9 Health Problems Related To Stress And Ways To Fight It

If you need a motivation to reduce the amount of stress in your life, you must know that stress itself might fairly influence your health condition. Stress does not only have emotional consequences. It can exacerbate many health problems of an individual.
Studies have discovered the relationship between stress and health problems. Many conditions are exacerbated by stressful situations and stress may increase the risk of developing diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal disorders and asthma. The good part is that stress can be managed and health risks can be diminished (Read On)

Stress

Why stress is negatively affecting your health?

Stress is not just a feeling. It is a natural reaction, a psychological response to a threat. When a person is stressed, his body reacts to shrink blood vessels, increase blood pressure and pulse rate, breathing intensifies, the concentration of hormones increases (adrenaline and cortisol) in the bloodstream. When stress becomes chronic, these physiological changes can lead to real health problems.

There are various stress management techniques, which will not only change a person’s state of mind but will also have specific health benefits. For example, one study looked at the survivors after heart attacks found that the risk of heart attack decreases by 74% if stress is controlled. There is even some evidence that stress management increases the body’s immunity.

However many people remain skeptical, in terms of stress control. Everyday life involves stress: people have jobs, family life, financial problems and limited time. Stress management may seem like a nice idea but completely impossible. It is true that not all things can change an individual’s stressful life.

Stress Body Response

Top 9 health problems influenced by by stress

Here are some of the diseases that can be triggered by stress:

1. Cardiovascular disorders – researchers have found that people who have a certain type of personality are prone more than others to hypertension and cardiovascular problems. Nobody knows the exact cause, but it seems that stress could have a direct effect on the heart and blood vessels. It is possible that stress, along with other issues such as smoking or obesity contribute to a increased risk of developing cardiovascular disorders. Sudden emotional stress can trigger serious heart problems, including heart attacks. People with cardiovascular disorders should avoid stress as much as they can can.
2. Obesity – the existance of excess fat around the waist presents a greater risk to health than excess fat found on the legs or hips. It seems that people under stress gain weight faster. Stress raises levels of a hormone called cortisol, which contributes to fat depositation on the abdomen.
3. Asthma – many studies have shown that stress can aggravate asthma. Some studies have even found that some parents suffering from chronic asthma can give birth to children who suffer from the same disease. Also, the parent’s stress increases the chances for some kids to be exposed to polluted air or smoke, because their mothers smoked during pregnancy or after.
4. Diabetes mellitus – stress can worsen diabetes. First it raises the risk of neglecting the healthy eating habbits and predisposes to excessive food consumption. Secondly, it can cause a raise in glucose levels in some patients with type 2 diabetes.
5. Headaches – stress is considered the main trigger of headaches (hypertension and migraines)
6. Depression and anxiety – it’s no surprise that chronic stress as a result of periods of intense stress is related to depression and anxiety. Results of a recent survey confirmed that people were stressed mainly because of work issues (such as demanding work and low reward), had a 80% higher risk of depression in the near future.
7. Gastrointestinal disorders – stress does not only cause ulcers, but it also aggravates them. Also, stress is one that can give rise to various gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and irritable bowel syndrome.
8. Alzheimer’s disease – an animal study found that stress could aggravate Alzheimer’s disease, accelerating the formation of brain lesions. After some analysis, comparing the DNA of mothers who had experienced stressful situations (they took care of a chronically ill child), that of women who have not been in this situation, researchers have discovered that a certain portion of the stressed mothers chromosomes, showed an accelerated aging, up to about 9-17 years.
9. Premature death – after some research, they examined the effects of stress on the health of older people who care about their partners, who are naturally under stress. They found that caregivers have a 63% higher risk of death than other persons who have not had such experiences.

Stress Response

Ways to fight stress that can improve health

Here are some tips that can be followed by a person who is stressed:

1. Deep breathing. Just a few minutes of deep breathing can diffuse and attenuate physiological response to stress. Anyone should be able to choose a place and time of day in which he can perform this type of breathing exercise: in the car, office, and so on.
2. Focusing on the present. When a person is stressed, is living in the past or in the future. Worrying about what is going to happen, what has to do next, or regrets a past event. To relax, you must focus on the present, what is happening NOW.
3. Review situations. When someone is late and stuck in traffic, it is okay to be angry or agitated. The natural reaction, yet they are not helpful. Rather than hitting the steering wheel with anger, the situation can be seen from another angle: you can use those free minutes for relaxing.
4. Optimism. Each person should keep their optimism, do not forget good things in life and the beautiful part of it, in other terms you should be grateful for every single moment you live.

Stress Management

These are just some of the stress management techniques that can help you in stressful moments. Regular exercise is key to long term stress management. Those who will constantly consider them will have a better state of mind but also health and have more energy than people who tend to ignore them. Relaxation techniques, medication, yoga are approaches that can take time and practice, but the results in short or long term health could be substantial.

Tiny Variation In One Gene Led To Crucial Changes In The Human Brain

Circumvolutions and deep fissures are one of the brain’s main characteristics which increase the surface area and promotes abstract thinking and rational thinking.A team of researchers from Yale School of Medicine and Turkey have discovered the cause that led to fissures and convolutions in the evolution of the human brain – an extremely small variation of a single gene that causes the formation of these features – and have published their findings in the Nature Genetics journal on May 15.

Human Brain

A genetic examination of a patient in Turkey, whose brain lacked these characteristics has led to the conclusion that a deletion of two genetic letters from the human’s three bilion genetic code has lead to this transformation. Patients with similar variations (lack of deep fissures and convolutions of the brain) were also discovered with mutations in the Laminin Gamma 3 gene which is now considered to be the source of the human brain surface modifcations.

This discovery take scientists one step closer to understanding the mystery “of the crown jewel of creation” – the cerebral cortex.

DNA

The folding of the brain is one characteristic found only in mammals with larger brains like apes and dolphins, but it is best defined in humans. These characteristics increase the surface area of the cortex and facilitate complex thinking and ratiocination, with less space needed in the skull. Such fissures and convolutions are not present in small animals. Until now, despite the importance of these fissures and convolutions no scientist could be able to tell us how the human brain evolve this way. The gene responsible for these modifications is the Laminin Gamma 3 also involved in cell adhesion and embryonic developement. The Laminin Gamma 3 gene is moast active in the embryonic period, and it is crucial for the forming of dendrites which subsequently form synapses with other neurons (connection between neurons). Even though the Laminin Gamma 3 is present in other smaller mamals like mice, during the evolutin process it gained novel functions that lead to the development of  fundamental features of the human occipital cortex.

Coronary Artery Disease – Risk Factors And Causes

Coronary artery disease is a very common heart suffering, polymorphic in terms of clinical significance with severe consequences, caused by imbalance between the oxygen supply of the myocardium (heart muscle) and its needs at rest and during exercise. In over 95% of patients the cause of the coronary artery disease is coronary atherosclerosis. The term of coronary artery disease is very close related to that of ischemic heart disease. Coronary heart disease is responsible for 14% of overall mortality worldwide. In the last 30 years, in most developed countries we can see a noticeable reduction in deaths due to coronary artery disease, due to the implementation of national programs of primary and secondary prevention.

The Insulite 5 Element System

Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors

Recognition and control of cardiovascular risk factors through lifestyle changes or pharmacological treatment, contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality from coronary artery disease.

Classic cardiovascular risk factors:

Unhealthy life style : smoking, diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle
Modifiable biological and clinical factors: hypertension, increased LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), low HDL (good cholesterol), increased levels of triglycerides, diabetes mellitus, obesity (especially abdominal)
Individual uninfluenced factors: age – men over 45, women over 55, male gender (in postmenopausal women the cardiovascular artery disease risk equates to that of men at the same age), family history of coronary disease or other atherosclerotic diseases.

The major risk factors for the coronary artery disease are: smoking, hypertension, high levels of serum cholesterol and / or LDL cholesterol, reduce serum HDL cholesterol levels and hyperglycemia. In addition to classical cardiovascular risk factors which can be modified or unmodified, a number of “new”  factors were identified with a role in promoting the process of atherosclerosis: hyperhomocysteinemia, plasma fibrinogen, inflammatory markers (C reactive protein, TNF-alpha, IL-6), impaired fibrinolytic activity, microalbuminuria.

Choloesterol

Coronary Artery Disease Causes

Coronary atherosclerosis is the main cause of coronary artery disease. The characteristic lesion is plaque, which causes narrowing of the lumen and loss of arterial elasticity. Atherosclerotic arterial lesions have several stages: fatty streaks, fibrous plaque, complicated plaque. Complications of plaque include rupture or erosion of atheroma plaque that are associated with different degrees of thrombosis, vasoconstriction and distant embolization (life-threatening complications of the coronary artery disease)
Due to atherosclerosis the heart muscle can not be fed properly resulting in myocardial ischemia.
Under normal basal conditions the energy necessary for the cardiac activity comes from the oxidation of free fatty acids and secondary glucose oxidation. In case of ischemia due to coronary artery disease the heart switches to preferential use of glucose as energy substrate, as an adaptive mechanism, reducing myocardial oxygen consumption level. Coronary atherosclerosis is a patchy process, ventricular performance is impaired in the myocardial territory corresponding to the coronarian trunk affected.

Coronary Heart Disease

Chest Pain In Coronary Artery Disease

It represents the main sign of coronary artery disease and it is considered a warning sign of ischemia. The character and intensity of pain varies from patient to patient, some describe it as a tightness or claw that squezzes their heart, crushing sensation, or as an iron corest that prevents them from breathing. In other cases the pain is compared with a stab. Pain intensity is very high in 70-75% of cases and in 10-12% of cases is reported as a simple chest discomfort, a burning sensation, a bearable weight sensation in the precordial area. Pain or discomfort is located in the chest region but can be located in the epigastrium, abdomen, arms, forearms, elbows and fists. Pain also may radiate to any region of the thorax.

Heart Failure – Classification, Cauese And Symptoms

Heart failure represents an evolutionary stage of heart disease, in which the heart loses its ability to provide a proper blood flow to the metabolic needs, in terms of rest and exercise. Accepted definition of heart failure is currently the European Society of Cardiology one, according to which heart failure is a syndrome in which patients have typical symptoms at rest and during exercise, show signs of fluid and salt retention (edema) and physical examinations and laboratory investigations reveal the existence of structural or functional cardiac abnormalities. It is estimated that the prevalence (total number of patients present in a population at a time.) is between 2 and 4%, the percentage being higher in the elderly and diabetics.

Heart Failure

Classification of heart failure

1. Depending on the evolution : Onset, Transient, Chronic . Onset heart failure – at the time of diagnosis, with symptoms that can be rapidly installed (acute pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock) or insidious. Transient heart failure describes that transient symptomatic heart failure that is only present for a limited period fo time. Chronic heart failure (most cases) is described with permanent symptoms and repeated worsening episodes
2. Depending on the dominant symptoms. Left heart failure (dyspnea), right heart failure (jugular turgor, hepatomegaly, edema) and global heart failure (right + left)
3. Depending on left ventricular performance. Systolic and diastolic. Systolic heart failure is accompanied by a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction below 40% (the limit set arbitrarily) and the radiological appearance showing cardiomegaly (heart enlargement). Diastolic heart failure – the ultrasound reveals left deficiencys in ventricular relaxation and normal ejection fraction. It occurs more frequently in elderly women and diabetics.
4. Asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. It shows an ejection fraction below 40%, and is considered to be a pre-condition of heart failure associated with an increased risk of mortality. For these reasons it must be treated.

Heart Failure

Heart Failure Causes

Heart failure is a late stage of evolution of various diseases of the heart and not a disease itself

• Ischemic heart disease – various forms of manifestation
• Cardiomiopathies – dilatative, hypertrophic, obstructive and peripartum
• Valvular diseases
• Arterial hypertension
• Congenital heart disease
• Lasting tachyarrhythmias
• Some drugs – beta blockers, calcium antagonists, antiarrhythmic drugs, chemotherapy
• Some toxic substances – alcohol, cocaine
• Diabetes mellitus
• Endocrine disorders – hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Cushing syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, acromegaly, pheochromocytoma
• Nutrition disorders – thiamine and carnitine deficiency, obesity, cachexia
• Other diseases – sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, connective tissue diseases, HIV infection, hyperuricemia

Heart Failure Causes

Heart Failure Symptoms

• Symptoms are represented by dyspnea, cough, fatigue and muscle weakness, nocturia, cerebral symptoms, abdominal pain, digestive and other digestive manifestations. Dyspnea is the main symptom of heart failure. It is caused by pulmonary stasis (increased pulmonary capillary pressures) and can manifest as:

1. Effort dyspnea
2. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
3. Decubitus dyspnea
4. Rest dyspnea
5. Acute pulmonary edema

Heart Failure Symptoms

Dyspnea in heart failure during exercises differs from that of healthy people, only in the fact that it appears at less intense effort.

