Saturday, 22 December 2012

3 common tests that are used for pre diabetes diagnosis!

Most of us are familiar with the disease 'Diabetes' and the ill effects it can cause on a person's health. However, there is a condition in which, the person does not suffer from any form of diabetes, but the blood glucose levels are constantly above the normal levels. This medical condition is called prediabetes. It is thus considered as a precursor to diabetes type 2 as well as many of the problems related to heart such as heart attack and stroke. It is estimated that a person suffering from prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within a span of 10 years.

Therefore, it becomes critical to detect this medical condition in an early stage so that future precautions can be taken to avoid any serious illness. Looking at the seriousness of this medical condition, the International Diabetes Federation, the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the study of Diabetes recommended that the following  tests to be used in prediabetesdiagnosis.

A1C Test 

The test is also called as Glycated Hemoglobin test, as it measures the percentage of sugar molecules that are bound to hemoglobin, Hb (oxygen carrying pigment in the blood of human beings). As the percentage of sugar attached to Hb is directly proportional to the blood sugar levels, the test gives a good idea about the average sugar levels for the past couple of months. Under a normal set of conditions, the blood sugar levels in this test should come below 6%. Any value above 6 to 6.5% is considered as a prediabetic stage.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test 

It is an early test that is employed to detect blood sugar values. In the test, the patient's sugar levels are measured before and after drinking a sweet solution. The levels are checked after 2 hours of the consumption of the solution. A healthy individual will have sugar levels in the range 140mg/dL (milligrams/deciliter) or less, whereas in pre diabetic condition, the glucose level is between 140 mg/dL and 199 mg/dL.

Fasting Blood Sugar Test  

As the name suggests, the test measures the blood sugar levels after the patient fasts for approximately 8 hours. The blood sample of the patient is taken and treated to find out the sugar levels of the blood. A healthy individual not suffering from this condition has 100mg/dL value of blood glucose. Whereas in case of prediabetes, the value increases from 100 to 125 mg/dL.

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Things you must discuss while going to a cardiologist

A cardiologist is a medical professional, who holds expertise in heart related disorders. The fact, that heart troubles are on a quick rise all across the globe, has made it really important to stay in touch with a heart specialist nyc in order to ensure the wellness of your heart.

If you have even the slightest of doubts about your heart's health, then you must plan a visit to an experienced heart specialist. As they say, prevention is always better than the cure. You would not want any critical situation to arise just because you were careless enough to forget to pay a visit to the cardiologist. To make sure that you are healthy and your heart is also in good working condition, it is really important to visit a cardiologist for check up.

However, if you are going to visit the best cardiologist in New York or for that matter any heart care professional in the city, there is a list of important things that you must discuss along. Let us have a look at the list that you need to review:

Family History

Although heart problems are generally related to the physical well being of a person, they can have a genetic root cause as well. This is why it becomes so important, for the cardiologist, to know about the medical history of your family. It may include any incidences of occurrence of any major heart related complication amongst family members. With a prior analysis of the family tree, which in medical language is known as 'pedigree analysis' (the genetic representation of a medical condition being passed on from one generation to the other in a family), the cardiologist can get a good idea about the reason for heart problem. So, the first thing that you need to discuss while going to a heart specialist is to list the medical record of heart troubles in your family in the past.

Personal Disease Details

Now that the cardiologist has a brief idea about the family history, it becomes important for the professional to know about your medical background as well. It includes the details of any major surgeries that you might have undergone or any complex health issues that you might have in the past or present. Knowledge about all this can help the cardiologist plan the suitable diagnosis and prescription for you.

List of medications

Another important thing to mention here is that you must bring along a list of the current medications that you are using for any reason. There are a number of medications that can cause an allergic reaction when taken alongside other medicines. Hence, the cardiologist must know about the current status of your medications in order to prescribe those drugs that will not cause any allergic response.

The above mentioned things and their importance are clearly justified. Hence, if you plan to visit a cardiologist, you must review these to avoid any miscommunication and complication in the diagnosis and treatment.

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Is Angina One Of The Possible Causes Of Chest Pain?

The chest covers a large part of the body and many of the vital organs located within our body are contained within the chest. The organs are physically protected by the presence of the rib cage and these organs are very delicate and even a slight physical injury to them might lead to life threatening consequences. The most common problem that leads people seeking emergency care is chest pain. Although causes of chest pain are far more intricate than physical injury, injury can be one of the reasons as to why one would face pain in the chest and thoracic region of the body.

