Conditions

Risk Factors of Age-related Macular Degeneration Age is the most important risk factor for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD or ARMD). The risk increases multiple folds in age above 70 years. Other risk factors include smoking, genetic susceptibility and family history. Cardiac illness and hypertension are also considered as important risk factors of Age related Macular Degeneration. Contributed by  Dr Brijesh Takkar CRTP Fellow, IHOPE Consultant Ophthalmologist, Vitreo Retinal…

What Is Age related Macular Degeneration There is a population shift towards older age worldwide, and even in India around 180 million individuals are estimated to be at or above 60 years by 2026. As per the national survey conducted in India, 5% of blindness in the older population is caused by retinal diseases, of which age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD) is a common cause.   AMD, a condition that affects the central vision of a person, is an acquired cause of retinal…

Heart failure can be avoided by working on lifestyle changes and decreasing your risk factors if any: Regular exercise is a must. 5 days or 150 hours of cardiovascular exercises per week is the recommended goal to stay physically active. Maintain optimal body weight. If you are overweight or obese, lose the excess pounds. Eat healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean meats, fish etc. Avoid processed, packaged and preserved foods. Stop smoking and use of other tobacco products to reduce…

Lifestyle modifications – It plays very important role in managing heart failure. Heart failure patients should reduce their salt intake and fluid intake. Quitting smoking and tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight and regular exercise is necessary under guidance of health care provider. Monitoring fluid intake: Patients may need to track their fluid intake and restrict it if necessary to prevent fluid overload. Cardiac rehabilitation – It combines exercise training, education and support to…

What is the treatment of heart failure Various medications are utilized to manage symptoms, improve heart function, and slow disease progression. Medications to regulate water loss - diuretics reduce the congestion and relieve the symptoms of breathlessness. They play a crucial role in managing fluid retention in heart failure. Furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide are commonly prescribed. Oxygen therapy or use of ventilation therapy (non-invasive ventilation or invasive ventilator support based…

How is Heart Failure diagnosed? Heart failure is diagnosed based upon medical history, a physical examination, and a series of tests. The doctor will take into account the symptoms and risk factors and correlate those with clinical examination findings of heart rate, blood pressure, pressure wave forms of the venous pulse (JVP), chest and cardiac examination and examination of your abdomen and limbs These tests can determine how well your heart is working and cause of heart failure:…

What are the risk factors associated with heart failure? Patients prone to heart diseases are all prone to heart failure as well. This includes patients with high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, smoking, alcohol consumption, stress, family history of heart attacks, heart valve diseases, arrhythmias, renal failure, anemia, thyroid diseases, etc. Rarely, the heart can be affected by congenital heart disease from birth, diseases of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy), infections…

What are the symptoms or signs of heart failure? The main symptom of heart failure is shortness of breath. Often it is a feeling of choking or discomfort in breathing. An important symptom is that the breathlessness is more in lying down posture and is often relieved in sitting up position. This is occasionally accompanied with coughing (usually with minimal sputum) and rarely with blood tinged frothy cough. Often patients have subtle signs to start with such as fatigue and tiredness while…

What is ejection fraction (EF)? Why is it important to know your EF number and what it means? Ejection fraction refers to the Pumping Power of your heart. It is normally 55-60%. It is important to know what is the pumping power of your heart since reduced pumping power or ejection fraction implies that your heart is diseased and increases the risk for congestive heart failure. Are there different types of heart failure? Heart failure most often occurs due to reduced ejection fraction – called…