Archive for the 'Blood Disorders' Category

Hemoptysis is the name given to the coughing up of blood or blood-stained sputum.

The blood could come from any part of your airways or lungs.

Most commonly, it is because of bronchitis or pneumonia, but there are other possibilities as well.

Chronic smokers may develop lung neoplasm which can cause hemoptysis, as can tuberculosis, coccidiomycosis and pulmonary embolism, among other conditions.

If a child coughs up blood, it is most likely because they breathed a foreign object into their airway.

It is easy to tell where the blood has come from by the color it is. Bright red blood has come from the respiratory tract while dark red-brown blood will be from the gastrointestinal tract.

Major injury of internal organs can also be the cause of coughing up blood, as can anticoagulant drugs like warfarin. The most common cause is usually the least serious though, and it is most often a small ruptured blood vessel that was caused by coughing spasm or an infection.

If a person is at risk of lung diseases, which includes smokers, hemoptysis can be the sign of a serious problem.

A recent animal study may point to a hidden cause of high blood pressure in humans.

When mice were infected with a virus known as the cytomegalovirus, or CMV, they were more likely to develop high blood pressure as well as atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

This means that we may be able to find a new way to prevent and even treat high blood pressure, by using a vaccine or antiviral medications.

CMV is a very common virus. In fact, between 60 and 99 percent of all adults around the world are infected with CMV. In most adults, the virus causes no problems. In pregnant women, however, a CMV infection can cause serious birth defects.

The first evidence that a CMV infection could cause problems with blood vessels was when CMV positive heart transplant recipients were found to be more likely to have blockages in the arteries in their heart.

The new study was a cooperative effort from specialists in cardiology, pathology, and virology. The study used four groups of mice, two of which were fed a standard diet, two of which were fed a high cholesterol diet.

Aplastic Anemia is a disorder of the blood caused by damaged stem cells in the bone marrow.

The bone marrow is unable to make enough new blood cells for the body to function properly.

The bone marrow, spongy tissue inside the bones, makes stem cells which then develop into red and white blood cells and platelets.

The reduced number of red blood cells causes the level of hemoglobin to drop. Hemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell that carries the oxygen in the blood, so less oxygen is getting around to the organs and muscles. White blood cells help the body fight infections.

Fewer platelets in the blood can cause clotting problems which might cause nose and gum bleeds.

There are several causes of aplastic anemia, but in about half the cases, no reason is ever found. Toxins, like those found in pesticides, have been linked to aplastic anemia, as has chemotherapy, certain medicines, hepatitis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

It is often the feeling of continual tiredness that takes a person to the doctor, but other symptoms could be lack of color in the lips, skin and hands, headaches, shortness of breath, fever or infection, nose bleeds or bleeding gums.

Every year over half a million Americans suffer with a venous  blood clot, those most at risk are the obese, inactive people after injury and others with certain genetic conditions.

The danger is greater as individual’s age and there are nearly 100,000 deaths annually.

Statins are a popular drugs widely used to lower cholesterol throughout the world.

A study carried out by Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been examining their effect on those without any potential heart problems. It has produced some interesting data, which suggests that more of the population should be taking them as a preventative medicine.

The extensive research program was named Jupiter and studied over fifteen thousand adults, throughout 26 countries. The males and females were aged over fifty and sixty respectively and took either a placebo or a high dose of statin.

The data found that the placebo subjects were almost 45 % more likely to suffer from a clot than those taking the statin.

Currently any treatment for venous thromboembolism needs constant monitoring because hemorrhaging is a common side effect. Dr Paul M Ridker, who headed Jupiter, was delighted to announce that this was not the case with the statin.

Are you diagnosed with high blood pressure?

You don’t always need to use medications to reduce or control your high blood pressure.

Simple changes in lifestyle will be enough to combat high blood pressure and to reestablish normal blood pressure levels.

Here are some of the most effective ways to control high blood pressure without using any medicines or drugs.

1. Determine your ideal body weight based on several factors like age and height. Check your weight and try to shed some extra body pounds if you have any, because more often blood pressure increases with the increase of your body weight.
2. Practice regular exercises and incorporate enough physical activity in your routine life. Many health experts believe that 30 to 60 minutes of exercise in 3 to 4 days within a week can be beneficial for people with high blood pressure.
3. Make every meal in a day balanced with all essential vitamins and minerals. Reduce intake of sodium and at the same time increase intake of potassium.
4. Put an end to unhealthy habits like using tobacco products, secondhand smoke, excessive alcohol consumption, etc.

Hypertension is high blood pressure.

If you are suffering from hypertension, your blood is circulating through your body at a rate that is higher than normal.