Apart from physical injury, there can be a number of other reasons of chest pain. The patient might suffer from chest pain due to any of the following mentioned reasons:
  • Indigestion
  • Shortness of breath
  • Heavy sweating
  • Nausea
  • Cramping
  • Heartburn
However, the most common causes of chest pain are related to heart disease. These causes of chest pain can be the early symptoms of a heart problem. Amongst these the most common one is Angina; let us have a look at this medical condition and its role in chest pain:

Angina Pectoris is a medical condition where there is shortage of oxygen supply to the heart that might lead to pain in the chest. This condition reflects the symptoms of coronary heart disease due to arterial blockage that may cause a heart attack. Chest pain caused due to angina can be differentiated from the usual chest pain. The pain due to this medical condition is generally felt across the chest behind the breast bone in particular and is usually felt as heaviness/tightening and squeezing across the chest with pressure. It is generally observed that the radiating pain might spread to even the neck back, arms and even the teeth & jaw as well.

A slight awareness and an early diagnosis as to what is the cause of chest pain could work as an alarm bell against a deteriorating health condition. If any of the above mentioned signs related to chest pain are faced by you, then you must get in touch with a medical specialist to ensure that your heart remains healthy and vigorous. With common diagnostic tests like ECG, (Electrocardiogram) and a stress test, the doctor will be able to detect whether there is the possibility of heart disease or you need not to worry about your heart’s condition when the chest pain occurs.

Thursday, 15 November 2012

Shortness Of Breath-Is It One Of The Symptoms Of Heart Disease?

Feeling short of breath is a common situation after a vigorous walking. Most people tend to overlook this; however, it can be a serious issue if you face this situation without doing any strenuous exercise.

If we talk about the medical terminology then, this condition of shortness of breath is called Dyspnea. The word by definition of “Dyspnea” according to American Thoracic Society is “A subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity.” However, in a layman’s language it is termed as difficulty in breathing that gives a feeling of breathlessness.

Air hunger, another common term used for this situation, in the majority of cases is associated with diseases like pneumonia, asthma and other pulmonary diseases. However, in many cases, shortness of breath is considered as the first symptom of ‘cardiac ischemia’ or ‘congestive heart failure’ or problems related to improper functioning of heart.

Wondering how heart and breathing are related, because breathing is something that is related to lungs? Well, friends you must know that the heart acts as a blood-pumping organ, while lungs distribute oxygen to all the body parts.

Nevertheless, are you aware of how this oxygen is transported? The blood is oxygenated by entering the lungs and is then pumped to different parts of the body. If there is some problem in the heart, then there would be a hindrance in blood supply directly affecting oxygen transport in the body.

A good example of this is ‘Congestive Heart Failure’ (CHF), a medical condition where the heart is unable to deliver an adequate amount of oxygenated blood to the body because of improper pumping action, leading to shortness of breath that could be one of the causes behind this symptom.

Shortness of breath due to CHF was the reason that led to Elizabeth Taylor’s death in March 2011, one of the great actors of Hollywood’s Golden age.

Although shortness of breath is associated with panic attack sometimes, it is also one of the early symptoms that your heart needs a bit more care. As we all know, “prevention is always better than the cure”, therefore, it is always a wise step to find out the exact reason as to what was the reason behind your shorteness of breath, rather than waiting for any perilous situation to arise. In case you have any heart related issue, you can get in touch with a medical professional to ensure no life-threatening situation comes up.

Thursday, 1 November 2012

Contact The Best Of All New York Cardiologists To Live Better With Every Heartbeat!

It all ultimately boils down to your heartbeat, and that is what life is all about. No matter how rich or poor, happy or unhappy, married, single, or intelligent you are, in the end it is all about the ticking of your heart.

One minute you are alive and happy and worrying about the day-to-day melodrama in life, and the next, you lay stone cold, unmoving and with no heart beat. This explains that no matter who we are and what we do, heart health is very important. New York is a place full of the ruckus of normal life, with stress and tensions and deadlines. This is why there is need for even more attention to be paid towards what that fragile heart of yours must be going through in this process.

Everyone need to understand that the heart needs to be taken good care of, and caring for it begins with simple steps. Eating nutritious food that does not clog the arteries and walls of your heart, as well as having a good routine for exercise and maintaining good health are essential. Working out is as important as eating food and should not be overlooked at any time. Obesity is one of the main reasons for a number of diseases and heart disease is no different. This is why one needs to be careful that they maintain an ideal body weight according to their BMI, so that they do not have to fall prey to diseases.