Decubitus dyspnea appear shortly (1-2 minutes) after the patient lies. It is determined by increased blood flow to the heart due to change in position. The patient can only sleep with pillows under his head. In some severe cases he can only sleep in the sitting position. Symptoms may dissaepear when the patient stands. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea occurs at night, after a few hours of sleep, with greater severity and longer duration (up to 30 minutes), bronchospasm due to bronchial wall edema (cardiac asthma), making it sometimes difficult to differentiate it from asthma attack. Rest dyspnea in the absence of physical activity, regardless of body position, means a severe form of heart failure.

Acute pulmonary edema manifestations are seen in acute heart failure, which can be superimposed on a chronic heart failure, in the presence of favoring factors. Dry cough, irritating (heart cough) is sometimes the main symptoms accused in patients with heart failure. It usually occurs at night, awakes the patient from sleep and demands him to stand. Fatigue and muscle weakness are caused by decreased blood flow to the muscles. Patients describe a feeling of  “heaviness  in limbs”. Nocturia (urinating profusely at night) appears relatively early in the disease and it is caused by increased renal perfusion, with consequent diuresis at rest. Cerebral symptoms include confusion, memory disturbances, anxiety, headache, insomnia, nightmares and even psychotic manifestations (disorientation, delusions or hallucinations) which can be found in the elderly with advanced heart failure. Abdominal pain is localized in the epigastrium and right upper quadrant, among other gastrointestinal events (abdominal distension, anorexia, nausea, constipation) and are caused by the intestinal venous stasis.

Anaphylaxis – Symptoms And What You Can Do

General Information

Anaphylactic crisis occurs during immediate serious allergic reactions. Antigens responsible for hypersensitivity and allergic reactions are very varied in chemical structure: protein, lipid-protein complexes, carbohydrate compounds, enzymes, proteins and different drugs. Anaphylactic crisis more frequently in the following circumstances:

• Drug allergy
• Insect bites
• Food Allergy

Anaphylactic crisis symptoms usually occur after few minutes after exposure to an allergen. There are cases when anaphylactic crisis can occur after a longer period of time (half of hour or longer)

Epi-Pen

In a study of 350 allergic patients, 207 cases (50.9%) were diagnosed with allergic reactions to drugs of which 140 cases with allergic shock. Anaphylactic crisis due to drugs is more common in women than in men with a ratio of 3 / 1. In the first place as allergens leading to anaphylactic shock we note penicillin and streptomycin. The main pathogenic factor in the anaphylactic crisis is represented by an immune mediated reaction. This reaction occurs when an antigen reacts with IgE antibodies attached to the surface of cells of the connective tissues and mast cell surface. The reaction results in release of histamine, serotonin and other biological active substances. These substances produce a sudden increase in capillary permeability, smooth muscle contraction and some times sudden vasodilatation. Vasodilation that occurs in anaphylactic crisis leads to a collapse in blood pressure.

Anaphylaxis

Signs And Symptoms

Skin rash is commonly encountered and is present in various shapes and sizes in an anaphylactic crisis such as: diffuse erythema accompanied or unaccompanied by pruritus (itching), rash and swelling. Respiratory manifestations are present in severe cases with laryngeal edema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or in mild cases with attacks of breathlessness caused by bronchoconstriction. Cardio-vascular disorders are characterized by hypotension. Blood pressure often falls dramatically, and tachycardia pulse becomes difficult to discover. A steady hypothermia and the pale skin is replaced by cyanosis. Hypotension may be short-lived and that is why not all patients are hypotensive when they reach the emergency room after an anaphylactic crisis. The nervous disorders consist in neurotic anxiety, tinnitus (perception of sound of the human ear Without Any external sound), and vertigo (dizziness), disturbance of consciousness, with stupor and coma in extreme cases. Patients also show nausea, vomiting, sometimes severe abdominal pain, accompanied by diarrhea, which in rare cases may be hemorrhagic. Rarely a patient may suddenly lose feces and urine during a anaphylactic crisis.

