This chapter describes the special investigations which are commonly used to help diagnose and evaluate people suspected of having heart disease. It is divided into two sections. The first section deals with relatively straightforward tests. Most, or all, of these can be performed in local district general hospitals. The second section covers more complex investigations … Read more
The treatment of patients suffering from abnormally slow heart rates has been transformed by the development of artificial cardiac pacemakers which can be implanted wholly within the body. Slow heart rates are caused by disease and ageing of the heart affecting both the natural heart pacemaker and the spread of electrical activity through the heart. … Read more
For most people, eating is one of the pleasures of life. We want our food to be tasty and satisfying, but we also want it to be healthy. And in recent years there has been growing evidence that the way we eat in this country may play an important part in a number of serious … Read more
Great improvements have been made in the treatment of heart disease in recent years, in large part from the research and development of new, effective medicines or drugs. (Many people misunderstand the word “drug”: it simply means a medicine.) These new drugs are effective because they are powerful, and if you have been prescribed one … Read more