New York Cardiologists are some of the best in the world and you can benefit from consulting them about your health.Going for routine health check-ups with these doctors, will inform you about the sort of health your heart currently is in. Besides this, the doctors will be able to guide you through the appropriate way for caring or the heart. You can find out the risk factors that you might be suffering from, that might be posing a threat to your health, whilst making it possible for you to keep a proper track of your health needs and requirements.

You can find aid from the top-notch doctors in the city, without any hassle. It is really simple these days, because there are many doctors available who work towards enhancing not only the current health of the patients, also, help in building a stable future for them, in terms of providing ample knowledge about heart care.

One can easily find doctors by looking up local directories and searching on the internet, for the top clinics, and individual practitioners in town. Making appointments with them also is not a problem considering the flexible options available.

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Cardiac Calcium Score- A Measure Of Your Blood Vessel Blockages!


Heart disease is generally associated with unhealthy eating habits. A major cause of heart attacks is arterial blockage, due to excessive deposition of cholesterol that narrows the lumen of the blood vessels. A scan of these blood vessels can thus help in detecting the narrowing of the blood vessels.

The field of disease diagnostics has seen progress in recent times, with technology making it possible to detect even the minutest of changes in the functioning of organs. If we talk about the diagnostic techniques for heart problems, then a number of new techniques have been discovered. One of the most trusted techniques amongst these is a cardiac calcium score test, which gives the measure of calcium deposition in the blood vessels. This score can help in the prediction of any heart trouble in future and thus prepare you for the future.

Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, and even a slight blockage in them could have life threatening consequences on the health of the person, which is why you need to go for coronary calcium scan.

So what exactly is a coronary calcium scan? 

We all are familiar with the term x-ray technology used as a diagnostic tool. Now, a coronary scan can be considered as a special x-ray test used to check for any calcification inside the walls of blood vessels coming from heart. The test uses a specialized technology which is known as Computerized Tomography, commonly called a CT-scan. The results of the scan are in the form of calcium scores and the scan is also referred to as calcium scoring test most of the time.

Generally there is no calcium deposit in the blood vessels, so even a slight detection of calcium in the arteries can give an indication of trouble in the future. Deposition of calcium in the vessels supplying blood to the heart can lead to coronary heart disease. The calcium deposits in the form of plaques can be a serious cause of worry. The plaques can cause the blockage of blood vessels and that can lead to a lack of oxygen supply and in severe cases could lead to heart attacks as well.

The mortality rate in the case of heart attacks is significant so early prediction of heart blockages can prove to be lifesaving. That is why it is important that one must get the heart scans done at an early stage. It is considered by physicians that a coronary scan can predict the risk of heart trouble for the coming years, making it a reliable tool for detecting any heart disease at an early stage.

Once any risk is predicted, the cardiologist can guide you to a change in eating habits as well as any alteration needed in lifestyle, after all it is matter of life and death.

If you need any assistance in regard to Heart diseases and their diagnosis, you can rely on the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center. Just have a look at www.newyorkcardiac.com and see the services they provide. With the team of skilled cardiologists working there, the center has gained an unmatched reputation.



Thursday, 18 October 2012

You Can Entrust Your Health To The Best New York Cardiologist!


The heart is the most important part of the body, but is also the most ignored. People are careless and live their lives with the least of worries about the health and safety of the heart. This is why there are so many cases of heart disease. There are many risk factors, which need to be taken into consideration and used as a basis for treatment.

Maintaining an ideal body weight is the first step towards a healthy life. One should exercise enough to do away with the excess fat so that one does not become obese. Obesity contributes to many diseases. This is why one needs to make sure that ideal body weight is maintained. Exercising and eating well, and eating low fat food will contribute towards maintaining a healthy figure. High cholesterol and high blood pressure are also situations that one needs the help of a New York Cardiologist. Factors such as smoking and drinking take you one step closer to a heart condition.

Going for regular health checkups is extremely important and for this one should have the right New York Cardiologist to trust. It is important that you be under the guidance and observation of a doctor, who can monitor changes in your heart functionality rates, and start treatment as soon as it is required. Another crucial point about heart disease stems from family backgrounds, and if one has a family history of heart disease, there is reason to be prepared to institute preventative measures.

New York boasts of some of the most amazing cardiologists that have helped people stay fit and healthy. You need to ask as many people as possible to guide you towards the right cardiologist, so that he/ she can care for your heart better and keep you away from the risk of heart disease. This is the first step towards leading a healthy life and staying fit.

