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Ultrasound: answers to popular questions

Ultrasound: answers to popular questions

Many hidden health problems can be detected by ultrasound. But in order to get complete undistorted information about the state of internal organs, it is important to properly prepare for the procedure. It is also useful for patients to know about the technology, features and 

What does a complete blood count show

What does a complete blood count show

A complete blood count is one of the simplest methods to check your own health. Such an analysis is able to reveal a large number of pathologies that are invisible to the eye, associated with inflammatory processes in the body. Inflammation can arise from a 

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

Cardiovascular disease is the plague of our time. Heart attacks, strokes, and vascular blockages are the most common cause of death in many countries.
Let’s consider the most common cardiovascular diseases, and talk about how they can be detected, treated and, above all, prevented.

Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerotic vascular changes can appear at an early age and progress over the years. This occurs without symptoms. Only after a few decades, usually in the fifth decade of life in men, and after menopause in women, the first symptoms appear. The manifestations of atherosclerosis depend on the location of the atherosclerotic lesions. The most serious consequences are impaired blood flow in the coronary, cerebral, renal and gastrointestinal vessels, in the arteries supplying blood to the limbs and the gastrointestinal tract.
An atherosclerotic process can significantly reduce blood flow in a vessel, or lead to complete closure of an artery and acute ischemia of an organ supplied by such an artery. Prevention of atherosclerotic processes is to control blood pressure and blood cholesterol concentration.

Heart rhythm disorders
A normal heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute. An abnormal heart rhythm is called arrhythmia. Any cardiac arrhythmia, even if it occurs sporadically and does not cause discomfort, requires medical advice. It is worth going to a therapist or cardiologist. The main research for arrhythmias is listening to the heart, measuring the heart rate and EKG. The most dangerous arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, in which the pulse can reach 400-600 heart beats per minute. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke and requires careful diagnosis and complex treatment.

Arterial hypertension
The optimal blood pressure height is 120/80 mm Hg. When hypertension occurs, the values ​​rise above 140/90 mm Hg. In a healthy person, the results vary depending on the time of day, emotional state or physical activity, and it is quite normal that sometimes the heart pumps blood more, which means that the pressure becomes higher. Problems begin when the heart constantly, for no physiological reason, works at maximum speed. Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on the cells that build arteries. Hypertension develops almost asymptomatically, and we usually find out about it by accident, with regular monitoring of blood pressure in the doctor’s office. Hypertension is the most common cause of death in women and second in men. High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke, kidney damage and failure, severe retinal changes, and atherosclerosis. Drug therapy, lifestyle changes, smoking cessation and proper nutrition, especially reducing the salt content of food, help in the treatment of hypertension.

Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction is the result of coronary heart disease and is caused by coronary atherosclerosis – a critical decrease in blood flow in a coronary artery. The symptoms of myocardial infarction are chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness. It is an acute, life-threatening condition that requires urgent medical attention.

Aortic aneurysm
Aneurysms – thinning and stretching of the wall of an artery – can form in any part of the aorta, its branches or other peripheral arteries, as well as in the brain. They always pose a serious threat to life. In most cases, atherosclerosis leads to the formation of an aneurysm. But it can also be caused by injury or inflammation that damages the inner membrane lining the vessel. Not all causes of aneurysm formation are known. However, it was found that its formation is favored by: hypertension, connective tissue diseases that weaken the walls of the arteries, smoking. A ruptured aneurysm causes bleeding, which is often fatal. The aneurysm can be unraveled with the help of an ultrasound examination of the vessels. This allows not only to determine the very existence of the aneurysm, but also to determine its size and location. If the ultrasound does not give a definite answer, a computed tomography is done.

Stroke
Stroke – an acute disorder of cerebral circulation – can take the form of hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke), ischemia or heart attack (ischemic stroke). The average age of the sick is 65-70 years. It is estimated that the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years. The consequences of a stroke are closely related to the location and extent of the brain damage. Most often they manifest themselves as paresis, loss of the ability to understand or express speech, or loss of sensitivity. Age, smoking, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes increase the risk of stroke.

Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism occurs as a result of blockage of the lumen of the pulmonary artery or one of its branches by a clot. This is a common complication of cardiovascular disease that poses a direct threat to the patient’s life.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a disease in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises significantly above normal. Blood cannot flow freely through the pulmonary vessels and receive as much oxygen as the body needs. The main symptoms are a feeling of shortness of breath, shortness of breath, especially during exercise. The heart starts to work faster to pump more and more blood to organs that need oxygen. Other symptoms that appear as the disease progresses are fatigue and dizziness, fainting, chest pressure or pain, especially during exercise, leg swelling – edema, and fast or irregular heartbeat. Pulmonary hypertension remains an incurable disease, but medications inhibit its development. They reduce mortality by over 40% in just 3-4 months of use. If drug treatment is ineffective, in some cases, complex surgical treatment may be required.

