Rheumatic heart disease etiology

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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Rheumatic heart disease is a type of organic heart disease, often caused by an abnormal immune response following a streptococcal infection, which affects the heart valves, resulting in valvular lesions, leading to stenosis or insufficiency, and posing significant risks to human health, severely impacting physical well-being. To prevent the occurrence of rheumatic heart disease, it is essential to actively control streptococcal infections, commonly including tonsillitis and upper respiratory tract infections. When a streptococcal infection occurs, effective antibiotics should be actively used to control the infection and reduce the incidence of rheumatic heart disease.

Other Voices

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
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Can people with heart disease drink alcohol?

Patients with heart disease should not drink alcohol, especially those with severe heart conditions, including heart failure and arrhythmias. Drinking alcohol can excite the sympathetic nervous system, increase heart rate, enhance myocardial oxygen consumption, increase cardiac burden, and worsen arrhythmias and heart failure. Additionally, patients with organic heart disease who regularly require medication should avoid alcohol. Alcohol can chemically interact with certain medications or reduce their effectiveness, potentially harming the body.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
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Is hyperthyroid heart disease difficult to treat?

Hyperthyroidism occurs when an excessive amount of T3 and T4 is released by the thyroid gland, leading to hyperactive metabolism throughout the body. This can cause disturbances in autonomic nervous function or receptor hyperactivity, resulting in a series of conditions related to excessive cardiac load and insufficient blood supply. Therefore, the majority of hyperthyroidism-related heart diseases improve after controlling the hyperthyroidism and are relatively easy to treat. However, if the thyroid function is not controlled repeatedly, or if the treatment is not effective, it may lead to severe enlargement of the heart and recurrent arrhythmias, making hyperthyroid heart disease difficult to cure. Nonetheless, such cases are relatively rare, with an incidence of less than 10%.

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Written by Hao Ze Rui
Pulmonology
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Complications of cor pulmonale

Complications of cor pulmonale commonly include several conditions. The first is pulmonary encephalopathy, caused by respiratory failure leading to hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention, which can cause somnolence in patients and, in severe cases, lead to coma. The second is acid-base imbalance and electrolyte disturbances. Cor pulmonale may present with various electrolyte disturbances, such as hyponatremia and hypokalemia. The third is arrhythmias, most commonly manifesting as atrial premature beats or paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. The fourth complication is shock. Shock is not very common in cor pulmonale, but if it occurs, the prognosis is poor.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can people with heart disease soak their feet?

Patients with heart disease can soak their feet. Soaking feet can dilate peripheral blood vessels, promote the expansion of capillaries, accelerate blood flow, and help invigorate the blood and remove stasis. Especially when soaking feet, adding some blood-activating and channel-unblocking medicines can achieve better effects. Foot soaking for patients with heart disease can dilate peripheral blood vessels, reduce the blood returning to the heart, and lessen the burden on the heart. Particularly for patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis, foot soaking can enhance blood flow and invigorate the blood, which is beneficial for heart disease patients. However, do not soak for too long and the water level should not be too high.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
40sec home-news-image

Can people with heart disease drink alcohol?

Patients with heart disease should not consume alcohol, especially those with severe heart conditions such as coronary heart disease, severe arrhythmias, and viral myocarditis. These patients especially should avoid alcohol as they need to use many medications during treatment. If they consume alcohol, the alcohol entering the body can chemically interact with some medications, leading to reduced efficacy, diminished effects, or causing side effects. Additionally, for these heart disease patients, consuming alcohol can increase the burden on the heart and exacerbate symptoms of heart disease.