Heart Health

In general, premature atrial complexes (PACs) and premature ventricular complexes(PVCs) are not harmful. This holds especially true if there is nothing else wrong with the heart. When someone presents with both... continue reading  about  I'm a woman (52) who's had heart palpitations for 20 years. Now they happen more often. I get 10 - 50/day where I feel my heart skip around. I've been to cardiologists and they find nothing wrong and say it's just PVCs and PACs. Should I worry?

"Mini-stroke" is a term that commonly refers to the medical condition transient ischemic attack (TIA). TIA refers to loss of neurologic function that is transient (less than 24 hours). These occur due to blocka... continue reading  about  What is a mini stroke? Are there any warning signs before it happens?

Feeling your heart beat at night can be very scary. It sounds like you are pretty fit and healthy. It would be very rare, indeed, for palpitations at night to turn out to be something dangerous or worrisome. Sy... continue reading  about  I'm a 42 year old woman. I run three to four times a week. My blood pressure is around 115/74. But I have horrifying heart palpitations at night. I'm exhausted. I did a 24-hour Holter monitor and am waiting for an event monitor.

Statins are a class of medications used to lower cholesterol. They work by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, which is important for cholesterol production in the liver. Statins are very commonly us... continue reading  about  What is statin therapy and what are the side effects of this drug?

Caffeine has multiple effects on the central nervous system, as well as the heart. Typically most people will experience an increase in heart rate, the degree of which differs among individuals. The amount of i... continue reading  about  My husband and I both have a large black coffee every day. After drinking his coffee, my husband's heart rate is elevated for hours. I don't see any increase in my heart rate from drinking coffee. Is this due to metabolism? Should my husband drink decaf?

Great question. Here are a few additional thoughts about your particular situation: You mentioned a trip to Lake Tahoe, so keep in mind that altitude by itself, even without the cold weather, is a special consi... continue reading  about  My husband has heart disease. I heard that someone with this condition needs to be careful in the cold weather. We'll be vacationing in Lake Tahoe soon, so I'd like to know how cold weather affects the heart. Should we cancel the trip?

The “sac that surrounds the heart” is called the pericardium. The pericardium is a fibroelastic sac that contains 15 to 50 cc of fluid and surrounds and protects the heart. Pericarditis, or an infla... continue reading  about  How does the sac that surrounds the heart become infected?

Hypertension or high blood pressure is defined as follows: Normal blood pressure: Pre-high blood pressure: 120-139mmHg/80-89mmHgStage 1 high blood pressure: 140-159mmHg/90-99mmHgStage 2 high blood pressure: >... continue reading  about  I have borderline high blood pressure. How much, and how quickly, does diet affect blood pressure? Would having two slices of bacon raise my blood pressure that day?

It is not uncommon to miss heart palpitations during a 24-hour ECG monitor. Palpitations can come and go, and catching them can be elusive at times. There are monitors that can be worn for seven days or longer ... continue reading  about  I have heart palpitations and have been tested with the 24-hour monitors. But of course my palpitations never seem to happen when I have the Holter monitor on. So how can my problem be diagnosed?