Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018799 (heart disease)
 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In summary, oral estrogens are often prescribed to relieve menopause symptoms. They should not be used in women who have had breast cancer, thrombophlebitis, hypertension, gallstones, or undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding. Hormone replacement therapy has proven to be very useful in preventing osteoporosis, hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. More information is needed before they should be recommended for the prevention of heart disease in postmenopausal women.
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PMID:Estrogen replacement therapy. 185 17

A 40-year-old woman from Ecuador diagnosed with a complex congenital heart disease was admitted complaining of fever chills, night sweats, and productive cough 6 months after surgical correction of the anomalies. An echocardiography showed vegetations located on the interatrial pericardium patch. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of postoperative infective endocarditis on this location.
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PMID:Infective endocarditis of unusual location following surgical correction of a complex congenital heart disease. 1935 77

There are many options available to address the quality of life and health concerns of menopausal women. The principal indication for hormone therapy (HT) is the treatment of vasomotor symptoms, and benefits generally outweigh risks for healthy women with bothersome symptoms who elect HT at the time of menopause. Although HT increases the risk of coronary heart disease, recent analyses confirm that this increased risk occurs principally in older women and those a number of years beyond menopause. These findings do not support a role for HT in the prevention of heart disease but provide reassurance regarding the safety of use for hot flushes and night sweats in otherwise healthy women at the menopausal transition. An increased risk of breast cancer with extended use is another reason short-term treatment is advised. Hormone therapy prevents and treats osteoporosis but is rarely used solely for this indication. If only vaginal symptoms are present, low-dose local estrogen therapy is preferred. Contraindications to HT use include breast or endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease, thromboembolic disorders, and active liver disease. Alternatives to HT should be advised for women with or at increased risk for these disorders. The lowest effective estrogen dose should be provided for the shortest duration necessary because risks increase with increasing age, time since menopause, and duration of use. Women must be informed of the potential benefits and risks of all therapeutic options, and care should be individualized, based on a woman's medical history, needs, and preferences.
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PMID:Role of hormone therapy in the management of menopause. 2073 38

A 28-year-old Cambodian man with a history of congenital heart disease presented with a 6-month history of increasing fatigue, night sweats, and weight loss. His surgical history included two Blalock-Taussig shunts, ventricular septal defect closure, and placement of a pulmonary valve conduit via a Rastelli procedure. Echocardiographic and cardiac computed tomographic studies revealed a vegetation in the pulmonary homograft. Blood cultures grew gram-negative rods that were eventually identified as Suttonella indologenes. The patient underwent a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics, which was complicated by septic pulmonary embolism that clinically resolved. Bacterial endocarditis caused by aerobic gram-negative organisms is uncommon. The authors report the first case of S. indologenes endocarditis in a patient with complex congenital heart disease.
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PMID:Pulmonary embolus caused by Suttonella indologenes prosthetic endocarditis in a pulmonary homograft. 2083 8

Unlike hot flushes and night sweats which resolve spontaneously in time, atrophic symptoms affecting the vagina and lower urinary tract are often progressive and frequently require treatment. The prevalence of vaginal dryness increases as a woman advances through the postmenopausal years, causing itching, burning and dyspareunia, and sexual activity is often compromised. But, despite the various safe and effective options, only a minority (about 25% in the Western world and probably considerably less in other areas) will seek medical help. Some of this reluctance is due to the adverse publicity for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) over recent years that has suggested an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. But, regardless of whether these scares are justified, local treatment of vaginal atrophy is not associated with these possible risks of systemic HRT. Other reasons for the continued suffering in silence may be cultural and an understandable reluctance to discuss such matters, particularly with a male doctor, but the medical profession must also take much of the blame for failing to enquire of all postmenopausal women about the possibility of vaginal atrophic symptoms. Vaginal dryness can be helped by simple lubricants but the best and most logical treatment for urogenital atrophy is to use local estrogen. This is safe, effective and with few contraindications. It is hoped that these guidelines and recommendations, produced to coincide with World Menopause Day 2010, will help to highlight this major cause of distress and reduced quality of life and will encourage women and their medical advisers all over the world to seek and provide help.
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PMID:Recommendations for the management of postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. 2156 97

Infectious endocarditis results from bacterial or fungal infection of the endocardial surface of the heart and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Risk factors include the presence of a prosthetic heart valve, structural or congenital heart disease, intravenous drug use, and a recent history of invasive procedures. Endocarditis should be suspected in patients with unexplained fevers, night sweats, or signs of systemic illness. Diagnosis is made using the Duke criteria, which include clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic findings. Antibiotic treatment of infectious endocarditis depends on whether the involved valve is native or prosthetic, as well as the causative microorganism and its antibiotic susceptibilities. Common blood culture isolates include Staphylococcus aureus, viridans Streptococcus, enterococci, and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Valvular structural and functional integrity may be adversely affected in infectious endocarditis, and surgical consultation is warranted in patients with aggressive or persistent infections, emboli, and valvular compromise or rupture. After completion of antibiotic therapy, patients should be educated about the importance of daily dental hygiene, regular visits to the dentist, and the need for antibiotic prophylaxis before certain procedures.
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PMID:Infectious endocarditis: diagnosis and treatment. 2261 50

The release of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 was a shock to the medical community. Hormone therapy (HT) had generally been considered to be highly beneficial for postmenopausal women since it was the gold standard for relief of menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal atrophy) and it was thought to protect women from osteoporosis, heart disease, and cognitive decline and to generally improve quality of life. However, WHI showed a statistically significant increase in a number of disease states, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. One problem with the WHI study was that the average age of women in the study was 63, which is considerably older than the age at which most women enter menopause (about 51). The timing hypothesis attempts to rationalize the effect of age on response to HT and risk of various diseases. The data suggests that younger women (50-60) may be protected from heart disease with only a slight increase in breast cancer risk. In contrast, older women (>65) are more susceptible to breast cancer and heart disease and should avoid HT. This Perspective on Statistical Trends evaluates the current data on HT and risk for chronic diseases as a function of age.
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PMID:Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Age, and Chronic Diseases: Perspectives on Statistical Trends. 2763 6