A research project based in Sweden has indicated that the stress of being diagnosed with prostate cancer may significantly increase your risk of suffering an imminent and fatal heart attack.

Furthermore, the cause of the heart attack appears to be linked to the actual shock of receiving the bad news about the diagnosis of the prostate cancer, rather than an underlying or pre-existing heart disease condition. This is according to the findings of the study published in the medical journal PLoS Medicine Reports.

Prostate cancer is a serious and potentially fatal cancer of the prostate gland, and is a medical condition that is responsible for nearly one eighth of all male deaths from cancer in the United Kingdom. The highest actual number of diagnosed prostate gland cases occur in the United States, although the US lies in eighth place in terms of mortality from the disease.

In 2007 there were more than ten thousand deaths in the UK from prostate cancer, and each year more than thirty five thousand new cases are diagnosed. The only type of cancer that kills more people after prostate cancer is lung cancer.

The majority of prostate cancer deaths occur in men aged 65 and over, After the age of 85 it overtakes lung cancer to become the most common cause of cancer deaths.

The heart attack research was based on a study of the medical records of more than four million men, and spanned over forty years. From the study group approximately four percent, or 170,000 men went on to develop prostate cancer.

It has revealed that in the crucial short term period following the diagnosis of prostate cancer, the patients were found to be over ten times more likely to die from heart related problems and heart attacks during the first week after the initial diagnosis.

Another shocking statistic that emerged is that young people as well as those with no history of cardiovascular disease were found to be particularly at risk.

But the problem remained active for far longer than one would imagine, with an elevated risk still present in patients up to a year after the initial diagnosis of the prostate cancer.

However, the British Prostate Cancer Charity has reacted cautiously to the study findings. A statement by the charity’s Head of Policy and Campaigns, Sarah Cant, has highlighted that the Swedish study failed to take into account certain factors such as pre-existing cardiovascular disease, hypertension and high blood pressure and even mental health problems and suicide. She is quoted as saying that more research into the subject and linkage needs to be performed.

It is also interesting to note that, whilst prostate cancer is predominantly a male disease, the same principal of shock news potentially triggering heart attacks could reasonably be applied to women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Now a new type of medical diagnostic device has been developed that could provide much earlier diagnosis of a stroke than ever before, and could help to save lives by allowing the correct form of treatment to be administered sooner by doctors.

There are two types of stroke – ischemic and hemorrhagic. The ischemic stroke accounts for nearly three quarters of strokes, and occurs when a blood clot forms inside one of the blood vessels in the brain, cutting off the supply of blood and oxygen. The hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a blood vessel that bursts and leaks blood into the surrounding brain tissue causing brain damage.

Depending on the type of stroke that you may suffer, vitally different treatment needs to given, as quickly as possible, by the attending doctor or surgeon. In order to do this it is critical to diagnose the exact nature of the stroke. For instance, it would be no use whatsoever to prescribe an anti clotting medication if the patient was suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, as this could make the hemorrhaging even worse, and possibly kill the patient. Hemorrhagic strokes almost always require emergency surgery to repair the damaged blood vessel and remove the blood from the surrounding brain tissue.

The new device is a type of helmet that is placed over the head, and connected to a computer. It uses advanced ultrasound techniques, and newly developed software to overcome previous problems associated with passing ultrasonic sound waves through the head. It can produce a complete and detailed video image of the inside of the brain to assist doctors to make a rapid and accurate diagnosis of the patient’s condition.

Developed by the scientists and engineers at Duke University, North Carolina, the high tech ’stroke helmet’ could provide emergency paramedics with the advanced diagnosis of the patient’s condition, allowing instant treatment to take place inside the ambulance, or by transmitting a graphical image of the brain to the nearest hospital, and allowing the correct medical team to be assembled, and ready to perform the correct treatment on the arrival of the ambulance.

This could save vital hours compared to the present system where a CT scan is performed at the hospital after the patient has been admitted. Where clot busting drugs are required, these are only effective if they are administered within a few hours of the suspected stroke, so the time factor may be critical in determining the recovery prospects of the patient.

The research team are working on a version of the helmet that will allow clinical trials to take place, although it may be some time yet before your local paramedics are able to offer the new device to their suspected stroke patients.

