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 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome of discomfort in the chest, jaw, arm, or other sites which is associated with myocardial ischaemia. The nature of angina has many individual variations, and it is easier first to consider the typical syndrome. It is hard to better the descriptions of William Heberden: There is a disorder of the breast, marked with strong and peculiar symptoms, considerable for the danger belonging to it.... Those who are afflicted with it are seized, while they are walking, and more particularly when they walk soon after eating, with a painful and most disagreeable sensation in the breast.... the moment they stand still all this uneasiness vanishes. After it has continued some months, it will not cease so instantaneous upon standing still ... (most) whom I have seen, who are at least twenty, were men, and almost all above 50 years old, and most of them with a short neck, and inclining to be fat.... But the natural tendency of this illness be to kill the patients suddenly.... The os sterni is usually pointed to as the seat of this malady ... and sometimes there is with it a pain about the middle of the left arm. The usual cause of myocardial ischaemia is coronary atherosclerosis. Other diseases of the coronary arteries (emboli, spasm, vasculitis, Kawasaki disease, congenital anomalies), other cardiac diseases (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, severe hypertension, severe aortic valve disease), and high output states (severe anaemia, thyrotoxicosis) are all uncommon or rare causes of angina. However, while angina is usually associated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, the converse is not always true. The condition of coronary atherosclerosis is very common (fatty streaks and more advanced plaques are almost universal in adults in industrialised countries) but it does not always cause myocardial ischaemia. Furthermore, myocardial ischaemia may present other than with angina - for each presentation there is a wide differential diagnosis.
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PMID:Clinical presentation and diagnosis of coronary artery disease: stable angina. 1175 1

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common clinical problem, particularly in the elderly, and in patients with organic heart disease. A small percentage of patients, have a potentially reversible cause. Atrial fibrillation is in most patients (approximately 70%) associated with chronic organic heart disease including valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, particularly if left ventricular hypertrophy is present, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease and most commonly in adults, atrial septal defect. As in many chronic conditions, determining whether AF is the result or is unrelated to the underlying heart disease, remains unclear. The list of possible etiologies also include cardiac amyloidosis, hemochromatosis and endomyocardial fibrosis. Other heart diseases, such as mitral valve prolapse (with or without mitral regurgitation), calcification of the mitral annulus, atrial myxoma, pheochomocytoma and idiopathic dilated right atrium, present a higher incidence of AF. The relationship between these findings and the arrhythmia are still unclear. Atrial fibrillation may occur in the absence of detectable organic heart disease, the so-called "lone AF", in about 30% of cases. The term "lone AF" or "idiopathic AF" implies the absence of any detectable etiology including hyperthyroidism, chronic obstructive lung disease, overt sinus node dysfunction, and overt or concealed preexcitation (Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome), only to mention a few of other rare causes of AF. In every instance of recently discovered AF, thyrotoxicosis should be ruled out. The autonomous nervous system may contribute to the occurrence of AF in some patients. Atrial fibrillation occurs commonly in patients with valvular heart disease, particularly when it involves the mitral valve. The occurrence of AF is unrelated to the severity of mitral stenosis but is more common in patients with enlarged left atrium and congestive heart failure. In patients with coronary artery disease, Af occurs predominantly in older patients, males and patients with left ventricular dysfunction. Important predictive factors of AF include hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy and diabetes. However, the relation between AF and hypertension remains unclear. The risk of the development of AF, in an individual patient, is often difficult to assess but increasing age, presence of valvular heart disease and congestive heart failure, increase the risk of AF.
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PMID:Atrial fibrillation, the arrhythmia of the elderly, causes and associated conditions. 1210 96