Venous thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombosis is also often asymptomatic. The disease can be fatal when a corrosive venous clot breaks off and travels with blood flow to the heart and lungs, blocking an artery in the lungs. Thrombosis treatment can be pharmacological or surgical. Prevention of thrombosis is helped by practicing appropriate sports: swimming, walking, dancing, cycling. It is important to eat right and relieve stress from your legs periodically, for example by positioning them so that they are higher than your heart.

Anemia: symptoms, degrees, treatment

Anemia: symptoms, degrees, treatment

Anemia, or anemia, is a condition in which the concentration of hemoglobin (oxygen carrier) in the blood decreases. Often accompanied by a decrease in the number of red blood cells (red blood cells). It is not an independent disease, but a syndrome of other diseases. 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that causes a partially irreversible decrease in airflow in the airways. The relevance of COPD is associated with a serious deterioration in the quality of life of patients, limitation of physical performance, disability. Causes of lung 

Sinusitis

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is an inflammatory disease of the paranasal sinuses associated with infection or allergic reactions. The incidence of sinusitis among the population of our country is 40%. With sinusitis, the cells of the ethmoid bone, maxillary, frontal and, finally, sphenoid sinuses are affected.

Classification of acute sinusitis

Acute sinusitis is a lesion of the maxillary sinuses of the nose.

Acute ethmoiditis is a lesion of the ethmoid cells.

Acute frontal sinusitis is a lesion of the frontal sinuses.

Acute sphenoiditis is a lesion of the sphenoid (main) sinus.

Etiology of sinusitis

The main source of sinusitis is infection of the sinuses with various microflora.

Acute sinusitis is characterized by monoculture (infection with one type of bacterial pathogens): pneumococci, streptococci, staphylococci; viral infection (influenza virus, parainfluenza, adenoviruses).

Chronic sinusitis is characterized by a mixed microflora: more often staphylococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus, Escherichia coli, fungal infection (fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida). Previously suffered acute respiratory viral infection; tamponade of the nose with nosebleeds; traumatic damage to the tissues of the nasal cavity is often the cause of the subsequent development of sinusitis of a particular localization.

Risk factors leading to the development of sinusitis

Aggravated allergic history.
Immunodeficiency states.
Diseases of the dentoalveolar system.
Swimming in polluted water.

Ways of infection in the nasal sinuses

Rhinogenic (through the natural fistulas of the sinuses)
Hematogenous (infection through the blood).
Odontogenic (in the presence of chronic foci of infection in the dentition.
With injuries of the sinuses.

The clinical picture of acute sinusitis

Common symptoms of acute sinusitis:

Nasal congestion.
Headache.
Fever.
Discharge from the nose.
Cold symptoms

Acute sinusitis is a lesion of the maxillary sinuses of the nose.

Symptoms of the disease acute sinusitis:

Nasal congestion.
Feeling of heaviness.
Tension in the cheek area on the affected side, especially when the trunk is tilted forward.
In acute sinusitis, the patient is worried about the feeling of pressure on the eyes.
Pain in the teeth on the affected side.
Headache of uncertain localization.
Discharge from the nose can be mucopurulent or purulent in nature.
Deterioration of smell.
Lachrymation (due to impaired patency of the nasolacrimal canal)
Acute ethmoiditis is a lesion of the ethmoid cells. The symptomatology of the disease differs little from acute sinusitis.

Symptoms of the disease acute ethmoiditis:

Pain in the area of ​​the root of the nose and orbit (on the side of the inflammation).
Nasal congestion.
Feeling of heaviness.
Tension in the cheek area on the affected side, especially when the trunk is tilted forward.
In acute sinusitis, the patient is worried about the feeling of pressure on the eyes.
Pain in the teeth on the affected side.
Headache of uncertain localization.
Discharge from the nose can be mucopurulent or purulent in nature.
Deterioration of smell.
Lachrymation (due to impaired patency of the nasolacrimal canal)

Acute frontal sinusitis is a lesion of the frontal sinuses. A characteristic sign of acute frontal sinusitis is a headache in the forehead, especially intense in the morning (due to the difficulty of outflow from the sinus when the patient is in a horizontal position).

Acute sphenoiditis is a lesion of the main sinus.

Symptoms of the disease acute sphenoiditis:

Headache in the back of the head;
Pain in the back of the eye;
Runoff of purulent discharge from the nasopharynx along the back of the pharynx;
Bad smell.