If you’ve been following our research and updates on swine flu, and it’s relevance to those of our many thousands of readers with an interest in heart disease, our last update on swine flu and heart disease was posted on July 20th 2009. We’re issuing this latest update as we feel there are significant developments that now need to be reported.

Because Swine Flu or any other type of Influenza virus places extra strain on the body, we’ve been especially concerned to warn our readers that prevention really is better than attempting to deal with the illness, especially if you are unfortunate enough to also suffer from a heart complaint.

How to avoid getting Swine Flu

The UK government’s advice is ‘catch it – bin it – kill it’ – and refers to using a disposable tissue (catching the virus) when sneezing or coughing in public, then quickly disposing of the tissue (bin it) and hence killing the virus by preventing it from easily spreading.

Because the common cold and flu viruses are so resilient, the best defence is avoidance of coming into contact with the virus. The main attack method of the swine flu virus is  by getting into the body via the nose, mouth or eyes. The best chance of avoiding this is by avoiding public places where you may be exposed to airborn particles containing the virus as a result of a sneeze or a cough from an affected individual. Secondly, because the virus can survive on hard surfaces such as door handles, it is essential that you wash your hands frequently with soap and water whenever you come into contact with these surfaces in public, or at home if another member of your family has been diagnosed.

Cases of swine flu are rocketing again this Autumn

During the intervening period through the summer months, the spread of the Swine Flu virus has been much reduced, as expected. But with the advent of late autumn, moving into winter in the northern hemisphere, and the reduction in average temperatures we are starting to see the predicted rise (or second wave) in the number of diagnosed cases of the virus.

During the last week of October, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United Kingdom has increased by over fifty percent in just one week, reaching nearly 80,000 !

Over half a million people have now contracted the swine flu virus in the UK since the start of the current flu pandemic in the early part of 2009, and there have been 137 deaths from the illness during this period. Although this figure is relatively small, representing just over 2 people dying per 10,000 confirmed cases, there must surely be many heart disease sufferers who may not have died after contracting the virus, but whose condition has suffered as a result of the additional strain placed on their heart disease condition by the swine flu illness. This may translate into unknown future premature deaths from heart attacks, heart failure and strokes, but is impossible to calculate.

More swine flu patients are now requiring intensive care

Another worrying statistic is that the percentage of swine flu victims requiring intensive care has risen substantially, according to the UK government’s chief medical officer – Sir Liam Donaldson. There are currently over 750 people hospitalised in the UK with swine flu, but 20% of these patients are in intensive care, and this is following the pattern  established in Australia and the southern hemisphere during their winter.

So, although the level of infection is approaching the 100,000 new weekly cases maximum established in July 2009, the number of serious cases has far exceeded that level reached in July.

Swine Flu Vaccine is now available !

A new swine flu vaccine has been developed by drugs giant Glaxo SmithKline, and is now starting to become available at doctors surgeries in the UK. The initial batch is to be targetted at high risk patients, and the UK government plans to immunise all high risk patients by the middle of December.

We urge all our readers who have any problems with their heart health or immune system to contact their physician to enquire when they can obtain a vaccination against swine flu, as it is not clear whether there will be an automatic system of contacting vulnerable patients, including those with heart conditions.

What are Varicose Veins?

A Varicose Vein is a common type of Varicosity that usually affects surface veins rather than deep veins. Usually a non-serious condition, they are localised, visible, irregular bulging veins that are most frequently found in the calves and legs, because standing and walking puts extra pressure on the veins in the lower body, although they can be found elsewhere in the body. They can be quite long and are usually dark blue or purple in colour which causes them to stand out against the surrounding skin.

Who is likely to suffer from them?

A swollen vein can often be a painful and debilitating complaint. This is a medical problem that is suffered by millions of (usually) older people worldwide.

Women tend to be more affected than men, with approximately 30% of women developing varicose veins in their lifetime, compared to 15% of men, and they can cause particular embarrassment to women due their often unsightly appearance.

What causes Varicose Veins?

Veins are used to carry blood on it’s return journey to the heart after it has been pumped around the body. Blood pressure is high in the arteries, but very low in the veins as the force of the heartbeat is almost spent by the time it reaches the extremities of the body. Consequently blood flow through the veins is slow, and also has to work against gravity, from the lower legs back to the heart. In order to accomplish this, the veins are equipped with a series of one-way valves that prevent blood from leaking downwards through gravity, as the natural flow of blood continues upwards, under slight pressure. When these valves become faulty it can cause the stagnation of the blood flow and lead to the condition developing. There are also additional factors that may affect the formation and extent of varicose vein appearance :-

• Low oxygen content in the blood
• Low blood glucose levels
• Poor bodily nutrition
• Accumulation of metabolic toxins normally cleared by strong blood flow
• Genetic susceptibility
• Obesity

What are the symptoms of Varicose veins?

The symptoms of varicosity can be both visible, and sensory – accompanied by fatigue and pain – usually in the form of an ache. Varicose veins are swollen and enlarged veins which are usually a blue or dark purple. They may also be lumpy, bulging or twisted in appearance. 

What Treatments are available?

There are four main treatments that are currently available for varicose veins treatment. These are :-

• Conservative therapy through support stockings
• A clotting injection to close off the affected veins
• Surgical treatment known as ’stripping’
• Laser Vein Treatment, or Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT™)

The simplest treatment is to wear support stockings that assist with blood flow, and diversion of blood into deep veins where blood flow is improved. This can produce very effective results.

Where the use of a support stocking has not been effective, a localised injection of a special blood clotting compound may be used to seal off the affected veins to prevent any worsening of the condition.

Surgical removal of varicose veins may be recommended where previous treatments have proved to be ineffective. This procedure involves an operation carried out under a general anaesthetic to tie of both ends of the affected vein, via surgical incisions at either end, and physically remove it. This process is known as ’stripping’.

The latest treatment is known as Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT™), and is a less invasive method of treating varicose veins, involving a simple laser vein treatment procedure that can be carried out in less than an hour and under local anaesthetic.

Well, apparently it is.

When a relationship breaks down, especially a long term relationship, the resulting pain and anguish experienced by the rejected person is often described as ‘a broken heart’. More often than not, this is accompanied by a period of misery and depression, that may last for many years, or until a new relationship is found to replace the feelings of loss and grief that frequently follow the breakup.

But what if the relationship is terminated suddenly and unexpectedly by the death of one of the partners?

Research conducted by the University of Glasgow has shown that losing a partner may significantly increase your risk of dying yourself, and this may be due literally to a broken heart – where the surviving spouse is unable to live without the person to whom they have been married to for many years.

There are some high profile examples of this phenomenon as well as potentially countless unrecorded instances :-

• The ex British Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan died in 1995 aged 92, just over a week after his wife died. They had been married for nearly 70 years.

• The parents of the Kemp brothers from the famous 80’s pop group Spandau Ballet, died within a short time at the same hospital after the husband – Frank Kemp – suffered a heart attack and died. When his wife learned of his death, she herself passed away within a short time.

But the most amazing story of all must surely be of the couple from the UK – Stewart and Olga Whitfield, aged 56 and 61 respectively, who both died from heart attacks literally within minutes of each other – whilst the paramedics were on their way.

Mr. Whitfield had called for emergency help after his wife had suffered from a cardiac arrest. When the paramedics arrived they were unable to gain access to the house, so they were forced to break a window to enter the property. What they found inside must surely have amazed them, as they discovered that both Mr and Mrs Whitfield were dead, and both had died from a heart attack within a few minutes of each other.

According to their neighbours the couple were completely dedicated to one another, and this may be the clue to the unusual circumstances of their deaths, although backed up by the Glasgow University study conclusions.

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What is visceral Fat ?

Visceral fat (or ‘hidden fat’ as it is often referred to), is a different type of fat from other body fat. Also known as intra-abdominal fat, this fat lies deeper beneath the skin, and surrounds the body’s internal organs. It is also more difficult to lose than surface or subcutaneous fat that lies just beneath the epidermis.

Visceral fat cells are deep, active, fat storage cells. They release inflammatory agents knwon as ‘cytokines’, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), that contribute to chronic non-infectious systemic inflammation. Visceral fat also produces angiotensin, a chemical messenger that can elevate blood pressure by causing the constriction of blood vessels. Even small increases in visceral fat can result in damage to the endothelium, which is a thin protective layer of tissue within the blood vessels that separates the blood from the wall of the vessel.

