Please enjoy our free resource for plain explanations of most health concerns. The Northeast Professional Home Care Knowldge Center is searchable, authoritatively sourced, constantly updated.
What is stress?
Stress is how your brain and body respond to a challenge or demand. When you are stressed, your body releases certain hormones. Hormones are chemicals that travel in your bloodstream and control how different parts of your body work. The hormones that are released when you are stressed make you alert and ready to act. They can raise your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. This response is sometimes called a "fight or flight" response.
Everyone gets stressed from time to time. There are different types of stress. It can be short-term or long-term. It can be caused by something that happens once or something that keeps happening.
Not all stress is bad. In fact, it can help you survive in a dangerous situation. For example, one kind of stress is the jolt you may feel when a car pulls out in front of you while you are driving. This jolt of hormones helps you quickly hit the brakes to avoid an accident. A little short-term stress can sometimes be helpful. For example, the stress of having a deadline for school or your job may push you to get your work done on time. Once you finish it, that stress goes away.
But stress that lasts a long time can harm your health.
What causes long-term stress?Long-term stress, or chronic stress, lasts for weeks, months, or longer. As you go about your life, your body is acting as if you're being threatened.
Causes of long-term stress include:
People respond to stress in different ways. If you're stressed for a long time you may notice that you are:
When stress keeps going, your body acts as if you're always in danger. That's a lot of strain that may play a part in developing serious health problems, including:
It's possible to get used to the symptoms of stress and not even realize there's a problem. So when there's a lot of stress in your life, it's important to pay attention to how it affects you so you can do something about it.
How can I manage long-term stress?Simple things that improve your mental health may be helpful in managing long-term stress, such as:
Get help if you're having severe symptoms for 2 weeks or more, including:
Always get help right away if stress is causing you to:
Your health care provider may refer you to a mental health professional such as a psychologist or social worker.
NIH: National Institute of Mental Health
What is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)?
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly stops beating. When that happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. If it is not treated, SCA usually causes death within minutes. But quick treatment with a defibrillator may be lifesaving.
How is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) different from a heart attack?A heart attack is different from an SCA. A heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart is blocked. During a heart attack, the heart usually doesn't suddenly stop beating. With an SCA, the heart stops beating.
Sometimes an SCA can happen after or during recovery from a heart attack.
What causes sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)?Your heart has an electrical system that controls the rate and rhythm of your heartbeat. An SCA can happen when the heart's electrical system is not working right and causes irregular heartbeats. Irregular heartbeats are called arrhythmias. There are different types. They may cause the heart to beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. Some can cause the heart to stop pumping blood to the body; this is the type that causes SCA.
Certain diseases and conditions can cause the electrical problems that lead to SCA. They include:
You are at higher risk for SCA if you:
Usually, the first sign of SCA is loss of consciousness (fainting). This happens when the heart stops beating.
Some people may have a racing heartbeat or feel dizzy or light-headed just before they faint. And sometimes people have chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, or vomiting in the hour before they have an SCA.
How is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) diagnosed?SCA happens without warning and requires emergency treatment. Health care providers rarely diagnose SCA with medical tests as it's happening. Instead, it is usually diagnosed after it happens. Providers do this by ruling out other causes of a person's sudden collapse.
If you are at high risk for SCA, your provider may refer you to a cardiologist, a doctor who specializes in heart diseases. The cardiologist may ask you to get various heart health tests to see how well you heart is working. He or she will work with you to decide whether you need treatment to prevent SCA.
What are the treatments for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)?SCA is an emergency. A person having SCA needs to be treated with a defibrillator right away. A defibrillator is a device sends an electric shock to the heart. The electric shock can restore a normal rhythm to a heart that's stopped beating. To work well, it needs to be done within minutes of the SCA.
Most police officers, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders are trained and equipped to use a defibrillator. Call 9-1-1 right away if someone has signs or symptoms of SCA. The sooner you call for help, the sooner lifesaving treatment can begin.
What should I do if I think that someone has had an SCA?Many public places such as schools, businesses, and airports have automated external defibrillators (AEDs). AEDs are special defibrillators that untrained people can use if they think that someone has had SCA. AEDS are programmed to give an electric shock if they detect a dangerous arrhythmia. This prevents giving a shock to someone who may have fainted but isn't having SCA.
If you see someone who you think has had SCA, you should give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until defibrillation can be done.
People who are at risk for SCA may want to consider having an AED at home. Ask your cardiologist to help you decide whether having an AED in your home might help you.
