Tag: Heart disease

What Is Arthritis?

What Is Arthritis?
Michael Russell

Arthritis is probably one of the most misunderstood of all diseases.
Quite honestly if you ask the average person in the street exactly what
arthritis is you won’t get an answer that’s even close. All they know is
that something hurts but don’t have a clue as to exactly what or why.
Before I go into the types and causes of arthritis I’m just going to throw
some facts at you. All of this can be gotten at the official web site if you
look hard enough for it.
1. In 1985 about 35 million people were diagnosed with arthritis.
Twenty years later the number is up to over 65 million.
2. Arthritis is the most common disability of Americans over the age of
15. Yes, young people can get arthritis.
3. Only heart disease is a greater cause of work disability.
4. The cost for treating arthritis in the US alone is over 86 billion
dollars each year.
5. Over 300,000 children have arthritis.
6. Half the people who have arthritis think there is nothing that can be
done for the condition.
7. There are actually over 100 different diseases associated with
arthritis.
8. Woman are more affected than men. The current numbers are 26
million women and 16 million men with doctor diagnosed arthritis.
How many of us knew all this? I certainly didn’t until doing some
research. Oh I knew about the poor lady in my church who’s about to
go in for knee replacement surgery and lives on pain killers. But I had
no idea this disease was this common.
So what IS arthritis?
A book can be written on the various forms of arthritis but the most
common MYTH of what arthritis is, aches and pains associated with
getting older, needs to be dispelled with quickly if people are going to
understand the disease. As I stated earlier, arthritis has nothing to do
with age as many children get it. Yes, it is more prevalent in older
people but it is not restricted to the elderly. Arthritis is a disease of the
skeletal system, mostly the joints which is where two or more bones
meet. Joint problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation, and
damage to the joint cartilage, which is the tough, smooth tissue that
covers the ends of the bones so that they can glide against each
other. It is the deterioration of this tissue that causes the pain because
what happens is you get bone rubbing against bone. The pain can
become so bad that it can interfere with everyday activities such as
walking or even trying to stand up from a chair.
However this is only one form of arthritis and only part of the problem.
Some forms of arthritis, called Rheumatoid arthritis effects the body’s
immune system and can ultimately end up damaging the heart,
lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and skin.
This is the most serious form of arthritis.
In my next article I am going to cover various treatments for arthritis
and their side effects.

About the Author
Michael Russell provides an online guide to arthritis which includes useful articles and resources for humans and pets.

The Top U.S. Hospitals have 28% Lower Mortality Rate

The American Heart Association did a new study concerning hospitals and their mortality rates. We now know that the top 5 percent in the United States have a 28% lower death rate than other hospitals in the nation. Health Grades is an independent health care ratings company released this information January 29th, 2007. They also found that patients who have surgery at the top-rated hospitals are about five percent less likely to suffer complications than patients at other hospitals are.

The Health Grade Company analyzed death and mortality rates for 26 procedures and diagnoses, including bypass surgery, angioplasty, stroke, and heart attack, at all 5,122 nonfederal hospitals. The top hospitals reduced their death rate by an average of 11.7 percent and reduced post-surgical complication rates by 3.4 percent. The study author claimed that if all U.S. hospitals had the same quality of care as the top hospitals, 158,264 lives would have been saved and 12,409 major complications avoided. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the quality of care provided by high quality hospitals and other hospitals in the United States, according to Health Grades.

In order to qualify for the Health Grades list, hospitals were required to meet minimum thresholds in terms of patient volumes, quality ratings and the range of services provided.
In the top 5% of hospitals that deal with heart, patients there are 229 in the nation today. The hospitals are located all around the nation and keep a high standard of performance.
The Christ Hospital located in Cincinnati, Ohio ranked number one in cardiovascular care is affiliated with several other hospitals in the area that are accredited as being in the top 100 of the 5% heart hospitals.

One of the most distinguished top cited heart hospitals and medical centers is the Robert Wood Johnson’s University Hospital. This hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. This hospital is the principal teaching hospital of the University of Medicine in the state of New Jersey. It is a very demanding position to be the one is who teach others how to take care of heart patients.

The Dayton Heart Hospital focus on patient care and fighting any problems that deals with heart problems. Each year heart disease kills more people than any other disease. Patients want new and better ways of healing. The physicians, community leaders, and others want to reduce the impact of heart disease has on society.

Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan has updated its heart wing, is now one of the leading hospitals for open-heart surgery, and transplants. The staff at Spectrum Hospital is very sensitive to patient needs and stress levels and tries to help in any manner possible. When a patient leaves the hospital, the care does not stop at that point. They provide in home nurses that visit the patient on a daily basis to make sure that they are coming along very well. Therapy is a part of the patient care after a month or so when the patient feels they are ready. The patient then goes to the therapy wing and a professional helps lead in proper therapy techniques. The hospital also provides a dietician who helps with your diet plan. The care provided is necessary for complete recovery.

Public Health

Experts are outraged over the fact that the U.S. Government does not track Heart Diseases. American Heart Association feels that since heart failure is the number one killer amongst men and women that it should concern the government since it does concern the public health. Our government should track national rates of heart disease and stroke to help cut the incidences of these prime causes of death.

Currently data is collected by different sources and then published once a year in the AHA annual Heart Disease and Stroke journal. The Public Health does not keep a record of heart diseases as they do for other illnesses. The doctors of today have to rely on information provided by different sources as journals and magazines. The Public Health is for everybody’s concern and since the government controls this division, it is highly advisable that they start tracking patients with heart problems.

It is true that the American Heart Association has been doing a great job compiling this information from many and various sources. The fact is that there are many missing pieces, and it is not a good idea to have a nongovernmental agency, with no authority to modify data collected. The fact that the Public Health Department has no control over the facts or evaluation means that changes are slowly improved.

The Public Health Department has the capability of being a surveillance unit that can evaluate how data gets collected then make changes as needed. The Public Health Department can make sure that everyone in the medical field has access to all the information concerning the heart.

It is up to the Public Health Department to gather the needed information from the primary physicians, simply have the physicians report heart disease and stroke whenever possible. The information shared with doctors and patients would be much more obtainable. The public is under the false impression that the medical field is well informed about heart diseases. The truth about the situation is that there is no formal method of collecting data. That in reality without the efforts of the AHA doctors would not be as advanced as they are today concerning heart related problems. The current data collected by surveys needs some modification to help with increasing the physician’s capability to treat heart patients.

– National surveys should expand existing questions on risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and other vascular diseases. Include in the survey risk factors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking and obesity.

– The Public Health System should standardize data collection across existing surveys to eliminate duplication and make information easier to compare.

– Laboratory results on cholesterol levels and blood sugar control to information collected from physician visits needs to be compiled for the possibility of discovering any connections to heart problems. The Public Health Department duty should be to maintain these records for our own safety and well-being.

Let us note that heart health is of interest to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers advice on how to keep your heart healthy.

Patients Needs for a Healthy Heart

The American College of Cardiology had a meeting to discuss a number of controversial findings on how to treat a patient with congestive heart failure. Not every person is a like therefore; a treatment for one Patient may not work on another one. This has left many Patients scratching their heads over the proper treatment for their cardiovascular condition. The experts have admitted that what works for one heart patient may not work for another one.

There was a study of over 2,300 patients where angloplasty-vs-drug therapy comparison proved the same. The result was that no differences in death, nonfatal heart attacks, strokes or hospitalization between patients with “stable” heart disease treated with medication alone vs. those who got drugs plus angioplasty and stenting.

A physician realizes that you as a patient know your own body and know your own needs such as diets and exercise. A Patients treatment by the medical field solely based accordingly to their needs and accessibility of medical procedures. Each patient should have the right too know what his care will be and what he can do to help prevent congestive heart failure. The patient should plan to make for him or herself a plan of action that will have a healthy lifestyle. Start with diet and exercise the two most important things in your life to improve upon in order to have a healthy heart.

The Patient still has rights over their own body as to the type of treatment and care they want to receive. The Patient should make a list of what they feel in order to discuss with the doctor the symptoms that they are suffering. This will help your doctor in diagnosis of your case and determine the treatment and care that is best for you. You should be able to confer with your physician on any type of treatment recommended and ask for a second opinion if you are not sure about what the procedures recommended for you are right. You can start your own program to help with your condition if you find that congestive heart failure is just around the corner or you already show symptoms.

First, look at your weight. Are you overweight? Do you need a diet? You know the answers to these questions all to well. A diet plan should fit your physical needs, which will help you loose weight and keep the weight off as well. You do not have to join a group or special buy your food in order to go on a diet. There are adequate diets plans available free on the internet. You should check with your physician before you attempt a diet plan. The next thing that you can do is exercise to help loose weight and relieve stress. You can become your own Patient keep track of your vitals, weight loss and any other important information about yourself. A Patient has power to control the way that they live their life.