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Posts Tagged ‘Diagnosis’

Heart attacks are a very serious heart condition that ‘attack’ suddenly. They can be characterized by a spectrum of chest pains and discomfort as well as sweating, vomiting and nausia. Sometimes these symptoms can even result in a complete loss of consciousness. Heart attacks occur when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. This interuption causes both death and scarring of the tissue in the local area of the heart.

Due to the fact that the interuption can vary in size, as can the area that is affected. Large or small, heart attacks are serious and often life-threatening. Deemed as such they are a medical emergency which needs immediate attention from an emergency medical service. Staying on top of heart attack symptoms as well as the combination of complete medical history, blood tests and ECG findings are what make up the diagnosis for heart attacks.

In recovery the most important thing is restoring the flow of blood back to the area of the heart that has been interrupted. This is acheived through thrombolysis and/or angioplasty. Thrombolysis is a procedure in which the clot is dissolved in the artery enymatically. Angioplasty is the procedure in which a balloon is used to push open the artery.

Great importance is placed on monitoring for various complications, that could prevent a secondy heart attack. Through this monitoring work is done to help eliminate any risk factors that may exist, which helps to reduce the odds of further heart attacks.

Pheochromocytoma is an important cause of secondary Hypertension. We have adnenal gland located at upper portion of each kidney. It is divided into adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla. Pheochromocytoma is a tumor of Adrenal Medulla. Normal function of adrenal medulla is to produce epinephrine or adrenaline. Which is responsible for controlling blood pressure and to help cope with stressful situations.
So majority of symptoms of pheochromocytoma are due to excess secretion of adrenaline from adrenal medulla. Most patients of pheochromocytoma have recurrent episodes of headache, sweating and a feeling of high anxiety. The following symptoms are listed from the most common to the least common
Headaches (severe)
sweating Episodes (generalized)
heart palpitations (tachycardia and palpitations)
Anxiety
nervousness (feelings of impending death)
tremors
Pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen
Nausea (with or without nausea)
Weight loss
Heat intolerance

These symptoms may come by situations which causes pressure over tumor like physical activity, exercise, defecation, anesthesia, or change in body position.

Who should be examined for Pheochromocytoma
Those who have uncontrolled hypertension
Those who have age between 40 and 60
Those who are already taking 4 antihypertensive drugs but blood pressure is not controllable.
Those who have episodes of above symptoms

Cause of pheochromocytoma is unknown, however some forms of this tumor runs in families like,
a-Multiple endocrine neoplasia, type II (MEN-II). In addition to a pheochromocytoma, people with MEN-II also have thyroid cancer. Other forms of MEN-II include pheochromocytoma with thyroid cancer and hyperparathyroidism (MEN-IIA), and pheochromocytoma with thyroid cancer and tumors of nerves in the eyes lips, mouth and digestive tract (MEN-IIB).
b-Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). Pheochromocytomas can occur in a small percentage of people with NF1, a syndrome that includes multiple tumors in the skin (neurofibromas), pigmented skin spots, tumors of the optic nerve of the eye, and bone diseases.
c-Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. People with this rare multi system disorder are at high risk of pheochromocytoma brain eye and kidney tumors.

Most pheochromocytomas are benign tumors and they don’t spread to other parts of body however some forms do show metastasis (spread) to other parts of body like lungs, bones and brains. Usually only one gland is involved however this tumor can be present in both adrenal glands.

Investigations:
Blood and Urine tests: We perform blood and urine tests to diagnose pheochromocytoma. 24 hr urine collection is tested for epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. This test is called VMA. Idea is just to check level of epinephrine and its metabolites in urine. If these are detected in urine in excess quantity, then tumor is diagnosed.

Abdominal scan.
Now you have diagnosed tumor by blood and urine tests, after that to find out location of tumor, do Ultrasound, CT scan of abdomen.

Complications:
If high blood pressure remained uncontrolled it may lead to complications of heart failure, infarction, cerebrovascular accident, vision damage and kidney failure.

Treatment:
First treatment is to control high blood pressure with medication like Alpha Blockers and Beta Blockers. When epinephrine is secreted by this tumor it acts on alpha and beta receptors present on heart and blood vessels, result is vasoconstriction and increase heart rate. Now if if we take drugs like alpha blocker and beta blocker, epinephrine will be blocked by these drugs to act on these receptors so result is vasodilation and slow heart rate. Common Alpha blockers are Prazosin (Minipress), Terazosin (Hytrin) Phenoxybenzamine( Dibenzaline). Common Beta Blockers are Atenolol(Tenormin), Carvedilol(Carveda), Metoprolol(Mepressor), Inderal.

Treatment of choice for this tumor is Surgery. After removal of this gland by surgery, blood pressure becomes normal with a day. There are two types of surgeries. General and Laproscopic surgery. However Surgery is not an option for those tumors which show metastasis to other parts of body. For that we use chemotherapy and radiations.

Whenever you have high blood pressure with any symptom, don’t ignore it, you may be the patient of Pheochromocytoma. Always contact your Doctor.

If you want to know more about Pheochromocytoma, visit our site highbloodpressuremed.com

The thing that you should realize is that hemophilia is considered to be a genetic disorder that occurs at birth; it is not a condition that can develop spontaneously. The definition for hemophilia actually refers to a group of disorders that all have common problems related to blood clotting or coagulation. For the commonest form of hemophilia, this problem occurs in between 1 out of 5,000 to 10,000 births, while the next most common form will be diagnosed in 1 of about 20,000 to 34,000 births. As you can readily surmise, the chance of discovering this condition as an adult without having had a diagnosis as a child is extremely remote.

First, the thing that you need to recognize is that hemophilia is a genetic disorder that is present at birth; it is not something that develops spontaneously. The term hemophilia actually refers to a set of disorders that all have to do with problems related to blood clotting or blood coagulation. For the most common form of hemophilia, this problem occurs in between 1 out of 5,000 to 10,000 births, while the second most common form will occur in 1 in about 20,000 to 34,000 births. As you can see, the chance of having this disorder as an adult without it being diagnosed when you were a child is exceptionally low.

When looking at hemophilia, remember that there are different levels that are associated with this disorder. Mild hemophilia is a condition where most sufferers only worry if they are going to be undergoing surgery or dental work. On the other hand, moderate hemophilia refers to a level where bleeding and easy bruising occur. With moderate hemophilia, mild abrasions like scratching an insect bite or even brushing your teeth can be a problem. With severe hemophilia, even mild physical trauma can create extremely serious conditions that need immediate medical treatment.

The reason why hemophilia is often linked to easy bruising is because even slight contusions can lead to a copious amount of blood flow. Because the blood does not clot easily, this means that the bruises that occur seem to show up out of no where and are often a great deal more dramatic than they seem like they should be.

With this being said, it is extremely unlikely that you would start to manifest the symptoms of hemophilia as an adult; and in virtually every case, people are diagnosed with this issue well before they are fully grown. What is much more likely is that you are suffering from easy bruising as caused by other issues. Aging and menopause are both common factors when it comes to bruising more easily.

When you are thinking about how to take care of your bruising easily, make sure that you take a look at the Bruises Be Banned daily program. This uniquely formulated, all natural, daily treatment program can help you reduce bruising or prevent bruising altogether.