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Diagnonistic Test

Venous Ultrasound of Upper & Lower Extremity Arterial Doppler Studies

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Introduction:
The Arterial Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves at a frequency that is higher than humans are able to hear to produce images on a monitor for the purpose of evaluating the arterial blood flow to the upper extremities (arms) and lower extremities (legs).

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This type of ultrasound shows if there is a blockage in arm or  leg vein. Such blockages are usually caused by blood clots, which can be dangerous and even lifethreatening if they break loose and travel through the blood to the lungs. If you have pain or swelling in one leg, your doctor may order an ultrasound to determine whether your symptoms are caused by a blockage.

It is used to evaluate:
*Numbness and tingling sensations in the hands, arms, feet and legs
*Sensation of fatigue and heaviness in the arms and legs
*To investigate the possibility of thoracic outlet syndrome.

Procedure:

For the Arterial Doppler exam a blood pressure cuff is applied to each of the arms and legs and a pressure is recorded for each extremity cuff. The pulse is also taken and recorded for each of the extremities. The patient may then be exercised and blood pressure recordings repeated or an ultrasound may be performed to assess the arteries for the location and the amount of narrowing.

When evaluating for thoracic outlet syndrome of the upper extremities, the patient will be asked to perform a series of arm movements while recordings are documented.

The Arterial Doppler studies take approximately 60-90 minutes.

After squirting some clear jelly onto the inside of one of your arms or thighs to help the ultrasound sensor slide around easily, a technician or doctor places the sensor against your skin. Once it’s in place, an image appears on a video screen, and the technician or doctor moves the sensor up and down along your leg – from the groin to the calf – to view the veins from different angles. The examiner presses the sensor into your skin firmly every few inches to see if the veins change shape under pressure. He or she then checks your other leg in the same way. As the machine measures the blood flowing through a vein, it makes a swishing noise in time with the rhythm of your heartbeat. This test usually takes 15-30 minutes.Most people don’t feel any discomfort, but if your leg was swollen and sensitive to the touch before the test, the pressure of the sensor might cause some tenderness.

How do You prepare for the test? No preparation is necessary.

Risk Factors: There are no risks
How long is it before the result of the test is known?
A radiologist reviews a videotape of your ultrasound and checks for signs of blockages in the veins.Your doctor should receive a report within a few hours to a day.

Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/diagnostics/venous-ultrasound-of-the-legs.shtml
http://www.advanceddiagnosticimagingpc.com/vascular/extremity.htm

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News on Health & Science

Reduce Salt Intake for Healthy Life

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Three gram reduction in a person’s dietary intake of salt would result in over a 20 per cent drop in deaths from stroke and over a 15 per cent fall in death from heart disease, according to a senior cardiologist here.

As heart disease and stroke, the world’s number one killer, causing 17.5 million deaths every year, eating half a teaspoon less of salt each day could save millions of lives, Dr.S Balaji of the private Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, said on “World Heart Day“, organised on September 28.

There are several factors which increased the risk of developing high blood pressure, including excessive consumption of salt, he said. “However, by adopting lifestyle changes hypertension is controllable,” Balaji said.

Avoiding foods high in salt, refraining from adding salt and being aware of the salt content of food in restaurants and processed foods, could potentially reduce salt consumption by three grams a day, he suggested.

High blood pressure or hypertension was the biggest single risk factor for heart disease and stroke and currently affected more than billion people worldwide, Balaji said.

By 2025, it was estimated more than 1.5 million people, or nearly one in three adults over the age of 25, would have high blood pressure, he said.

Sources: The Times Of India

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Ailmemts & Remedies

Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident)

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Definition:
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disturbed in some way. As a result, brain cells are starved of oxygen causing some cells to die and leaving other cells damaged.

Types of stroke:
Most strokes occur when a blood clot blocks one of the arteries (blood vessels) that carries blood to the brain. This type of stroke is called an ischaemic stroke.…….click & see

  • Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is a short-term stroke that lasts for less than 24 hours. The oxygen supply to the brain is restored quickly, and symptoms of the stroke disappear completely. A transient stroke needs prompt medical attention as it is a warning of serious risk of a major stroke.

  • Cerebral thrombosis occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in an artery (blood vessel) supplying blood to the brain. Furred-up blood vessels with fatty patches of atheroma (arteriosclerosis) may make a thrombosis more likely. The clot interrupts the blood supply and brain cells are starved of oxygen.

  • Cerebral embolism is a blood clot that forms somewhere in the body before travelling through the blood vessels and lodging in the brain. This causes the brain cells to become starved of oxygen. An irregular heartbeat or recent heart attack may make you prone to forming emboli.

  • Cerebral haemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel bursts inside the brain and bleeds (haemorrhages). With a haemorrhage, extra damage is done to the brain tissue by the blood that seeps into it.

Diagnostic methods for stroke

Effects of a stroke:
No two strokes are the same and people can be affected in quite different ways. This partly depends on which area of the brain is damaged, because different parts control different abilities such as speaking, memory, swallowing and moving.

  • Strokes usually occur suddenly.

  • The most common signs of a stroke are weakness, paralysis or numbness of the arm and leg.

  • Speech may be difficult or become difficult to understand.

  • Swallowing may be affected. Until this improves, patients may be fed by a tube or given fluids into a vein (intravenously) to avoid food going into the lungs.

  • People who have had severe strokes may lose consciousness. Unfortunately, the likelihood of such patients making a good recovery are poor.

Signs and symptoms of stroke

Treatment:
In the first few days after a stroke, treatment involves ensuring that the patient is well hydrated and nourished. The next phase of treatment – recovery through rehabilitation – involves a team of health professionals including physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, nurses and doctors.

If a stroke is caused by a blood clot, then taking a low-dose aspirin (eg Nu-seals 75mg) once a day may help make the blood less sticky and less likely to cause clots.

Treatment options for stroke

Risk Factors:

  • High blood pressure (hypertension) does not cause any symptoms, so everyone over the age of 40 should have an annual blood pressure check.

  • Smokers have double the risk of stroke as non-smokers.

  • Irregular heart beat (atrial fibrillation) is fairly common in old age, and increases the risk of stroke by causing blood clots to form in the heart. Blood clots can be prevented from forming by taking warfarin, a medicine that makes the blood less likely to clot. Warfarin (eg Marevan) treatment requires careful monitoring with regular blood checks and is a very effective way to reduce the risk of stroke.

  • Diabetes affects 1 in 20 older people, and can also increase the risk of having a stroke. Good control of diabetes is important and requires attention to diet, regular urine tests or blood tests, and probably some medication.

  • Too much alcohol increases the risk of a stroke. The recommended ‘safe’ limits for alcohol consumption are 21 units each week for women and 28 units each week for men. One unit of alcohol is equivalent to a measure of spirits, or a glass of wine, or half a pint of beer. People who drink more than this run a higher risk of stroke, liver disease and dementia.

Prevention methods for stroke
Ongoing research regarding stroke.

Alternative preventive medication

Studies reveal Yoga increases GABA (gamma-aminobutyric) levels

Stroke – Prevention & Curing Protocol

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose

Sources:http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/stroke.htm

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News on Health & Science

Older women don’t benefit from HRT

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The findings of a study has confirmed the theory that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not benefit older women, and should not be prescribed to them in an attempt to prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease.

In 1999, boffins undertook the Women’s International Study of long Duration Oestrogen after Menopause (WISDOM) trial to assess the long-term risks and benefits of HRT after the menopause.

It was stopped after a 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial found that women many years past menopause that were taking HRT had more heart attacks and strokes than those not taking the HRT.

The finding resulted in millions of women the world over discontinuing with the therapy, reports the BMJ.

Now however, boffins believe that the risk of heart attack and stroke only applies to older women, and not younger women in early menopause, for whom it remains a safe short term treatment to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. These findings are based on the WISDOM trial that have recently been published.

As a part of their study, the researchers conducting the WISDOM trial identified 5,692 healthy women in the UK, Australia and New Zealand with an average age of 63 years and 15 years after the menopause.

Women who had not had a hysterectomy were split at random into two groups.

One group of women was given a daily dose of combined hormone therapy (oestrogen and progestogen) while the other was the control group.

Women who had had a hysterectomy were further split between combined hormone treatment, oestrogen only and a placebo.

The volunteers were then monitored for an average of one year, with main outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporotic fractures, breast cancer and deaths being recorded.

The researchers found that there was a significant increase in the number of major cardiovascular events women in the combined hormone therapy group when they were compared to the placebo group.

However, they also noted that the there was not much significant difference in the two groups in rates for cerebrovascular disease, breast or other cancers, fractures and overall deaths.

The study thus reinforced experts’ belief that

Source:The Times Of India

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Migraine in men linked to higher risk of heart attacks

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Men who suffer migraine headaches have a higher risk of heart disease, particularly heart attacks, according to a study published .

The researchers found a 24% increased risk for overall cardiovascular disease in men who experienced migraines compared to those who did not, including a 42% increased risk for heart attacks. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, follows similar findings among women.

Tobias Kurth of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and colleagues tracked 20,084 men aged 40 to 84 who had no history of heart disease from the early 1980s through 2005. About 7% of the men reported having migraines.

Kurth said it is unclear what it is about migraines that is increasing the risk.   The honest answer is: it’s unknown, Kurth said. But he noted that people who have migraines tend to have more cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

At this point, it’s far too early to really say that migraine directly is causing cardiovascular disease,  Kurth said in a telephone interview.

Migraines, a particularly painful kind of recurring headache, often are marked by dizziness, nausea, vomiting or extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Women are three times more likely than men to get migraines.

This study focused on men with migraines. The same researchers last year published a study tracking nearly 28,000 women that showed those who had migraines were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease as well.

Kurth said that, relatively speaking, migraines are associated with perhaps a moderate increase in risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly compared to traditional factors like high blood pressure, smoking, obesity and elevated cholesterol.

People who get migraines should be mindful of these risk factors, he said.

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