Certain features of a group of 1309 diabetics were studied. The group was considered representative of Scottish diabetics since the sex distribution of cases corresponded to the sex distribution of deaths from diabetes recorded in the official mortality statistics for Scotland. Evidence is presented which justifies the use of Scottish mortality statistics for this purpose. A study of the incidence of diabetes in 413,110 Scottish recruits (male and female) suggested that in the general population the sex distribution of persons with undiagnosed diabetes might not be the same as that of persons known to have the disease. In both sexes, the disease began most frequently after age 40; sex incidence was equal up to age 40 and thereafter, female diabetics were more common than male diabetics. The high frequency of diabetes in women of middle age was confined to married women and appeared to be related, at least in part, to previous childbearing. The age at onset and the severity of the disease in this group of women were apparently uninfluenced by marriage and childbearing. Adult diabetics were no taller than the controls (hospital visitors). In the case of women diabetics, the maximum weight was significantly greater than that of the control from age 20 onwards, and in the case of male diabetics, from age 40 onwards. In both groups, married women were heavier than single women. The mean blood pressure was significantly higher in female diabetics after age 30 than in the corresponding control group. This hypertension could not be adequately explained on the grounds of obesity; it was not related to previous childbearing. Of 923 diabetics questioned, 23.2% had a family history of diabetes. As age at onset of the disease increased, positive family histories decreased. There was no relationship between presence of a positive family history and severity of the disease. The frequency of a positive family history in obese and hypertensive patients did not differ from that of a group of diabetics as a whole. In the group of middle aged married women, those with the largest families gave the fewest positive family histories. It was considered that there was no proof of parital sex linkage of the hereditary factor, and no convincing evidence that age at onset is determined by heredity. Thyrotoxicosis was present in 1% of the cases. Age at onset in these cases was similar to that of diabetics in general. Sepsis was associated with onset of diabetes in 6% of the cases, but average age at onset was that of diabetics in general and a family history of diabetes was obtained in 18% of the cases. After examining these data, it was concluded that etiologic factors in human diabetes could be divided into hereditary factor(s) fundamental to almost all cases or factors increasing the susceptibility of those persons predisposed to diabetes by a hereditary factor such as abesity, factor(s) associated with childbearing, and minor factors such as sepsis, thyrotoxicosis, or acromegaly.
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PMID:Survey of a Scottish diabetic clinic: a study of the etiology of diabetes mellitus. 1233 41

Beta-adrenergic blocking agents, or beta-blockers, are indicated in the management of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, hypertension, congestive heart failure (CHF), cardiac arrhythmias, and thyrotoxicosis, and are given to reduce perioperative complications. Despite clear evidence that they reduce morbidity and mortality, clinicians are often hesitant to administer them for fear of adverse reactions. Over the past several years, many of the contraindications traditionally listed for betablockers have been questioned and disproved. Beta-blockers were contraindicated in CHF because of their intrinsic negative inotropic activity, but have now been shown to be beneficial, partly due to their ability to enhance sensitivity to sympathetic stimulation. Beta-blockers have also been contraindicated for patients with obstructive lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, due to the potential risk for bronchospasm. However, new evidence has shown that cardioselective beta-blockers are safe in patients with obstructive lung diseases, and may actually be beneficial by enhancing sensitivity to endogenous or exogenous beta-adrenergic stimulation. This article will review the evidence concerning the safety of beta-blocker use in patients with CHF and concomitant obstructive lung disease, with specific attention to tracking the transition from myth to evidence- based practice.
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PMID:Beta-blocker use in patients with congestive heart failure and concomitant obstructive airway disease: moving from myth to evidence-based practice. 1472 18

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The arrhythmia can be initiated and/or maintained by rapidly firing foci, single- and multiple-circuit reentry. Once initiated, AF alters atrial electrical and structural properties (atrial remodeling) in a way that promotes its own maintenance and recurrence and may alter the response to antiarrhythmic drugs. Thus, initial episodes of paroxysmal (self-terminating) AF lengthens to the point where the arrhythmia becomes persistent (requires cardioversion to restore sinus rhythm) and permanent. AF usually requires a trigger for initiation and a favorable electrophysiological and/or anatomical substrate for maintenance. The substrate includes both cardiovascular (coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, dilated cardiomyopathy) and non cardiovascular diseases (thyrotoxicosis, pulmonary diseases). Accordingly, the initial step in patients with AF requires a careful assessment of symptoms and identification of underlying reversible triggers and potentially modifiable underlying structural substrate and treat them aggressively. In contrast to other cardiac arrhythmias, antiarrhythmic drugs (ADs) are the mainstay of therapy. Long-term treatment of AF is directed to restore and maintain the sinus rhythm with class I and III ADs (rhythm-control) or to allow AF to persist and ensure that the ventricular rate is controlled (rate-control) with atrioventricular nodal blocking drugs (digoxin, beta-blockers, verapamil, diltiazem) and prevent thromboembolic complications with anticoagulants. However, the long-term efficacy of ADs for preventing AF recurrence is far from ideal, because of limited efficacy (AF recurs in at least one-half of the patients) and potential side effects, particularly proarrhythmia. Thus, the choice of the appropriate AD will depend on the temporal pattern of the arrhythmia, the presence of associated diseases, easy of administration and adverse effects profile, particularly the risk of proarrhythmia. The recent finding that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers reduce the incidence of AF in patients post myocardial infarction with left ventricular dysfunction confirmed the importance of targeting the underlying arrhythmogenic substrate. This review focuses on the mechanisms underlying AF and the mechanism of action and the efficacy and safety profile of the ADs used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The advantages and disadvantages of rhythm and rate control, the role pill in a pocket concept and the role of the new ADs are dicussed.
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PMID:Pharmacological approaches in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. 1475 23

