A CASE OF A HEART ATTACK DURING MISS UNIVERSE 2011

Heart attack comes without warning to anyone at risk.  These are individuals with existing risk factors, mostly hypertensives and diabetics.

The recent Miss Universe Pageant was indeed very entertaining and brought a lot of tension and excitement worldwide. Not to mention the hormone rising tsunami walk..

The world watched with awe as Miss Angola won and our very own Miss Shamcey Supsup garnered 3rd place.  The pageant created an atmosphere of stress and tension which in medical terms caused heightened activity of the sympathetic nervous system resulting to increased heart rates and blood pressures.

These physiologic response mechanisms are well tolerated by most persons but can be devastating to diseased individuals especially the elderly, hypertensives, diabetics and CAD patients.




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This was the case of V.C. 63F, a known diabetic with renal failure.  She was very much controlled with medications and lifestyle changes, all recent lab work up and physical examination were satisfactory and she was given the green light to follow up after 6 months with advise to continue with the current treatment regimen.

VC 63F, watched the pageant as it happened September 13, 2011, as with the relatives information, VC was exhilarated  as Shamcey Supsup was included to the TOP 5 FINALIST.  It was in that moment when VC complained of dyspnea accompanied with cold sweats,  few minutes later she collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital with approximately 15 travel time but was pronounced Dead On Arrival after 30 minutes of resuscitation.

Certain stressful events may cause a heart attack to individuals at risk.  These circumstances may range from moments of anger or JOY.  The Miss Universe Pageant DID not in any manner caused the demise of VC but it is the emotional and physiologic effects of excitement resulting from that experience that triggered the cascade of events that led to the heart attack which is universal from our day to day living.

It is very important that major risk factors for a coronary event be addressed and controlled by your physician....

Visit your internist for more info...

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Weight Loss Supplements. Is it Really Effective?

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Maintaining your Ideal body weight is essential for good health. To do so requires discipline and patience. It is with this regard that a lot of people recourse to short cuts to loose weight.

A myriad of techniques, programs and supplements are widespread. Each claiming to be effective. I shall focus my short discussion on weight loss supplements because it is more popular than dieting and exercise.

Weight loss supplements has become a big business. Current trends show that more and more people are now aware of the adverse effects of obesity, but unfortunately most people want to loose weight just for vanity and aesthetic reasons. It is true that we look good to society if we are fit, with some muscles to go, some endurance on activities and increased facial value.

I would like to emphasize that losing weight will make a person more attractive physically and it makes us more healthy. Maintaining your ideal weight, decreases your risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke and musculoskeletal disorders.

Herbal supplements containing amphetamine like derivatives are very popular. In technical terms, it can increase your metabolism by increasing your heart rate and sometimes suppressing appetite. In theory you can burn more calories and lessen your caloric intake resulting to weight loss. But if you just rely on this supplement for your weight loss program, in my opinion, you may lose just 1 to 4 percent or you may not loose at all since there is no actual change in physical activity and caloric intake.

L-carnitine, an amino acid claimed to increase fat metabolism because of its role in beta oxidation has recently become popular. Fruit juices and other beverages are widely advertised with captions of weight loss. This amino acid is present in our muscle tissues and in meats we eat. In theory increasing intake of this amino acid may increase fat metabolism. Recent studies showed otherwise, supplementation did not result in weight loss.

Caffeine, a stimulant drug, again marketed as energy drinks increases your metabolism, increases your heart rate, in theory it can lead to weight loss. Again, just like the previously mentioned herbal supplements, it may lead only to minimal weight loss or non at all.

What then is the proven weight loss regimen, it is just the balance of caloric intake and caloric expenditure. A balanced diet low in fat and regular exercise has been proven time and time again to result in weight loss, cardiovascular fitness, a tuned up immune system, lower risk of hypertension and diabetes.

Just stick to the basics, and you will do fine. Pay a visit to your internist or your primary care physician for more info.

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A CASE OF A COMPLICATED ELDERLY PATIENT

Almost all diseases are classified and diagnosed based on common manifestations and physical findings.  Sex, occupation, living conditions and age are the basic  information a physician will gather during history taking to arrive to an accurate diagnosis.

Certain diseases may occur with certain age groups, and increasing age entails increased disease incidence.  It is with this regard that a host of illnesses maybe present all at the same time in an elderly patient, making diagnosis and treatment a challenge to the physician.

Hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, thyroid anomalies and so on,  can actually be seen in a single elderly patient.  The art of healing in the elderly is called GERIATRIC MEDICINE, doctors adept in this field are also specialists in INTERNAL MEDICINE.

The elderly most often have other age related disabilities, like hearing loss which makes communication difficult,  osteoarthritis which may mask exertional chestpain of CAD due to limited or minimal physical mobility during stress test, dementia which can mask malnutrition due to deranged eating habits, a weak immune system which predisposes them to severe life threatening infections, the list just goes on and on.

It is not unusual to see a geriatric patient succumbing to severe complications just because of a simple diarrhea or the common cold, the said diseases are mild in a young patient but devastating to an elderly due to age related functional decline of organ systems coupled with other pre-existing comorbid conditions.

It is wise that every senior citizen be evaluated on a regular basis by a geriatrician.

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