Monday, 1 October 2012

New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center- Diagnosing Coronary Diseases Since 1987

Since its inception in 1987, the New York Cardiac Diagnostic center has earned the trust and an unsurpassed reputation in coronary disease diagnosis. Steven Reisman, M.D. of the center has been the man behind it all.
Providing reliable services for more than two decades, the team of professionals are working here dedicated towards detecting any heart trouble by performing rigorous tests for heart disease.
For instance, A Coronary calcium score, a test which is used to detect calcium in the blood vessels, can be arranged as part of a complete check up. The test depicts the amount of calcium deposited inside the arteries and gives a fair idea of the possibility of any future major heart blockages or complications related to it.
Being one of the first outpatient offices in the city that dealt with nuclear cardiac stress testing along with pharmacologic testing for people who are unable to exercise, the center has excelled in the field of diagnostic services.
Having associations with most of the prominent Manhattan Cardiologists and other hospitals in the city, for accurate analysis of different types of heart issues, New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center has been helping people detect their heart troubles before they become worse




Friday, 28 September 2012

Only the Best Cardiology Doctors Can Identify Symptoms of Cardiac Disease


Although, all our body parts are equally important, when it comes to the heart, no issue can be a minor issue. Every cardiac issue is serious and must, at all cost, be dealt with in that way, otherwise, you may be in trouble.

Cardiac issues may be unexpected. Hence, the moment you have any cardiac problem, you must consult the
best cardiology doctors if you are living in a place like Manhattan.

In this article, we will discuss symptoms of the most prominent cardiac problems. However, before we go further, there is one thing that you must know is, there are several heart issues that may have similar symptoms, which is why sometimes it becomes important for the doctors to identify the exact problem. This is why, consulting only the best cardiology doctors, was recommended in the above paragraph.


Now, let us have a look at the symptoms of the major heart problems:
  • Coronary Artery Disease - Chest pain is one of the most prominent signs of coronary artery disease, but it is not the only one. Other symptoms of this disease are chest heaviness, difficulty in breathing, weakness and faster heartbeat.
  • Heart Attack - Pain in the left part or middle of your chest, arms or below the ribs may be a symptom of heart attack. But, there are other symptoms of heart attack as well, which include indigestion, feeling of choking, vomiting, nausea and fast heartbeat.
  • Arrhythmias - Skipping of heartbeats (irregular heartbeat), chest pounding, discomfort in breathing, and slight pain in the chest are the symptoms of arrhythmias. Arrhythmias may be asymptomatic.
  • Atrial Fibrillation - Pain and pressure in the chest, dizziness and weakness are the most prominent signs of atrial fibrillation.
  • Heart Valve Disease - Symptoms of this diagnosis are dizziness, shortness of breath, and skipping of heartbeats and at times chest pain and fainting.
You must have noticed that some symptoms (like chest pain and dizziness) were common in almost all the cardiac problems. If you do not approach an experienced professional for treatment, the diagnosis might be missed.

Since the medical world is very advanced, it is not a tough task to find out the best medical professional in cities like New York City or Los Angeles.

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Cardiologists in NYC says - Be Aware for a Good Heart Care, the Problems of Heart aren’t Rare


The heart is obviously the most essential part of the body and there is an utmost need for care to be taken about how it functions throughout one's life. It is important to keep the heart in the best of health so that it pumps blood and helps in proper functioning of the other parts of the body for a long time. When it comes to people dwelling in New York City, people from many age groups and any sort of lifestyle might fall prey to heart problems.

Such
a scenario calls for greater efforts to be put towards preventing these diseases. Prevention can come only after proper awareness. There is a necessity for one and all to come to terms with the fact that there is crucial need for more awareness to be created in terms of heart care. This is because the lifestyle of people in New York City may be taking a toll on their health.

There
are number of platforms available these days that cater to the needs of people. They are basically to help one in terms of making one aware of the recent trends in caring for the health of the heart.

These
are mainly the guides that can act like lifesavers for people. The organizations offering these services tend to have very good networking with renowned physicians across the globe and this is what makes it possible for them to bring in front of people useful information for taking the best care of one's health. It ranges from information about blood pressure and cholesterol levels of the body to help people maintain the best health of their heart.

Also,
one can set up appointments with some of the best cardiologists in the vicinity. One might have taken the basic precautions of eating well and jogging a bit, but less strict on cutting back smoking levels and this might tend to have a negative impact on their health. This is the reason they might be falling short of maintaining good heart health.

These
platforms available are not only for people but also for physicians, who can have health articles and blogs, which might be of real importance to society in the long run. This is a place they can share success stories and learn the opinion of other doctors when it comes to tricky cases.

Another
good reason why people should subscribe to such social platforms is that it would be much easier to get the help of a cardiologist from here and one wouldn't have to wait for a long time for their appointments.