What You Can Do

What To Do

Among the most important things you can do if you suffer from food allergies or you are allergic to insect bites, or drugs is to always carry with you an EpiPen. Epipen is an injection device containing a drug called epinephrine, used to treat allergic reactions. EpiPen use is enough to remove symptoms for a short period of time. Medical aid is still needed. EpiPen is used to help you gain valuable time to get help before symptoms worsen and and put your life in serious danger.

If you know what you or your child is allergic to, you should always be prepared for a crisis and you should instruct and explain people that are close to you how to deal with  anaphylactic crisis.
Avoid allergens you know . If you do not know to what you are allergic, go to the doctor and ask for a skin test for allergens. Knowing the allergen is the most important thing you can do to prevent a possible anaphylactic crisis.

Stem Cell Transplant

What is stem cell transplantation?

Stem cells are defined as undifferentiated cells that are able to transform into any high specialized cell which can later form any type of tissue and organ in the human body. They are so important due to their ability to differentiate into virtual any cell type.
Cord blood stem cells are able to treat numerous forms of malignant blood diseases. We include here leukemia, using a treatment with the patient’s own cells. Stem cell transplantation is defined as healthy infusion of stem cells, and is required if the number of stem cells that are produced by bone marrow is low or the bone marrow no longer fulfills its functions properly. Stem cells are designed to produce healthy condition white cells, platelets and red blood cells thereby minimizing the patient’s risk of suffering from various infections and anemia.

Regarding stem cell source, we can talk about stem cell transplant that uses the patient’s own cells (autologous transplant), and stem cells from a donor, in which case we are talking about allogeneic stem transplantation.

Treatment with stem cells is very useful for treating patients whose stem cells were affected by a disease, whether it is cancerous or noncancerous process involved. The stem cells can also be used to replace diseased bone marrow. Bone marrow produces too few blood cells in this case and new stem cells will be transplanted that will replace the non-functional bone marrow, which will eventually start functioning normally. In the case of leukemia, cancer cells present in the patient’s bone marrow can be removed also with the help of transplanted stem cells. After a stem cell transplant, the production of normal bone marrow cells can be resumed.

Stem Cells

What are the risks?

Stem cell transplantation is not a procedure without complications, unfortunately many of them can be even fatal. Many patients do not meet major problems, but some are forced to perform multiple tests and be hospitalized to benefit from this type of procedure. Among the most common complications we mention: failure of the transplant, graft versus host disease, lesions of different blood vessels, cataracts, the occurrence of secondary cancers or even death. The patient should know the risks and in conjunction with his doctor should balance the benefits and complications and then make the right decision. The greatest danger is the possibility of transplant rejection when the transplanted stem cells are coming from a donor, condition called graft versus host disease.

Upper Digestive Bleeding – Causes And Diagnosis

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is usually clinically manifested by haematemesis (vomiting blood) and melena (bloody stool). Therefore in practice this haematemesis and melena accompanied by symptoms and signs of internal bleeding is sufficient to affirm the existence of gastrointestinal bleeding. Rarely, a bleeding from the throat or a  hemoptysis (coughing blood), followed by swallowing, can mislead the doctor. Whatever the source of bleeding, the blood during passage through the digestive tract becomes increasingly darker eventually gaining the appearance of melena.

The change in color of the blood present in the digestive tract due to a gastrointestinal bleeding depends on several factors including: location of bleeding, amount of blood lost,the speed with which bleeding occurs, and intestinal transit speed.
It is accepted that at least 60ml of blood is needed and it to remain at least 8 hours in the digestive tract, so that it might give the appearance of melena. If the transit is very fast a part of the blood from the gastrointestinal bleeding will be seen untransformed in the stool, as it happens in large hemorrhages caused by a duodenal ulcer for example.

Meckel diverticulitis bleeding can also cause red bloody stools. Melena stool may remain as such for several days after cessation of massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Changes in color of the vomit and stool, by various substances ingested (iron or bismuth salts, charcoal, different colors) can be excluded easily through patient questioning and the application of qualitative blood detection reactions, reactions that can be run very fast.

Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding

If the patient presents no haematemesis or melena the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding is based on clinical, laboratory signs of internal bleeding, anemia signs due to bleeding and the patient’s digestive disease history.

Symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding that attract attention are: fatigue and weakness, installed more or less sudden or with a progressive nature, dizziness, fainting, nausea, instability in walking, anxiety, agitation, drowsiness, apathy, palpitations, thirst .

Patient examination with gastrointestinal bleeding: pale skin and mucous membranes, excessive sweating, hypothermia, hypotension, tachypnea, tachycardia, low reflection and other signs of internal bleeding.

Gastrointestinal Bleeding 2

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding causes

• Erosive and inflammatory ulcers

1. Gastric ulcer
2. Duodenal ulcer
3. Stress ulcer
4. Esophagitis
5. Caustic injury bleeding

• Vascular Injury

1. Esophageal and gastric varices
2. Gastric antral vascular ectasia
3. Portal hypertensive gastropathy
4. Radiation-induced telangiectasia

• Tumors

1. Leiomyoma
2. Lipoma
3. Polips

1. Adenocarcinoma
2. Gastric lymphoma
3. Leiomyosarcoma
4. Melanoma
5. Metastatic tumors

Acute Cholecystitis

Acute cholecystitis is a disease of the gallbladder, which is characterized by inflammation of the body of the organ and clinically by a syndrome of acute abdominal pain accompanied by fever and local organ changes.
Acute cholecystitis has several causes and mechanisms of production of which the most important are: obstruction of the cystic duct, gallbladder wall infection and reflux of pancreatic juice in the bile ducts.

Acute Cholecystitis

Acute Cholecystitis Causes

Cystic duct obstruction is the cause and mechanism most commonly encountered in the development of acute cholecystitis. In aproximately 95% of cases, the obstruction is caused by a bile stone, which is situated in the gallbladder neck or cystic duct. The stagnation of bile in the gallbladder has several consequences: concentration of bile, increased intravesical pressure, compressed blood vessels that nourish the gallbladder wall, and finally acute inflammation of the gallbladder wall. Resorption of water and salts by the gallbladder increases the concentration of bile pigments, calcium carbonate, and cholesterol. This mix of concentrated substances cause irritation of the gallbladder (chemical inflammation) and increased osmotic pressure inside the gallbladder resulting in pain.

Primary and secondary infection. Infectious cholecystitis is rare and can be found mostly in children. The infection is most often the result of changes in  gallbladder content and wall after obstruction. The infection is easily installed due to low resistance of the walls suffering from ischemia. Among the germs that infect the gallbladder, the most common are those coming from the intestine and especially E. coli bacillus. Rarely the infection can be caused by clostridium, salmonella, pneumococcus and staphylococcus.

Other causes and mechanisms. In cholecystitis associated with pancreatitis, pancreatic juice reflux into the gallbladder appears to represent the basic mechanism.
Surgical interventions, trauma, anesthesia, administration of drugs and analgesics, can create conditions for the occurrence of acute cholecystitis.

The intervention of immune-allergic mechanisms is also possible.

Accute Cholecystitis Symptoms

Accute Cholecystitis Symptoms

The main symptom is abdominal pain plus other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, chills,  shortness of breath, and a general malaise. In over 90% of the patient shows nausea and vomiting due to a bile stone stuck in the cystic duct or common bile duct mucosa. When biliary tract infection predominates, the patient presents chills, with or without hipertermia (increased temperature)
Pain attack in acute cholecystitis is usually accompanied by fever.

Intensity of fever reflects the proportions of the inflamatory phenomena and their extension to the intra and extra hepatic bile ducts.  An increased sensitivity of the right hypochondrium is also present. When inflammation of the gallbladder wall causes gangrene, muscle contracture will be present  due to peritoneal irritation (bile peritonitis). Jaundice is rare and is caused by expansion of the inflammatory phenomena to the intrahepatic bile ducts.

Atrial arrhythmias are heart rhythm disorders in which the producing mechanism is in the atria or the sinus node or in an ectopic focus located outside the sinus node or occur through a reentry mechanism at this level.

