Heart Health Archive

A normal pulse rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Possible causes of an elevated pulse include fever, anemia, anxiety, or an overactive thyroid. Other possibilities include too much caffeine, decongestants, or being out of shape.

Large studies have not found evidence of higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, or other cardiovascular diseases in people who eat up to one egg per day.

Orthostatic hypotension is a drop in blood pressure when standing up. If it ever leads to loss of consciousness or a fall, it can be dangerous.

Metformin, a medicine prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, also has cardiovascular benefits and is used off-label to treat other conditions. Interest is growing in its potential to help lower risks for other serious health problems and even slow aspects of aging, but which of these benefits, if any, apply to people who do not have diabetes?

I?ve read that a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Mine runs around 45 to 48. Should I be concerned? I have been a runner for 42 years and have completed seven marathons.

Lightheadedness is a feeling of wooziness or faintness. It is commonly caused by dehydration, drug side effects, blood pressure drops, low blood sugar, heart disease, or stroke.

A second opinion from a cardiologist may be helpful for people considering whether to undergo a specialized heart procedure. Such consultations may be increasingly appropriate as new, minimally invasive treatments for various heart problems become more widely available and more specialized. Others who might seek a second opinion include people with heart-related symptoms that persist despite treatment, who have been told they have no more options.

Telemedicine visits combined with self-measured blood pressure readings may help control high blood pressure better than traditional clinic visits, according to a 2024 study.

For improving cardiovascular risk, a workout that combines heart-pumping aerobic exercise and strength-based moves may be just as effective as an all-aerobic regimen, according to a 2024 study.

Every year, an estimated 600,000 people in the United States develop a blood clot deep inside the leg, known as deep-vein thrombosis. These clots usually develop in the lower leg, thigh, or pelvis but occasionally the arm. The affected area may be tender or painful, swollen, red or discolored, and warm to the touch. If a clot breaks free and travels to a lung, it can cause a pulmonary embolism. Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include difficulty breathing that happens suddenly, a fast or irregular heartbeat, coughing up blood, and chest pain or discomfort, which usually worsens with a deep breath or coughing.