Visceral fat is more dangerous than normal body fat

The soft surface fat that shows in ripples and cellulite on your thighs, buttocks, and hips (the pear shape) may make you look bad in your swimsuit or shorts, but it is actually a lot less dangerous than deep visceral fat. Because visceral fat wraps itself around the vital organs of the body, it can cause compression and inflammation of these organs.

This type of inflammation can lead to premature hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis, and risk of acute coronary syndrome. It is also a contributory factor in developing metabolic syndrome – a group of risk factors linked to obesity and weight gain that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Visceral fat also causes concern because it is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol. However the biggest danger related to Visceral fat is that it can go undetected as in many cases it is not visible from the outside of the body. Also this type of fat cannot be removed by liposuction.

How is visceral fat detected ?

The only way for doctors to determine how much visceral fat a patient is carrying is by a magnetic resonance imaging (mri) scan. This uses magnetic waves to form a three dimensional image of the interior of the abdomen, and allows the doctors to accurately determine the extent of visceral fat within the persons body and around the organs.

What causes visceral fat (and how to avoid it) ?

One of the prime causes is excessive body weight gain, so maintaining an optimal body weight by calorie restriction, and exercise, is key to preventing the build up of visceral fat.

Keep in mind that this type of fat is more difficult to eliminate from the body, and cannot be removed by liposuction, so prevention is much better than attempting to cure.

Other risk factors are aging, diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excesive alcohol consumption and hormonal factors. The good news is that even modest reductions in visceral fat can help to reverse its adverse effects.

Excessive body fat is a major contributory factor in heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Now a new treatment known as cryolipolysis has been developed in the United States that helps to remove surplus body fat, and aid weight loss, by locally freezing the affected part of the body.

How does it work ?

The traditional method of physical reduction of fat from different bodily areas such as the stomach, hips and thighs has been by liposuction, where the fatty tissue is literally extracted through an incision in the skin, through a process of suction – hence the term liposuction.

The problem with liposuction is that it is a surgically invasive procedure that involves a certain degree of risk. When it goes wrong it can cause infection, scarring or hemorrhaging.

The freezing process in the new procedure triggers the decomposition of the fat – a process known as lipolysis, through temperature. The cold temperature causes localised inflammation of the cells responsible for the production and storage of fat, known as adipocytes. This disruption to the fat production process causes a net reduction in the amount of fat in that part of the body.

You can easily reproduce this effect yourself by sucking on a frozen ice cream. Whilst your tongue may soon feel cold and even slightly painful with the cold, what you may not realise is that it actually becomes inflamed. This is the principal of lipolysis in action.

What does the procedure involve ?

Clinical trials of cryolipolysis have utilised a metal plate about 12 square centimeters that is directly attached to the fatty part of the body for about twenty minutes and cooled quickly to -1 degrees C.

However because the process requires extreme cold in order to cause tissue damage, and the degeneration and breakdown of the fat cells, since the fat layer is beneath the surface of the skin, the treatment may require pain relief via a local anasthetic.

Diet and exercise are still the best weight loss tactics

The doctors who developed the treatment have cautioned, however, that this treatment should not be regarded as a future cure-all for obesity and weight loss, and is never going to be a substitute for a well balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, and a good exercise regimen.

When the normal heart rhythm is disrupted for whatever reason, and the heart starts to beat irregularly, we can start to panic, fearing that our heart may stop beating altogether and we will imminently die.

Heart arrythmia are often mis-diagnosed or are not treated with the seriousness they deserve, as primary healthcare providers are often unaware of the symptoms or that specialist treatment centres are now available.

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common forms of heart arrhythmia, and affects up to one million people in the United Kingdom of all age groups. Sufferers experience distressing symptoms of rapid and irregular heart beat, accompanied by shortage of breath and dizziness. It is a serious condition, that left untreated can double the risk of dying from heart failure. It has also been shown to be a factor in triggering up to one third of strokes.

The longer it is left untreated, the more serious it becomes.

Traditional treatments for atrial fibrillation have involved prescribing drugs that have been associated with serious and unpleasant side effects that are little better than the condition they are supposed to treat – nausea, breathlessness and light sensitivity. Now there is a new treatment available – a technologically enhanced version of catheter ablation – that has previously only been suitable for a different type of arrhythmia known as Tachycardia.