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important risk factor for stroke. According to a pooled analysis of controlled clinical trials with warfarin, anticoagulation therapy reduces stroke risk by 62%. However, clinicians must decide whether the benefit of long-term anticoagulation therapy with available agents outweighs the risk of bleeding for individual patients. Guidelines issued by the American College of Chest Physicians and by the joint American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology task force recommend antithrombotic therapy to protect AF patients from stroke based on risk-stratification algorithms. Risk factors for stroke AF patients include age > or =75 years; hypertension; thyrotoxicosis; diabetes; cardiovascular disease; congestive heart failure; and history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, or thromboembolism. Patients at high risk for stroke experience greater absolute benefit from anticoagulation therapy than patients at low risk. The guidelines are consistent in recommendations for high-risk patients (warfarin therapy, international normalized ratio 2.0 to 3.0) and low-risk patients (aspirin 325 mg), but differ for intermediate-risk patients with diabetes or heart disease. The guidelines continue to evolve, and future guidelines are likely to incorporate new clinical data, including the CHADS(2) algorithm for determining risk and the results of the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management trial, the Rate Control versus Electrical Cardioversion for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation study, and the Stroke Prevention Using an Oral Thrombin Inhibitor in Atrial Fibrillation II to V trials.
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PMID:Comparing the guidelines: anticoagulation therapy to optimize stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. 1502 46

Subclinical thyroid disease is defined by an abnormally high (subclinical hypothyroidism) or low (subclinical hyperthyroidism) serum thyrotropin (TSH) with peripheral thyroid hormone concentrations within the laboratory reference ranges. Such abnormalities in thyroid function tests are very common in the population and have been extensively dealt with in textbooks and reviews. Subclinical hypothyroidism is common especially in elderly women. There is no clear evidence to date that subclinical hypothyroidism causes clinical hearth disease. However, mild thyroid gland failure, evidenced solely by elevation of the serum TSH concentration, may be associated with increased morbidity, particularly for cardiovascular disease and subtly decreased myocardial contractility. In subclinical hypothyroidism both cardiac structures and function remain normal at rest, but impaired ventricular function as well as cardiovascular and respiratory adaptation to effort may became unmasked during exercise. These changes are reversible when euthyroidism is restored. Subclinical hypothyroidism does result in small increase in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and a decrease in high density lipoprotein, changes that enhance the risk for development of atherossclerosis and coronary artery disease. Because undetected subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy may adversely affect the neuropsychological development and survival of the fetus and be associated with hypertension and toxemia, screening pregnant women has been advocated. In addition, data suggesting that subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with ovulatory dysfunction and infertility may make screening worthwhile in this population as well. The combination of an undetectable serum thyrotropin concentration, as measured by an assay with a threshold of detection that is 0.1 mU per liter or less, and normal serum triiodothyronine and thyroxine concentrations (usually at the upper end of the normal range) is known as subclinical hyperthyroidism. This condition reflects the facts that before clinical features of thyrotoxicosis are apparent, the thyrotrophs usually respond to minor increments in thyroid hormone concentrations, which remain within the normal range, by switching off the production and secretion of thyrotropin. In the absence of clinical signs of thyroid disease, and even after additional investigations such as isotope uptake and imaging and measurement of the thyrotropin receptor antibody concentration, it may be difficult to decide whether the pattern seen on thyroid function tests is a consequence of nonthyroidal illness and concomitant medication, underlyling thyroid autonomous function or the initial phase of thyroiditis. Routine screening for thyroid disease with thyroid function tests is not recommended for asymptomatic children or adults. This recommendation does not mean that clinicians should not monitor thyroid function in patients with a previous history of thyroid disease. There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against screening for thyroid disease with thyroid function tests in high-risk patients, including elderly persons, postpartum women, and persons with Down syndrome, but recommendations may be made on other grounds, such as the higher prevalence of disease and the increased likelihood that symptoms of thyroid disease will be overlooked in these patients. If screening is performed, the preferred test is measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) using a sensitive immunometric or similar assay, because of its superior sensitivity and specificity.
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PMID:[Subclinical thyroid disease--should we treat, should we screen for it?]. 1511 90

