What’s Increasing Your Risk of Afib? How to Get Diagnosed?

When the normal heart rate disappears, an arrhythmia occurs. The atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia that happens when under normal conditions.

The heart rate is the speed at which the heart beats; That is, the number of times it contracts per minute. Normally, the frequency is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. An arrhythmia occurs when, under normal conditions, the heart rate goes down (bradycardia) or rises (tachycardia).

The heart rate stops being regular. Heart rate refers to how the heart beats; whether they are regular or irregular. The heart rate adapts to the needs of the body at all times. That's why it speeds up when you exercise and slows down when you sleep. But, under normal conditions, it should be regular.

Atrial Fibrillation Causes

Occasionally, atrial fibrillation appears for no apparent reason, but other times there is a clear trigger. These are the most common causes:

• Hypertension - The most common cause of atrial fibrillation is high blood or hypertension.
• Heart problems - Any disease in the heart (of the valves, angina pectoris, infarction, etc.) can cause atrial fibrillation.
• Hormonal conditions - In some cases, it may be a result of thyroid or other hormonal disorders.
• Unknown - When no cause is found after the necessary tests, atrial fibrillation is called as idiopathic Risks associated. 

The risk of atrial fibrillation increases with age. Usually, atrial fibrillation occurs in people with previous heart disease. The heart disorders that are associated with the more frequent occurrence of atrial fibrillation are:

Hypertensive cardiovascular disease, heart disease due to a chronic increase in blood pressure which is an excessive strain on the heart muscle.

Diseases of the heart valves that separate the different chambers of the heart. For example, mitral stenosis (narrowing) or mitral insufficiency.

An acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease, caused by insufficient supply of blood to the heart.

A heart failure or weakness of the heart muscle.

Have undergone heart surgery.

Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) or the membrane surrounding the heart (pericarditis).

Atrial fibrillation also arises by extra cardiac causes:

The excessive drinking. It usually gives short-duration atrial fibrillation. It can occur after a weekend where you consume excessive alcohol which is called as holiday heart syndrome or Saturday night heart).

The consumption of drugs such as cocaine or amphetamines that stimulate the heart.

Heart Atrial Fibrillation Treatment

Treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) depends on the severity or frequency of the symptoms and whether you already have heart disease. General treatment options include medications, medical procedures, and lifestyle changes.

There are various treatment options available, which are determined to,

Prevent blood clots from forming and reduce the risk of stroke.

Control how many times per minute the ventricles contract. This is called frequency control. Frequency control is necessary because it allows the ventricles enough time to fill completely with blood. With this approach, irregular heart rhythm continues, but the person feels better and has fewer symptoms.

Restore the heart to a normal rhythm. It is called rhythm control. Rhythm control allows the atria and ventricles to work together again to pump blood to the body efficiently.

Treat any underlying disorder that causes or increases the risk of the condition, for example, hyperthyroidism.

For medical treatment advice, Visit: http://www.healthopinion.net/

Dental Tourism in India

All over the globe, millions of people suffer from dental problems. There can be different types of issues which can be associated with dental treatments. As per a recent survey conducted by the Indian Dental Association, the number of dental patients has significantly increased within a short span of 5 years. According to the experts, there are many reasons which lead to such a situation; among them, food habits of the people is considered to be the most important one.

Be it a child or a grown adult; anyone can be affected by dental problems. It can be very painful at times and if not taken care of at the initial stage, can lead to something very serious. In certain cases, things can escalate to something as deadly as cancer!

However, there is no need to worry as there are many experts and competent dentists available in India. Over the years, when it comes to dental care in India, there has been a massive improvement. With the introduction of new and modern equipment, it has become easier for the dentists to diagnose an issue and then to fix it as quickly as possible. These days, pain killers are not the only means of dental treatments; there are other more advanced and sophisticated mechanisms which are available these days.

India offers affordable dental care, dental treatment, dental surgeries and procedures which are usually expensive in many other countries. World class dental clinics in India with trained and experienced dentist and specialists in dental implants and cosmetic dentistry is one of the attractive side of Indian dentistry.

Dental tourism in India enables many international patents to save on dental treatments. India is a leading destination to get your treatment without compromising on the quality. It allows you to redesign your smile and confidence without compromising on the quality.

Some most demanded Dental Treatments in India

There are arrays of different types of dental treatment procedures which are available. Here are some of the most common ones offered for individuals of different age groups -

·      Teeth Whitening: When it comes to teeth whitening, these days, things have become more advanced and sophisticated. Unlike what it used to be earlier, when the entire process was done manually which took a lot of time and didn’t always give the desired results, these days, laser treatment is used for this purpose. Laser teeth whitening has proven to be the most effective means, which is painless and at the same time yields the best of results.