Catheter ablation is performed by a specialist doctor known as an electrophysiologist. The procedure involves using a probe that is inserted into the groin, and is fed upwards through the blood vessels until it reaches the heart. An electric current is then passed through the probe that heats the surrounding tissue that is responsible for disrupting the electrical signals around the heart. This restores the normal electrical impulse transmission through the heart muscle, and is a successful treatment in most cases.

Until recently, this technique was not suitable for treating atrial fibrillation, as there are multiple sources of electrical signal disruption associated with this condition, whereas with Tachycardia there is usually only a single source of electrical signal disruption, making it easier to target with the treatment. New technology has allowed the catheter ablation treatment to be successfully applied to cases of atrial fibrillation, and, since 2007 has been providing sufferers of atrial fibrillation with a permanent solution to this distressing heart problem.

Eating wholegrain, wholemeal and other high fibre foods such as vegetables and fruits can significantly lower your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. The beneficial effects on heart health have even been compared with taking statin drugs.

There has previously been more evidence for the benefits of dietary fibre relative to heart disease than stroke, but a new study from Sweden has firmly established that people who eat high fibre wholegrains regularly, have been shown to have lower risks of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, and also to have better weight control.

A separate study published in the American Heart Journal found that women with a history of heart disease who reported having eaten six or more servings of wholegrains per week were shown to have slower progression of atherosclerosis, a condition where built-up plaque narrows the arteries which direct blood to the heart.

Fibre has been shown to be beneficial as it can reduce LDL (bad) cholestereol levels in the blood stream, that can otherwise accumulate within the arteries. This blocks the flow of blood through the arteries and can affect the blood supply to the brain triggering a brain stroke.

The Swedish research used a large group of 26,000 male volunteers in the 50 – 70 years old age group, who were also smokers (which put them into a high risk category for developing a stroke), and lasted for 13 years. During this period, there were 3,000 reported incidences of stroke suffered by the study group, but the amazing fact emerged that the risk of stroke was nearly 20% lower amongst those in the group who had the most amount of dietary fibre in their diet.

Other research has indicated even greater benefits to those who eat four high fibre or wholegrain servings a day, as there are many other nutrients in whole grains – protein, vitamins and minerals  – that can give up to 40 per cent lower risk of stroke and heart disease compared with those who rarely eat wholegrain foods.

Many people will be surprised to discover that there is so much easy protection against the western world’s large killer available so easily, merely by altering their diet.

Wholegrains can be found in breakfast cereals made with wholegrains, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, popcorn, wholemeal bread and cereal, bran muffins and wholemeal flour.

Forty percent of Americans, and a third of British people do not get enough sleep. Without it we are setting ourselves up for future health problems.

Getting adequate sleep is a very important factor in our health and well-being. It is essential for the body to be able to repair and rejuvenate itself. However, increasing sleep deprivation is ocurring among people from the the United States, and the United Kingdom, and this is being linked to serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.

One of the major contributing factors to lack of sleep, has surprisingly been unearthed by a recent study into TV viewing habits, and the effect that they have on the sleep patterns of thousands of volunteers.

Half  the population watch TV just prior to going to bed

About half of us Watch TV during the late evening, in the preceding two hours before going to bed. This appears to be one of the main factors in us experiencing reduced quantity and quality of sleep. The problem appears to be linked to the psychology of watching a television program right up until the end of the show, not wishing to miss the end, without prior checks on what time the program was actually due to finish at the start.

This has the effect of delaying the time at which many people go to bed each evening, whilst most people’s waking time is fixed, and governed by work, educational or commuting requirements. The result is that television viewing is stealing sleep time from millions of individuals who end up in ’sleep deficit’.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that TV viewing is inherently sedentary, so not only is it robbing us of our sleep, it is also depriving us of much needed exercise and other physical or sporting activities.

What is the optimum amount of sleep ?

There is a lot of research about how many hours of sleep we need each day, and studies have shown that 7 hours sleep is the healthiest amount to have. However, if we are regularly getting 5 hours sleep per night or less, then we face a nearly three quarters increased risk of dying from all causes, and double the risk of dying specifically from cardiovascular causes.

What can be done about it ?

well, according to the American organisation – Associated Professional Sleep Society – we should be prepared to give up some of our television viewing time to pay back some sleep time, for the sake of our heart health, and other health related benefits.

Related article – sleep apnea is bad for heart health