What are the treatments after surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)?If you survive SCA, you'll likely be admitted to a hospital for ongoing care and treatment. In the hospital, your medical team will closely watch your heart. They may give you medicines to try to reduce the risk of another SCA.
They will also try to find out what caused your SCA. If you're diagnosed with coronary artery disease, you may have an angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery. These procedures help restore blood flow through narrowed or blocked coronary arteries.
Often, people who have had SCA get a device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This small device is surgically placed under the skin in your chest or abdomen. An ICD uses electric pulses or shocks to help control dangerous arrhythmias.
Can sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) be prevented?You may be able to lower your risk of SCA by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. If you have coronary artery disease or another heart disease, treating that disease can also lower your risk of SCA. If you have had an SCA, getting an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can lower your chance of having another SCA.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
What are vascular diseases?
Your vascular system is your body's network of blood vessels. It includes your:
Vascular diseases are conditions which affect your vascular system. They are common and can be serious. Some types include:
The causes of vascular diseases depend on the specific disease. These causes include:
Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Who is at risk for vascular diseases?The risk factors for vascular diseases can vary, depending on the specific disease. But some of the more common risk factors include:
The symptoms for each disease are different.
How are vascular diseases diagnosed?To make a diagnosis, your health care provider will do a physical exam and ask about your symptoms and medical history. You may have imaging tests and/or blood tests.
How are vascular diseases treated?Which treatment you get depends on which vascular disease you have and how severe it is. Types of treatments for vascular diseases include:
There are steps you can take to help prevent vascular diseases:
What are anabolic steroids?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic (man-made) versions of testosterone. Testosterone is the main sex hormone in men. It is needed to develop and maintain male sex characteristics, such as facial hair, deep voice, and muscle growth. Women do have some testosterone in their bodies, but in much smaller amounts.
What are anabolic steroids used for?Health care providers use anabolic steroids to treat some hormone problems in men, delayed puberty, and muscle loss from some diseases. But some people misuse anabolic steroids.
Why do people misuse anabolic steroids?Some bodybuilders and athletes use anabolic steroids to build muscles and improve athletic performance. They may take the steroids orally, inject them into muscles, or apply them to the skin as a gel or cream. These doses may be 10 to 100 times higher than doses used to treat medical conditions. Using them this way, without a prescription from a health care provider, is not legal or safe.
What are the health effects of misusing anabolic steroids?Misuse of anabolic steroids, especially over a long period of time, has been linked to many health problems, including:
In men, it can also cause:
In women, it can also cause:
Even though they don't cause a high, anabolic steroids can be addictive. You can have withdrawal symptoms if you stop using them, including:
Behavioral therapy and medicines can be helpful in treating anabolic steroid addiction.
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
What is atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Plaque is a sticky substance made up of cholesterol, fat, blood cells, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and causes your arteries to narrow. That limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your body.
Some people may confuse atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, but they are not the same thing:
Atherosclerosis can affect most of the arteries in the body. It has different names, based on which arteries are affected:
Plaque often starts to build up during childhood and gets worse with age. The exact cause is unknown, but researchers believe that this buildup happens when there is damage to the arteries. This damage may be caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits, medical conditions, and your genes.
Who is more likely to develop atherosclerosis?You may be more likely to develop atherosclerosis if you:
In the early stages, atherosclerosis often does not cause any symptoms. You may first notice some symptoms at times when your body needs more oxygen. For example, this could be when you are having physical or emotional stress.
Your symptoms will depend on which arteries are affected and how much blood flow is blocked:
For men, erectile dysfunction (ED) is an early warning sign that you may be at higher risk for atherosclerosis and its complications. If you have ED, talk with your provider about your risk of plaque buildup.
What other problems can atherosclerosis cause?Atherosclerosis can cause other health problems, or complications. For example, if a plaque bursts, a blood clot may form. The clot could block the artery completely or travel to another part of the body. Other possible complications can vary, depending on which arteries are affected. For example, blockages in different parts of the body can lead to complications such as a heart attack, stroke, vascular dementia, or limb loss.
How is atherosclerosis diagnosed?To find out if you have atherosclerosis, your provider:
If you have atherosclerosis, your provider will work with you to create a treatment plan that works for you. Your plan will depend on which arteries are affected, how much the blood flow is blocked, and what other medical conditions you have. Possible treatments may include:
There are steps you can take to try to prevent atherosclerosis:
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute