When we first started looking at short-term outcomes for patients who had recently undergone a minimally invasive procedure to fix aortic aneurysm called EVAR (endovascular aneurysm repair), we were delighted and relieved. This technique, which involved threading a tiny flexible tube through the artery in the groin and positioning it within the swollen area of the aorta main […]
One in three adults suffer from high blood pressure in the UK which is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and death worldwide. It is caused by a complex interplay between genetics and lifestyle factors such as diet, weight, alcohol consumption, and exercise. The study, led by Imperial College London and Queen Mary […]
Read More… from Identifying new blood pressure genes to combat hypertension
Let’s start with the good news. If you are unlucky enough to suffer a major heart attack, you are more likely than ever to survive it. One of the principle reasons is that the NHS in England now has a network of heart attack centres around the country, close to where you live. There are […]
‘If people suffer a cardiac attest, they need to be treated with a defibrillator or meaningful CPR within four to five minutes to increase their chances of survival. Sudden cardiac arrest is not a problem for the ambulance service. It is a problem for the community. The aim is to ensure all communities have a […]
New therapies now exist that can lower bad cholesterol levels to those of a ‘new born baby’, but up until now there has been conflicting evidence that is actually required or even desirable. New research at Imperial College London established for the first time that such low levels may, in fact, be a good thing, and […]
There are certain things that you can’t help, that increase your risk of getting heart disease. These are: Getting older: All the tissues of the body are affected by wear and tear as we get older, including the heart and the arteries. This can affect the way that the heart works, and circulation. Family History: Some people are more susceptible […]
It’s a common phenomenon; a man complains he’s feeling too hot and throws off the duvet while his female partner burrows under it and wishes she had some woolly socks. The difference between male and female temperature control is not simply hearsay. There are proven differences between men and women when it comes to the way their circulatory system […]
When a patient comes to see me complaining of unexplained breathlessness, different possibilities immediately go through my mind. The first thing to rule out is lung disease, like asthma, COPD or lung cancer. Early lung cancer symptoms are often mild and can be mistaken for bronchitis or ‘smokers cough’ but later stage disease often presents […]
Sleep apnoea is the most common sleep disorder in the UK, affecting around one million people. It happens when the patient stops breathing for an extended period of time at night, either because of an obstruction in the airways, or because of another health condition, like heart disease. As a result, the sufferer wakes up, […]
Diagnosing and managing the causes of breathlessness is a vital part of helping people to lead longer and healthier lives. This month, in parallel with the national breathlessness awareness campaign the British Lung Foundation, in conjunction with the London Respiratory Network, launched the Breathing SPACE framework. This is to make it easier for doctors to […]