Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac around the heart. The pain is sharp, worse lying flat, better sitting forward, and alarming enough to mimic a heart attack. Here is what causes it and what the evidence supports.
Blood pressure that stays high despite three or more medications has a name, and in most cases an explanation. What clinicians check first, why spironolactone is usually the fourth medicine added, and how narrow the role of renal denervation really is.
Troponin is the blood test at the heart of chest pain assessment. If you have been to emergency with chest pain, here is what it measures and what the result means.
Dizziness means something different to almost everyone who uses the word, and that description is what points to the cause. A cardiologist explains the four types, what causes each, and when your heart is involved.
A patent foramen ovale, a small opening in the heart present in around one in four adults, can sound alarming when first mentioned. For most people it is entirely harmless and needs no treatment. Here is when it matters, and when it doesn't.
Hair clinics and GPs increasingly send people to check with their heart doctor before starting treatment. There is a good reason for that, and it runs in both directions.
Amlodipine, verapamil, diltiazem: if you have been prescribed a calcium channel blocker, here is what it does, why it was chosen for you, and the side effects and grapefruit interaction every patient on one should know about.
A new trial found that a vitamin K2 supplement modestly slowed calcium build-up in the heart's arteries. The result is promising, but experts say it is too early to recommend supplements, and there are important safety caveats.
A simple, non-invasive CT scan that detects calcified plaque in the arteries years before symptoms appear. If you or someone you know has been referred for a calcium score, this guide explains exactly what it measures, what your result means, and what to do next.
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By Professor Peter Barlis, Interventional Cardiologist and Founding Editor, Heart Matters. Published by Wiley.
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