Your Source for Heart Disease News, Information and Treatment http://www.DiagnosisHeart.com September 6: Many of us have heard that long-term, heavy alcohol use can damage vital organs such as the liver and the brain. But did you know that the heart can also be damaged by alcohol consumption? Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects the heart’s muscle cells and poses a risk to both men and women who drink alcohol, regardless of their race. When a person has alcoholic cardiomyopathy, [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=134 October 1: What is Syncope? Most people can recall a time in their lives when they have “passed out” or “fainted” and this phenomenon is called syncope by doctors. More precisely it is defined as a transient loss of consciousness with an inability to maintain postural tone that resolves spontaneously without medical intervention. This is a fairly common problem that accounts for nearly 3% of al [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=135 September 9: Dr Karagoz and colleagues from the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Guven Hospital, Ankara, Turkey have published their experience with awake heart surgery. They initially reported this "innovative" experience more than three years ago. The authors have provided a complete analysis of their experience in order to "determine its validity [as a] surgical strategy. Between October [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=136 September 9: Researchers from the Tulane Center for Cardiovascular Health, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA have looked into the metabolic abnormalities among offspring of type 2 diabetes. This was examined in a community-based cohort with (n = 303) and without (n = 1,136) parental history of type 2 diabetes followed in these patients for 17 years after childhood! [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=137 November 22: What are Holter monitors? You may have heard them mentioned in a doctor’s office or hospital. Or perhaps someone you know will be wearing one for a day or two. Holter monitors are portable devices that look and act like a tape recorder. They have long wires, or leads, that are taped to the chest. The purpose of the Holter monitor is to record the rhythm of the heart. [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=138 May 10: image from www.familydoctor.com, accessed on May 10, 2005 Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to fragile bones and susceptibility to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. Both men and women are affected, yet 90% of hospitalized patient [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=501 May 10: image from www.le.ac.uk, accessed on May 10, 2005 [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=502 May 12: image from www.midcaperacquet.com, accessed on May 12, 2005 Tanorexia is the latest buzz word, being referred to as a disease where teenagers and young adults want to be tanned throughout the year, placing them at significant risk for skin cancer, namely melanoma. [read more - follow the link]... http://www.diagnosisheart.com/showarticle.php?articleid=505