Heart Disease

A 31-year-old Japanese man died a few years ago and a labor inspector concluded that he died from overwork, as he had been working many hours of overtime for days. The official cause of death was attributed to heart failure due to “karoshi”, a Japanese term used to describe “death from overwork”.   Karoshi Karoshi … Read more

Sinus bradycardia is defined as a heart rate below 60 beats per minute (bpm) originating from the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart’s natural pacemaker. While a slower heart rate can be normal in well-trained athletes and during sleep, it may indicate an underlying issue when accompanied by symptoms.   What Is Sinus Bradycardia? The term … Read more

An innocent heart murmur is a type of functional heart sound commonly found in children. It is harmless and does not indicate heart disease.   What Is a Heart Murmur? A heart murmur is a sound heard during cardiac auscultation. It is often associated with valve disease or congenital heart defects. However, sometimes the natural … Read more

An irregular pulse (a skipped pulse) occurs when the time between successive heartbeats is variable. It may be temporary (of more or less long duration) or permanent. There are many causes of an irregular pulse.   Irregular pulse symptoms People with irregular pulse may not have symptoms, and the arrhythmia can be detected by palpating the … Read more

Although rare, death can occur due to a vagal reflex. A reflex is an automatic and involuntary reaction that occurs in a living being in response to certain stimuli. If a sensory nerve ending is stimulated, the current travels along the nerve to the spinal cord or brain stem. From there, an involuntary motor nerve … Read more

The life expectancy and prognosis of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are highly variable. The clinical course is different. Some cases progress rapidly and others remain stable, even asymptomatic, for many years. Annual mortality is 1%. Most deaths in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are sudden, and are more frequent in children and young adults.   Statistics on life … Read more

Life expectancy and prognosis of heart failure depend on several factors. These are primarily the age of the patient, the cause of the failure and the presence of other diseases. Heart failure is the result of the heart’s inability to pump enough blood to meet the body’s metabolic needs. In this situation, the heart does … Read more