Aman Nursing Home & Icu

Ever wondered why you needed to share your family’s health history at a doctor’s clinic? Specific questions regarding health issues of your immediate family or close blood relatives give your doctor an insight into various health risks you might have now or in future. Those are medical conditions inherited by parents or grandparents through genes. Genes are passed from parents to children in DNA of eggs or sperms. Even a single mutation (fault) in gene can influence body systems and may lead to disorders. If any of the parents have a faulty gene, there are 50:50 chances of the child inheriting it.

Hereditary heart diseases are also a result of mutation in one or more genes and tend to run in families. Genes control almost all aspects of cardiovascular system including strengthening blood vessels, pumping capacity or communication of cells in the heart. A single genetic variation is enough to alter cardiovascular processes increasing the risk of developing a heart disease, attack or a stroke. Some of the most common hereditary cardiac disorders include; Arrhythmias, congenital heart diseases and cardiomyopathy. A family history of heart attack or stroke is also an established high-risk factor for the family members. High blood cholesterol, medically known as familial hypercholesterolemia also tends to run in families.

Unfortunately, many of these conditions cannot be prevented since they are acquired through genes. But there are many ways in which these could be managed before they become complicated or fatal.

Let’s look at some ways by which we can deal with hereditary heart diseases and increase a patient’s chances of survival:

1. Early Diagnosis And Treatment: When one person in the family is diagnosed with a heart disease, it is strongly advisable for other family members to go in for screening. An early diagnosis can help in better treatment and management of the disease and impacts positively on patients’ life. Medical screening of siblings is highly recommended in case a person suffers a sudden cardiac death especially at a young age.

2. Watch out for these symptoms at a young age: Abnormal heart rhythm, asthma that does not get better with inhaler, seizures that do not improve with medication, extreme fatigue or shortness of breath are warning signals and need immediate medical attention.

3. Genetic Testing: Family members may opt for genetic testing to check if they carried genes of an inherited disorder.

4. Genetic Counselling: Genetic counselling deals with problems like anxieties and fear of attacks, confusion over disease and emotional difficulties in accepting the situation.

We may not be able to change the family history but we can surely change our environment, lifestyle and habits. Eating healthy and following an active lifestyle does help in prevention and management of such diseases.

Having bradycardia implies that your heart beats very slowly. For the vast majority, a heart beats from sixty to hundred pulses a minute while very few are viewed as ordinary. In case your heart beats under sixty times each minute, it is slower than usual. A moderate heart rate can be ordinary and solid. On the other hand it could be an indication of an issue with the heart's electrical framework.

For a few people, moderate heart rate does not create any issues. It can be an indication of being exceptionally fit. Sound youthful grown-ups and sports persons frequently have heart rates of fewer than sixty beats a minute. In other individuals, bradycardia is an indication of an issue with the heart's electrical framework. It implies that the heart's regular pacemaker isn't working right or that the electrical pathways of the heart are disturbed.

A moderate heart rate may make you:

1. Feel blurry eyed or woozy.
2. Feel short of breath and feel that it’s harder to work out.
3. Feel tired.
4. Have neck pain or an inclination that your heart is beating or rippling (palpitations).
5. Feel bewildered or experience difficulty concentrating.
6. Black out, if a moderate heart rate causes a drop in pulse.

A few people do not have side effects, or their indications are mild to the point that they think they are quite recently part of getting more seasoned. You can discover how quick your heart is beating by checking your heart rate. In case your pulse is moderate or uneven, talk to a specialist.

How bradycardia is dealt with depends on what is causing it. Treatment likewise relies on symptoms. Given below are some of the symptoms:

1. In case harm to the heart's electrical framework causes your heart to pulsate too quickly, you will presumably need a pacemaker. A pacemaker is a gadget put under your skin that revises the moderate heart rate. Some people might have a kind of bradycardia that requires a pacemaker.
2. In case another medical issue, for example, hypothyroidism or an electrolyte irregularity, is bringing about a moderate heart rate, treating that issue may cure the bradycardia.
3. In case a medicine is making your heart to pulsate too gradually, your specialist may change the dosage or recommend an alternate drug. In case you can't quit taking that medicine, you may require a pacemaker.

Bradycardia is frequently the aftereffect of another heart condition, so finding a way to carry on with a heart-solid way of life will enhance your general health. This may include:

1. Showing at least a bit of restraint and dedication to a good diet routine that includes a considerable amount of organic products, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and low-fat or nonfat dairy foods.
2. Being gradually on most, if not all, days of the week. Your specialist can let you know what type of exercise is okay for you.
3. Getting more fit in case you have to, and maintaining a solid weight.
4. Not smoking.
5. Overseeing other medical issues, for example, hypertension or elevated cholesterol.