Atrial Extrasystoles

Atrial extrasystolesare premature contractions of the heart and are produced by impulses coming from ectopic focus located in the walls of the atria. Ectopic impulses activate the atria in different ways than the sinus impulse, which reflect different P waves on the electrocardiogram.
Atrial extrasystoles may occur in people with a healthy heart (if so they do not have a pathological significance), in patients with heart disease (ischemic heart disease, heart failure) in patients with COPD and hypoxemia (due to hypertension of the small circulation) and in patients with hyperthyroidism. Atrial extrasystoles can precede the installation of supraventricular (atrial) tachycardias, flutter and atrial fibrillation, especially in chronic forms.

Digitalis intoxication can be also the cause and can frequently announce the  installation of an atrial tachycardia with block. In myocardial infarction, atrial extrasystoles may be a sign of atrial infarct. Emotion, fatigue, coffee, tobacco, are precipitating factors of atrial extrasystoles, especially in healthy individuals.

Atrial extrasystoles are generally asymptomatic, symptoms usually are resumed to a feeling of discomfort in the chest which is quite annoying, and palpitations. When they occur in bursts they are accompanied by paleness, anxiety, sweating, fainting, and even shortness of breath. Physical signs consist of irregular peripheral pulse and abnormal heartbeat succession.

Atrial extrasystoles causes:

• Atrial extrasystoles may occur in normal people without any patologic semnification. The risk of having atrial extrasystoles increases with age.
• Heart disease like  myocardial ischemia (angina pectoris), myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation), dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mitral valve prolapse
• Metabolic Disorders like hypokalemia (low potassium levels in the blood), hypoxia (low oxygen levels in blood), hypomagnesaemia (low amount of magnesium in the blood), hypercalcemia.
• Endocrine: hyperthyroidism ( secretion of thyroid hormones is increased)
• Medications: digoxin, theophylline, tricyclic antidepressants
• Different exciting substance abuse like coffee, tea, alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines
• Acute infection
• Hiatal hernia (herniation of the upper part of the stomach into the chest cavity)
• Stress
• After surgery

Iron Deficiency Anemia

 Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia, it has a highest incidence in children and pregnant women. The body’s iron needs comes from food, where iron is found in its ferric form. In the first part of the stomach and the small intestine, ferric iron is converted to ferrous iron, which is mainly absorbed in the duodenum, then the absorption decreases towards the terminal portion of the small intestine. Absorbance depends on the amount of iron the body needs.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

Adult body contains 3-5g of iron, of which approximately 55% is found in hemoglobin, 25% iron reserves stored in the liver, spleen and bone marrow as ferritin and hemosiderin and 15% are found in myoglobin and the remaining tissue enzymes. Our body manages very well the amount of iron it has and ordinary losses are relatively small (0.5 -1 mg / day) and occur and occur due to skin and intestinal mucosa desquamation, sweat, urine and bile.

Causes of iron deficiency anemia

Women before menopause, teenagers and children have a precarious balance of iron and will present  iron deficiency anemia frequently. The main factors leading to iron deficiency are:

• Loss of blood, the most important factor and most common.
• Improper diet with low iron content
• Poor absorption of iron. Increased body-needs

Blood loss most frequently encountered are the excessive menstrual bleeding and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. Besides bleeding during the menstrual cycle, we can mention the uterine fibroids as a cause of bleeding. Digestive disorders accompanied by bleeding are the peptic ulcer, esophageal varices, intestinal parasitoses, hiatal hernia, bleeding hemorrhoids, digestive cancers, and digestive polyps.

Improper diet with low iron content, is rarely the only cause of anemia and it is usually a helpful factor (which is associated to a increased need or a discrete loss). Diets low in iron are those which contain no or few animal protein and vegetable protein, and grain-based diets.

Increased need are seen in children, women before menopause, and pregnant women. In the presence of one or more of the other factors, even very discreet, the increased body needs  may contribute to the onset of iron deficiency anemia.

Anemia Causes

Symptoms sf iron deficiency anemia

The most common symptoms are : fatigue, asthenia, vertigo prone to fainting, blurred vision, effort dyspnea, palpitations. Very often patients have headaches, irritability, instability, and sometimes whimsical neuralgias with paresthesia in the extremities, which can vary from one day to another. Some patients show anorexia or capricious appetite, heartburn, burning mouth and tongue. They also present pale skin and mucous membranes, dry skin with lack of elasticity, dry and thinning hair, thin and soft nails. On examination the heart we notice tachycardia, low blood pressure very often.

Anemia Symptoms