The authors present the history of selecting and understanding the essence of the metabolic syndrome (X syndrome, Reaven's syndrome) related to insulin resistance as well as its contemporary working definition allowing diagnosing affected individuals. They describe the cycle of their own study investigating the prevalence of metabolic syndrome elements in patients treated because of their thyrotoxicosis. It has been observed that 4 weeks after thyrostatic treatment is started, many of these patients are affected by the growth of their body mass and total cholesterol level (mostly at the cost of LDL-cholesterol). After 2 years the growth of body mass is significant, many patients develop arterial hypertension. After 15 years of obesity, diabetes type 2 (DM-2), arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinaemia and full metabolic syndrome are found much more frequently than in the control group. In the research carried in the 1987--1989 period, we found the following in 11,546 subjects from the Lublin region (villagers aged over 18): overweight in 36% women and 34% of men, and obesity in 30% of women and 10% of men, and arterial hypertension in 24.2% and DM 2 in 2.7% of the whole examined group. Within the research carried out between 1998 and 2000 we examined 3,782 persons (63%) out of 6,000 persons aged over 35 carefully selected from the Lublin town and the Lublin region villages. DM 2 was found in 17.6% of the examined in the countryside and in 14.1% from the town (newly diagnosed diabetes--75% and 56% respectively). Obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) was found in 30.8% of the examined from villages and 30.1% town dwellers, arterial hypertension (RR > or = 140/90 mmHg) was found in 69.4% villagers and 68.6% subjects from the town. Total serum cholesterol > or = 5.2 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) was found in 66.4% of the examined from the countryside and in 60% from the town, LDL-cholesterol > or = 3.5 mmol/l (135 mg/dl) was found in 57.3% and 52.6% respectively, and triglycerides > or = 1.7 mmol/l (150 mg/dl) in 33,3% and 44.8 respectively. Hypo-HDL-cholesterolaemia was found in 21.7% of the examined from villages and in 31.4% of the examined from Lublin. 76.5% of the examined from the countryside and 72.7% from the town had a raised WHR index.
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PMID:Metabolic syndrome. 1531 27

Atrial fibrillation is the most common supraventricular tachyarrhythmia encountered in clinical practice, affecting over 5% of persons over the age of 65 years. A common pathophysiological mechanism for arrhythmia development is atrial distention and fibrosis induced by hypertension, coronary artery disease or ventricular dysfunction. Less frequently, atrial fibrillation is caused by mitral stenosis or other provocative factors such as thyrotoxicosis, pericarditis or alcohol intoxication. Depending on the extent of associated cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation may produce haemodynamic compromise, or symptoms such as palpitations, fatigue, chest pain or dyspnoea. Arrhythmia-induced atrial stasis can precipitate clot formation and the potential for subsequent thromboembolism. Comprehensive management of atrial fibrillation requires a multifaceted approach directed at controlling symptoms, protecting the patient from ischaemic stroke or peripheral embolism and possible conversion to or maintenance of sinus rhythm. Numerous randomised trials have demonstrated the efficacy of warfarin--and less so aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)--in reducing the risk of embolic events. Furthermore, therapeutic strategies exist that can favourably modify symptoms by restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm with cardioversion and antiarrhythmic prophylaxis. However, the risks and benefits of various treatments is highly dependent on patient-specific features, emphasising the need for an individualised approach. This article reviews the findings of cost-effectiveness studies published over the past decade that have evaluated different components of treatment strategies for atrial fibrillation. These studies demonstrate the economic attractiveness of acute management options, long term warfarin prophylaxis, telemetry-guided initiation of antiarrhythmic therapy, approaches to restore and maintain sinus rhythm, and the potential role of transoesophageal echocardiographic screening for atrial thrombus prior to pharmacological or electrical cardioversion. Further, we discuss the merits and limitations of the cost-effectiveness analyses in the context of overall treatment strategies. Finally, we identify areas that will require additional research to achieve the goal of effective and economically efficient management of atrial fibrillation.
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PMID:Cost effectiveness of therapies for atrial fibrillation. A review. 1534 2

During pregnancy physiologic changes in thyroid function occur which should not be misinterpreted as pathological. Thyroid disorders may complicate pregnancy and need thorough investigation and treatment in order to ensure a favourable pregnancy outcome. The incidence of hyperthyroidism in pregnant women has been reported to be approximately 0.2%. The leading cause is Graves' disease. Treatment of hyperthyroidism includes antithyroid drugs or surgery to avoid adverse effects on the neonate such as prematurity, intrauterine growth retardation and fetal or neonatal thyrotoxicosis. Use of radioactive iodine is contraindicated. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy is associated with gestational hypertension and low birth weight. Women on thyroid replacement therapy before pregnancy may require an increase in dosage during pregnancy. Pregnant women with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis have a higher incidence of spontaneous miscarriage. Nodular disease demands meticulous investigation to rule out a toxic adenoma or malignancy. Surgery in the case of cancer can be postponed under certain circumstances. Within one year following delivery, about 5-10% of women may exhibit postpartum autoimmune thyroid dysfunction, which may result in hypothyroidism.
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PMID:Thyroid disorders and pregnancy. 1551 65


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