FACTS:

• What is a heart attack?

= A heart attack (also called myocardial infarction) is when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies because it isn't receiving oxygen. It can also be caused by a blood clot that gets stuck in a narrow part of an artery to the heart.

• How do I know if I'm having a heart attack?

=Feel a pressure or crushing pain in your chest, sometimes with sweating, nausea or vomiting
=Feel pain that extends from your chest into the jaw, left arm or left shoulder.
=Feel tightness in your chest
=Have shortness of breath for more than a couple of seconds

• Risk factors for a heart attack

=Smoking
=Diabetes
=Increasing age--83% of people who die from heart disease are 65 years of age or older
=High cholesterol level
=High blood pressure
=Family history of heart attack
=Race--African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans and Native Hawaiians are at greater risk.
=Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
=Lack of exercise
=Stress
=Obesity
=Sex--More males have heart attacks, although heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women.

• How can I avoid having a heart attack?

=Quit smoking.

=Eat a healthy diet.

=Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.

=Exercise.

=Lose weight if you're overweight.

=Control your blood pressure if you have hypertension.

source:Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

Labels: health

Influenza Virus

Latest Update:

WHO (World Health Organization) is monitoring and compiling surveillance data or case reports and continues conducting ongoing investigations of this worldwide outbreak. As of 06:00 GMT, 27 May 2009, 48 countries have officially reported 13,398 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 95 deaths.

Laboratory-confirmed deaths of new influenza A(H1N1):

Canada = 921 cases , 1 death
Costa Rica = 33 cases , 1 death
Mexico = 4541 cases , 83 deaths
United States of America = 6764 cases , 10 deaths

As of May 27, the virus had spread to more than 50 countries; however, over 80% of reported deaths have taken place in Mexico. This has led to speculation that Mexico may have been in the midst of an unrecognized epidemic for many months prior to the current outbreak.

Source: World Health Organization
Wikipedia

At present, scientists simply do not know why the virus have caused death in adults between ages 20 and 40 for the most part. One valid possibility has to do with antibody cross-reactivity(the ability of an antibody generated from previous exposure to an antigen to react with a similar antigen on the new strain of virus). And why older people? Because they have been alive longer and have been exposed to more antigens than younger individuals, may possess a sort of “background immunity.” And because younger people do not have this immunity, they may be more naive to severe illness.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

Facts:

☻H1N1

= H (hemagglutinins), N (neuraminidases)

☻Symptoms

= sudden fever, muscle aches, headache, lack of energy, sore throat,

runny nose, fever and body aches last 3 to 5 days, sometimes

vommiting, nausea and diarrhea

☻ How you'll get the flu?

= generated by coughing, sneezing, talking, spitting distance,
contaminated hands or surface, and microscopic droplets

☻Origin

= typically swine catch Influenza A from pigs, but can be infected with
strains from birds and humans

NOTE: can't catch it by eating pork

☻How it is treated?

= can be treated with antivirals that are neuraminidase inhibitors

Source: The Center for Biopreparedness

Education

Labels: health