COPD, which is short for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a severe form of lung disease that is characterized by increased breathlessness and obstruction of airflow from the lungs. People who are suffering from COPD are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, heart diseases and many other conditions. It includes progressive lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, few forms of bronchiectasis and refractory (non-reversible) asthma. The former two are the most common conditions contributing to COPD. 

Chronic bronchitis induces inflammation in the airway that carries air to the lungs and fills it with mucus. This either completely blocks the airway or narrows it, causing difficulty in breathing. However in emphysema, the air sacs inside the lungs which inflate and deflate as you breathe in and out, lose their elasticity due to which less air comes in and goes out leaving you breathless.

The best way to treat COPD is to quit smoking. Your doctor may also prescribe you medications or ask you to enroll in a lung rehab program. 
Causes:

1. Smoking: Smoking is one of the most common causes of COPD. This is because smoking is known to destroy the stretchy fibers in people's lungs and irritate the airways. Even passive smoking is unhealthy. About 90% of the people having COPD are current or former smokers. 
2. Genetics: Some individuals suffer from COPD even after refraining from smoking. Genes might be at the helm of COPD in such a case. AATD i.e. Alpha -1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, is a protein in the lungs, the lack of which is one of the most common genetic factor causing emphysema. 
3. Environmental Factors: Breathing in harmful pollutants present in your environment is also one of the causes of COPD. Fumes, dust or certain chemicals are a few examples of harmful lung irritants. Organic cooking fuel may also cause COPD. Exposing yourself to the aforementioned environmental factors for a prolonged period of time increases your risk of developing COPD substantially. 

Symptoms:

1. Shortness of breath especially after exercising
2. Wheezing
3. Tightness in your chest
4. Unintended weight loss
5. Lack of energy
6. Frequent respiratory infections
7. Wheezing
8. Cough accompanied by mucus

Diagnosis:

1. Physical Exam where your doctor monitors the functioning of your lungs. 
2. Questioning about your past health (Smoking or other harmful lung irritants).
3. Spirometry and other breathing tests.
4. Chest x-rays and other tests to eliminate other problems which could be causing your symptoms.

Ever wondered why you needed to share your family’s health history at a doctor’s clinic? Specific questions regarding health issues of your immediate family or close blood relatives give your doctor an insight into various health risks you might have now or in future. Those are medical conditions inherited by parents or grandparents through genes. Genes are passed from parents to children in DNA of eggs or sperms. Even a single mutation (fault) in gene can influence body systems and may lead to disorders. If any of the parents have a faulty gene, there are 50:50 chances of the child inheriting it.

Hereditary heart diseases are also a result of mutation in one or more genes and tend to run in families. Genes control almost all aspects of cardiovascular system including strengthening blood vessels, pumping capacity or communication of cells in the heart. A single genetic variation is enough to alter cardiovascular processes increasing the risk of developing a heart disease, attack or a stroke. Some of the most common hereditary cardiac disorders include; Arrhythmias, congenital heart diseases and cardiomyopathy. A family history of heart attack or stroke is also an established high-risk factor for the family members. High blood cholesterol, medically known as familial hypercholesterolemia also tends to run in families.

Unfortunately, many of these conditions cannot be prevented since they are acquired through genes. But there are many ways in which these could be managed before they become complicated or fatal.

Let’s look at some ways by which we can deal with hereditary heart diseases and increase a patient’s chances of survival:

1. Early Diagnosis And Treatment: When one person in the family is diagnosed with a heart disease, it is strongly advisable for other family members to go in for screening. An early diagnosis can help in better treatment and management of the disease and impacts positively on patients’ life. Medical screening of siblings is highly recommended in case a person suffers a sudden cardiac death especially at a young age.

2. Watch out for these symptoms at a young age: Abnormal heart rhythm, asthma that does not get better with inhaler, seizures that do not improve with medication, extreme fatigue or shortness of breath are warning signals and need immediate medical attention.

3. Genetic Testing: Family members may opt for genetic testing to check if they carried genes of an inherited disorder.

4. Genetic Counselling: Genetic counselling deals with problems like anxieties and fear of attacks, confusion over disease and emotional difficulties in accepting the situation.

We may not be able to change the family history but we can surely change our environment, lifestyle and habits. Eating healthy and following an active lifestyle does help in prevention and management of such diseases.