Most cardiac emergencies build gradually. An aortic dissection does not. It arrives at full force in people who felt perfectly well moments earlier, and recognising the pain is what gets you to hospital in time.
Cardiac amyloidosis is caused by misfolded proteins stiffening the heart muscle, and it is now treatable. Here is what patients need to know about this increasingly recognised and now treatable condition.
A right bundle branch block on your ECG may sound alarming, but in a healthy person, it is common and usually harmless. Here is what RBBB actually means, why it happens, and the smaller number of situations where it genuinely matters.
You have a muscle bridge. For most people that sentence means nothing needs doing. For a minority it explains real chest pain, and new research shows how the troublesome ones can be treated.
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.
Most people with HCM live completely normal lives. Here is what the diagnosis means, what monitoring is needed, and why the outlook is better than most expect.
ApoB is a cholesterol measurement gaining attention as a marker of heart risk. This article explains what it measures, how it relates to LDL cholesterol, and why triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) each remain part of a fuller, multifactorial picture.
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.



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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