Complications of sinusitis

Orbital (orbital):

Phlegmon;
Optic neuritis (rare);
Periostitis of the orbit.
Edema, abscess of retrobulbar tissue.
Panophthalmos (inflammation of all tissues and membranes of the eye) is very rare.

Intracranial:

Meningitis;
Arachnoiditis;
Extra- and subdural abscesses;
Brain abscess;
Thrombophlebitis of the cavernous sinus;
Thrombophlebitis of the superior longitudinal sinus;
Septic cavernous thrombosis.

Forecast

The prognosis for acute sinusitis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinusitis is favorable, subject to timely treatment and prevention of complications. In chronic sinusitis, the prognosis can be favorable if the allergen is eliminated (identified) and good drainage is ensured using a sinus puncture or yamik procedure.

Diabetes mellitus (laboratory diagnostics)

Diabetes mellitus (laboratory diagnostics)

Diabetes mellitus is a group of endocrine diseases that develop due to a lack of the hormone insulin, which leads to an increase in the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Tests for the diagnosis of diabetes in MedLab: comprehensive study for primary diagnosis: 

Cervical cancer and human papillomavirus

Cervical cancer and human papillomavirus

Cervical cancer (CC) is characterized by a very high mortality rate. Every third woman suffering from cancer dies from cervical cancer. In part, such sad numbers are due to the difficulty of diagnosis and the woman’s insufficient attention to her health. The risk of developing 

Breast and Ovarian Cancer (Heredity and Risk. Sad statistics

Breast and Ovarian Cancer (Heredity and Risk. Sad statistics

Breast cancer / breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women. In developed countries, at least one in ten women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. And ovarian cancer (OC) among all malignant neoplasms in women ranks seventh in frequency and occurs in 1 out of 70 women. The early forms of these diseases develop asymptomatically and are usually detected only during preventive medical examinations. Advanced breast and ovarian cancers are very difficult to treat.

Role of heredity
It has been proven that a significant risk factor for the development of breast and ovarian cancer is hereditary predisposition. With certain changes (mutations) in some genes, the risk of developing these diseases can increase tens, and even hundreds of times. So more than 10% of breast cancer cases are hereditary forms, when one particular mutation leads to the formation of a malignant tumor with a probability of up to 90%.
That is why it is very important to know your level of risk in order to carry out prevention and timely diagnosis. According to statistics, timely detection of breast tumors allows you to avoid serious consequences and lead a full life in about 90% of patients.

Genes for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
To date, several genes have been found, defects in which lead to the development of breast cancer and OC. The highest risk of developing these diseases is due to mutations in the BRCA1 gene, widely known thanks to the American actress Angelina Jolie.

The MedLab laboratory analyzes the most common mutations in Russia that are highly likely to cause hereditary breast and ovarian cancer:

3 mutations in the BRCA1 gene
3 mutations in the CHEK2 gene
1 mutation in the BRCA2 gene
1 mutation in the BLM gene

Tests for these mutations are collected in a single genetic profile GP7 Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer – 5 genes.

Genes for sporadic cancer

“Digital medical illustration: Perspective x-ray view of human ovum with tumor. Anatomically correct. Isolated on black.For other cancer related-and general anatomy images, see:”

In addition to the genes listed above, which are responsible for the development of hereditary forms of cancer, there are several more genes that control the influence of external factors on the woman’s body. With mutations in these genes, the risk of developing cancer also increases, especially against the background of smoking, increased insolation (UV radiation) and hormonal dysfunction.
As part of the study of the risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer, the genetic profile of GP8 was created. Breast and ovarian cancer – 8 genes. It includes the 5 most common mutations that cause hereditary forms of cancer, as well as analysis for 5 genes that affect the hormonal background and the detoxification system.

Who is genetic testing indicated for?
All women who care about their health;
Those who have had at least 1 case of breast and / or ovarian cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovarian_cancer in their family;
Daughters whose parents are carriers of mutations in the above genes.
To the attention of patients.
It is imperative to know that mutation detection is not a fatal sentence. On the contrary, the identification of mutations allows the doctor and the patient to take effective measures to prevent the development of the disease.
with a negative result of testing the BRCA1 gene, in some cases, according to the testimony of an oncologist, it is possible to fully determine the sequence of this gene (sequencing).
If any mutations in the genes of hereditary cancer are found, it is mandatory to check for the presence of this mutation in the patient’s blood relatives.

Breast and ovarian cancer (genetic predisposition)

Breast and ovarian cancer (genetic predisposition)

Breast and ovarian cancer. Genetic predisposition to oncological diseases of the mammary glands and ovaries. Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. In Russia, this tumor occupies a leading position both in the structure of female oncological morbidity (20.9%)