Heart attacks, and

Oxygen inhalators are used as a first-aid measure for a long Hst of emergencies, including heart attacks and suffocation, and as a result are carried routinely by rescue squads. Oxygen—helium mixtures have proved beneficial in asthmatic attacks, because these permit more rapid flow of gas into congested areas of the respiratory system. 

The understanding of these actions of aspirin started in 1971 (45) and resulted in the recommendations of the medical community that small doses of aspirin, used under the care of the doctor, may be a prevention measure for heart attack, and stroke for those considered at risk in the population. Further reported work may expand health benefits to prevention of certain kinds of cancer (46). 

Coumarin/warfarin, given at a typical dosage of 4 to 5 mg/day, prevents the deleterious formation in the bloodstream of small blood clots and thus reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes for individuals whose arteries contain sclerotic plaques. Taken in much larger doses, as for example in rodent poisons, Coumarin/warfarin can cause massive hemorrhages and death. 

Naproxen has been found to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke by 50 percent. 

She s all right. He had a heart attack and they paid for me to go over at Christmas, but he s okay now. The snow was unbelievable. Give her my regards when you re next in touch. ... 

Many diet pills that work by increasing the number of calories burned have been developed. Most of these contain one or more of the three ingredients caffeine, phenylpropanolamine (PPA), and ephedrine. In the United States, PPA and ephedrine have been withdrawn from the market because they produce serious side effects, including heart attack and stroke. Caffeine, which is still found in many diet pills, will be further discussed in Chapter 6. 

The first large-scale process to circumvent these limitations was one developed by Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA) for production of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This protein dissolves blood clots and can be used to treat heart attacks and strokes. This process was developed in the mid-1980s, resulting in final product licensure in 1987. The process required both regulatory and technical breakthroughs. 

Nutritional understanding of the effect of fats in the diet has made considerable progress.26-30 It was understood that saturated fats (see Chapter 3, Section 3.8) were the least beneficial as they raised serum cholesterol. High serum cholesterol is now associated with heart attacks and strokes. There was for this reason pressure over the cholesterol content of foods. This pressure has now been relieved since it appears that dietary cholesterol is not a particularly serious issue. The human body makes cholesterol, so dietary cholesterol does not necessarily affect serum cholesterol level as dietary intake can be compensated for by reduced cholesterol synthesis. 

Other effects caused by methamphetamine include headaches, decreased appetite, dry mouth, dilated pupils, trembling, chest pains, increased respiration and shortness of breath, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), insomnia, and nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases (i.e., overdoses) it can produce seizures and convulsions, stroke, heart attacks, and death. The risk of encountering these more serious side effects are greatly increased when methamphetamine is used in combination with other drugs like cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and heroin. 

Rofecoxib Vioxx Merck Co. Cox-2 Inhibitor 5/21/1999 9/30/2004 5.33 years Heart attack and stroke US 2.5 billion... 

A. Arneodo, B. Audit, N. Decoster, J.-F. Muzy, and C. Vaillant, Wavelet based multifractal formalism Application to DNA sequences, satellite images of the cloud structure and stock market data, in The Science of Disasters Climate Disruptions, Heart Attacks, and Market Crashes, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2002, pp. 26-102. 

As noted above, obesity is a health problem. It is associated with both elevated mortality and morbidity. More specifically, obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, and for high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and hyperlipidemia (elevated levels of lipids in the blood, a risk factor for atherosclerosis and its sequelae), and for cancer. 

A number of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes bear certain similarities to snbstance use disorders. These illnesses prodnce a variety of physical symptoms that, if left untreated, can resnlt in significant medical complications and even death. Complications of uncontrolled diabetes inclnde blindness, kidney failure, neuropathies, and limb amputation. Similarly, inadeqnately controlled hypertension is a risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and other serions complications. Recognizing that these are diseases does not relieve the patient of responsibility indeed, the knowledge that one has snch an illness imposes significant responsibility. For example, knowing the likely ontcome of nncontrolled diabetes is hopefully an impetus for the diabetic to exercise, take medication, and... 

A 38-year-old man with a family history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease makes an appointment for a routine physical examination with a physician he has not seen before. He explains that his father died young of a heart attack and that two paternal uncles have suffered strokes in their late 40s. Physical examination reveals yellowish lumps on his eyelids (xanthelasmas, which are often associated with a lipid disorder) and a resting blood pressure of 186/95 mm Hg. There is some excess visceral fat, and his body mass index calculates to 26.5. Total serum cholesterol (476 mg/dL) and triglycerides (288 mg/dL) are elevated and subsequent angiography reveals atherosclerotic restrictions of at least two coronary arteries. 

Papaverine is an opium alkaloid initially isolated in the mid-1800s. It relaxes smooth muscle and is a potent vasodilator. As such it is used to dilate pulmonary and other arteries. It is therefore sometimes of use in the treatment of angina pectoris (usually caused by partial blockage of the coronary artery), heart attacks and bronchial spasms. 

When I think about that episode, what is scariest is how physical and real the sensation was. I mean, I really felt the numb, prickly sensation like when your leg starts to fall asleep. And I really felt hot. It wasn t like I was in some dreamlike state. I was awake and alert, and if I knew then what I know now about heart attacks and strokes, I would have been fairly certain that s what was happening to me. 

Some side effects, or adverse effects, of drugs can be fatal. Adverse drug reactions are one of the top 10 causes of death in hospitalized patients in the United States—as many as 100,000 deaths per year Even aspirin at low doses, recommended to prevent heart attacks and stroke, can kill under the right conditions Fatal bleeding can occur in patients who have an undetected clotting disorder and take aspirin r ularly. 

Managing the Complications of Diabetes. Diabetes is more than just a disorder of elevated glucose it is a systemic disease that affects many organ systems. In addition to the metabolic problems there are numerous neurological, circulatory, and renal complications, even when the blood glucose level is properly controlled. The main reason is the unnatural administration of insulin by injection, instead of the constant secretion by the pancreas in response to changing blood glucose levels. Diabetics have a predisposition of atherosclerosis, with an increased risk for heart attacks and stroke. 

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