood vessels in the penis so that blood can...
Common cardiac drugs are used to prevent or treat existing heart disease. Cardiac drugs help healing after a heart attack, treat congestive heart failure, control heart rhythm problems and lower blood pressure. Cardiac drugs also relax the blood...
Enlarged heart or cardiomelagy is not a disease but a symptom of a health condition. An enlarged heart is caused by thickening and weakening of the heart's muscle due to health conditions, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart valve...
Beta blockers do not have Food and Drug Administration approval to treat anxiety, though many doctors prescribe it as an "off-label" use. These drugs more often treat various cardiovascular conditions. Beta blockers calm or even stop the physical...
Magnesium hydroxide is both a laxative and one of the three major classes of antacids, which also include calcium carbonate and aluminum hydroxide. You can use magnesium hydroxide to treat constipation, upset stomach and heartburn. Pharmaceutical...
Pulmonary edema refers to a swelling of the lungs and/or the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, which occurs from a weakness of the heart or direct injury. Learn more about pulmonary edema in this video.
Incontinence is the loss of control of excretory functions. Get expert tips and advice on treating and living with incontinence in this medical video.
Endocarditis is an inflammation of the endocardium, the inner layer of the heart, including the heart valves. Learn more about endocarditic in this health video.