You might be wondering why hypertension should matter to you.

Until you receive a test from a high pressure gauge, you might not realize that you even have hypertension. But you might notice the symptoms that come with severe hypertension.

If you are suffering from hypertension, you might be experiencing a variety of symptoms that are sometimes also related to other diseases and conditions. This is why hypertension is commonly called the “silent killer.”

Also, if you suffer from the beginning stages of hypertension, you might not experience any symptoms at all.

The symptoms that you might be experiencing if you have hypertension are: low energy, indisposition, weight gain, nose bleeds, blood in the urine, heart palpitations, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing.

If you are suffering from these symptoms, you shouldn’t feel alone. High blood pressure is on the rise.

What are the side effects of hypertension medication?

ACE inhibitors cause coughing, dizziness, headache, fatigue, weakness, rash, and excessively low blood pressure

Varicose veins have many treatment options depending on the severity of the condition.

However, most of the people with varicose veins will be advised to follow certain self care measurements at home.

Some of the most recommended measurements included are stated here.

• Get moving around: In addition to regular exercises, certain physical activity is also essential to cope up with painful varicose veins symptoms. Always try to move around instead of sitting in one place constantly for long periods of time that will decrease your mobility.

• Shed extra body pounds: Not only overweight can affect various parts of your body system, but carrying a few extra pounds could make you less active and leads to painful varicose veins symptoms. Try to shed those few extra pounds off your body with various healthy weight loss techniques and methods.

• Eat healthy: Choose a healthy diet with high-fiber content and low sugar, salt and fat level. Plenty of whole grains, lean meat, fresh vegetables and fruits will add a big plus to your healthy diet as well.

Hemorrhoids are not life-threatening conditions, but they can cause a great discomfort for anyone.

So, if you feel you are at increased risk of getting hemorrhoids, here are a few measures that can hopefully help you to prevent hemorrhoids in the early stages.

1. The first thing that you have to remember to prevent haemorrhoids is keep the area clean and dry always. This way you can also avoid infections.
2. Eat healthily by adding enough fiber to your routine diet. Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, oatmeal and whole grains are great sources of fiber and help protect against haemorrhoids (high fiber diet).
3. Drink plenty of fluids including water regularly and always stay hydrated. This is extremely important to prevent haemorrhoids.
4. Incorporate regular exercises in your everyday routine, but remember not to force yourself to do any particular exercise. Avoid doing activities that can put pressure on hemorrhoids like cycling or lifting heavy weights.
5. Avoid sitting for long periods of time and also remember to change your sitting posture, if you have to sit for long periods of time.
6. Don’t skip your meals and stick to your diet schedule without changing. This is because an improper diet schedule can trigger indigestion and you can consequently develop hemorrhoids.

A new study suggests that along with reducing the salt intake, increasing potassium intake can help people with high blood pressure.

Most of you might aware of the fact that reduced salt intake can help to lower blood pressure.

But, researchers found that reducing the salt intake alone may not help for lowering high blood pressure.

Simultaneously, it is important to boost potassium intake, which has opposite effect to sodium.

According to Dr. Paul Whelton, an epidemiologist and president and CEO of Loyola University Health System, senior author of the study, there is no much focus on potassium as sodium, but it seems that potassium is quite effective in lowering blood pressure.

The combination of lower salt intake and higher intake of potassium is very effective in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease in people with high blood pressure.

Researchers during two phases of the study determined that the average potassium and sodium intake as the trials of the blood pressure prevention.

In one phase of trials, they’ve collected 24-hour urine samples irregularly in a span of 18 months period. In the second phase of trials, they collected the urine sample during 36-month period. Almost 2,974 people aged between 30 to 54 years and having high blood pressure participated in the study.

Thrombosis, formation of blood clot in arteries or any blood vein, causes great damage to the lining of blood vessel.

It mainly affects the circulation of blood in your body and causes serious life threatening health problems.

Luckily, there is a chance for you to prevent this dangerous health problem.

People who are bed ridden from long periods, or sit for long time in their daily routine and even pregnant women are at increased risk of developing thrombosis. Here are few ways to prevent this problem.

1. Quit smoking

Smoking is seriously injurious to health and causes various health problems including thrombosis. If you have habit of smoking, quit as early as possible to halt the progression of thrombosis and also other major health issues linked with smoking.

2. Regular exercises

Regular exercises keep your muscles in condition and help your body muscles to take more oxygen efficiently. It also improves blood circulation in your body. So, workout at least for 30 to 60 minutes everyday and include more physical activity in your routine schedule.

3. Make few lifestyle changes
   Certain lifestyle changes are essential to prevent thrombosis. Some of them include
   • Lose weight if you are weighing more