·   Implants: Dental implant is a process where an artificial root is placed inside the jaw so that a replacement tooth can be placed. Dental implant surgery can be the best option for those who have lost their tooth/teeth and are looking to add new ones.

·    Treating the Root Canal: When it comes to root canal treatment, these days more advanced and sophisticated means are being used. The treatment has become much simpler these days, and it takes a very little time for the entire procedure to get completed. Unlike earlier times, when the post-surgery period used to be very uncomfortable and painful, these days, with the help of the sophisticated and modern techniques, things have become much easier for the patients.

To wrap it up - the dental care industry in India has gone through a massive change over the last couple of decades. Today, with the help of modern and sophisticated mechanisms millions of people in India are served with the best dental care services. 

Stroke in Young Adults

Our modern life style has put our young adults more at risk in health issues than their elders.

Stroke in young adults is one of the health issues about which we need to create awareness among the general public. This will alert both the young adults as well as their parents/guardians to take preventive measures. Stroke is a public health issue that causes long-term disabilities with emotional and socio economic consequences.

First of all, what stroke is all about?

Stroke is associated with a new onset of rapidly developing symptoms and signs of loss of cerebral function lasting more than 24 hours with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin. Stroke is of two kinds, one hemorrhagic and second ischemic.In one type, rupturing of blood vessels of the skull occurs. In the other type, bleeding occurs at the spot between the arachnoid membrane and pia mater around the brain. These two are the major causes of stroke in young adults.

Major causes of stroke in young adults and children are different from that of older people.

Strokes develop within 24 hours of onset of symptoms, all occurring within 10 days. Therefore, early suspicion and diagnosis is necessary to prevent stroke. Migraine is an underlying factor for stroke and it also is an acute precipitant of stroke (migrainous stroke). Ischemic stroke risk is higher in females having migraine and using oral contraceptives which are a known independent risk factor for ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. People aged over 35 with a history of hypertension with smoking habits are prone to get stroke attacks. 

F.A.S.T.

Regardless of age, symptoms for stroke are indicated in the acronym F.A.S.T.  “F” for drooping face on the one side, “A” for arms that cannot be raised, “S” for slurred speech, and “T” for time indicating timely action. The acronym FAST is to help detect stroke symptoms and immediate hospitalization.

General symptoms which are not exhaustive

·       Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms, or legs particularly on one side of the body.

·       Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding difficulty.

·       Sudden vision difficulties in one or both the eyes.

·       Sudden severe headache.

General risk factors,also called as modifiable risk factors in young adults

·       Smoking

·       Alcoholism

·       Diabetes

·       Hypertension

·       Dyslipidemia

·       Past history of stroke

·       Rheumatic heart disease with atrial fibrillation

·       Oral contraceptive pills in women

 Uncommon causes of stroke in young adults.

·       Nonatheroscleroticangiopathies

·       Cervicocephalic  arterial dissection

·       Cerebral amyloid angiopathy

·       Moyamoya disease

·       Fibromusculardysplacia

·       Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome

·       Susac’s syndrome

·       Sneddon’s syndrome

·       Migraine-induced stroke

Hematologic conditions

·       Hypercoagulable state due to deficiencies of protein S, protein C or antithrombin;

·       Factor V Leiden mutation etc

Genetic

·       Fabry disease

·       CADASIL  (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy)

·       MELAS

·       Marfan syndrome

·       Neurofibromatosis

·       Sturge-Weber disease

Inflammatory and infectious

·       Vasculitis

·       Temporal arteritis

·       Takayasu disease

·       Bechet’s syndrome

·       Neurosarcoidosis

·       Neurocysticerosis

·       HIV

·       Varicella zoster virus

·       Neurosyphilis

·       Tuberculous meningitis

 Indian scenario

According to a study, about 5.8 million people had been affected by stroke as far back as in 2005. Stroke has emerged as the second most common cause of death. Globally 7.8 million deaths have been estimated to occur due to stroke by 2030.  By 2050, India will be one of the regions where 80 % of stroke events will occur.

Prevention of Stroke

Quit smoking and have regular physical exercise for 20 minutes a day at least three to four days in a week.  Ensure against high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels.  Primary stroke prevention in young adults includes aggressive treatment of hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia. Secondary stroke prevention involves stroke etiology and treatment of additional risk factors. Secondary stroke prevention aims at prevention and reducing risk of a second stroke after identification etiology of initial stroke as part of stroke rehabilitation.

Although stroke in young adults occurs only in 10-15 % of all stroke patients, this section of the population suffers severe economic consequences as young adults are disabled well before their most productive years. Apart from aggressive treatment and control of risk factors, life style changes can prevent up to 50 % of strokes.