Category: Cardiology 101

posts here focus on a variety of topics all about the heart and how it works

Ranking the prestige of diseases: guess what’s #1?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 6 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas

In a compelling article called Are Some Diseases More Prestigious Than Others? the always-interesting medical historian Dr. Jan Henderson ran an overview ranking the prestige of a number of medical diseases. And WOOOO HOOOO, my heart sisters!  We won! Those of us who have survived a myocardial infarction (heart attack) are right up there at the top. Studies from Norway report that the more highly ranked medical specialties and diseases all involve vital organs, and, let’s face it – what organ is more vital than our hearts?

So why don’t I feel even a tiny bit better about “beating out” 37 other important diagnoses? On this, my 300th posting here on Heart Sisters, let’s check out what Dr. Jan had to say about this Norwegian research: Continue reading “Ranking the prestige of diseases: guess what’s #1?” →

Are you a ‘health seeker’ or a ‘disease seeker’?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 9 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

I recently wrote about a woman who has few if any cardiac symptoms, no definitive test results, and very little if any reason to believe she might have a heart condition. Yet she is so utterly convinced of her extreme risk for having a heart attack that she actually describes feeling like a “ticking time bomb”.

Her conviction may have something to do with the increasing media coverage of atypical signs of heart disease in women (= a good thing).  Or it may have something to do with the possibility that she is “catastrophizing” by looking to snag an attention-getting heart disease diagnosis (= a bad thing).

I’ve recently subscribed to medical historian Dr. Jan Henderson‘s fascinating blog called The Health Culture, and that’s where I was once again reminded of a book that may actually help to inform this woman’s case. Continue reading “Are you a ‘health seeker’ or a ‘disease seeker’?” →

Are women being left behind in cardiac research?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 3 Comments

I was interviewed by Catherine Morgan at Blogher after the report called Heart Device Studies Still Leave Women Out of Equation was published in the March issue of the journal, Circulation. Catherine asked a number of questions about my take on Dr. Rita Redberg’s findings in this research. For example, one of her questions was:

“How concerned should women with heart disease be about this latest report?”   Continue reading “Are women being left behind in cardiac research?” →

Why are women with atrial fibrillation treated differently?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 6 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas 

She is a 60-year old heart patient who wryly claims: “Catheter ablation is one of my favorite subjects!” After she underwent this treatment for her atrial fibrillation*, she healed surprisingly slowly, and her distressing episodes of high or irregular heart rate – averaging anywhere from 140-160 beats per minute – “came back full-time”.

She was also warned that these symptoms could last for months. She adds:

“I know how frustrating it is when doctors tell you that ablation is ‘The Answer’ and it turns out not to be.”

Sadly, she is not alone. Last year, cardiac researchers at St. David’s Hospital in Austin, Texas reported striking differences in the outcomes and complications of more than 3,200 women who underwent the cardiac procedure called Atrial Fibrillation Ablation*.  Continue reading “Why are women with atrial fibrillation treated differently?” →