Heart Rate Variability May Be Linked To Increased Mortality In Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
We all know the importance of being physically active. Well, it is taking on a new importance as research from the Journal of Nephrology, and later published by the Global Kidney Academy found that low Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients was closely associated with death. HRV is the pattern of your heart rhythms. When your heart is rhythmic and balanced you feel great and your immune system is working well. When your heart rhythms are erratic you feel stress, frustration, and poorly overall. Recommended Reading: Too much potassium (hyperkalemia) is dangerous for CKD Patients' Heart Health Your pulse measures your heart rate (the number of times your heart beats in one minute). Heart rates vary from person to person but your pulse should beat 60 to 100 times per minute, on the average. A pulse reading is simple; using your first three fingers (not including the thumb) apply light pressure against the thumb side of the wrist. When determining a pulse rate, count each pulsation for 10 seconds and multiply the number by six. The computed amount is the pulse rate. If a wrist pulse cannot be found, another site is on the side of the neck. Recommended Reading: Common Supplement Taken By Chronic Kidney Disease And Diabetic Patients Linked To Heart Attacks Heart rates remain low due to stress, sedentary lifestyle, and high blood pressure to name a few; but it typically occurs without you even really noticing. Still, there are some really easy steps you can and should take to correct low HRV. Recommended Reading: The Steps To Reduce Heart Attack Risk By 8% Will Be Surprising To CKD Patients One of the best ways to safely increase your heart rate is through aerobic exercise which includes walking, hiking, water aerobics or light cycling. Also, lim Continue reading >>
Insulin-induced Increase In Heart Rate And Its Prevention By Propranolol
Summary Acute hyperinsulinaemia in the absence of changes in blood glucose increases heart rate in man. Animal studies have suggested that beta-adrenergic blockade does not prevent the insulin-induced increase in heart rate. The aim of the present study was to investigate the acute effect of insulin on heart rate and blood pressure in non diabetic subjects and, in particular, to determine whether beta-adrenergic receptor blockade would significantly influence the effect. On separate days 9 healthy young volunteers were pretreated with either 80 mg propranolol or placebo p.o. After a 60–90 min period of heart rate and blood pressure stabilization, a placebo injection was given intravenously and heart rate and blood pressure were then monitored every 5 min. After 30 min insulin Actrapid MC 0.2 IU/kg body weight was given i.v. A 20% glucose infusion was given to maintain blood glucose at its fasting level. After insulin administration, a rapid and statistically significant increase in heart rate was observed when the patients were pretreated with placebo; pretreatment with propranolol completely prevented this effect. Serum insulin levels were significantly higher than baseline at all times and there was no significant change in blood glucose. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the insulin-induced increase in heart rate in man may result from stimulation of cardiac sympathetic activity. Preview Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. Continue reading >>
Heart Rate Variability (hrv) & Diabetes
Recent studies have identified a possible link between heart rate variability (HRV) and diabetes or glucose intolerance. In other words, loss of autonomic function resulting in a reduction in HRV may also have negative effects on the body’s ability to process and store glucose. The Autonomic Nervous System The first step to understanding this connection is to describe how the autonomic nervous system normally affects glucose balance in the body. The diagram below outlines which organs are affected by the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PSNS) nervous systems. In general, the SNS initiates a “fight or flight” response to stress. It increases heart rate, dilates or opens the lungs, inhibits digestion and dilates the pupils, providing the body with the resources it needs to protect itself in times of danger. The PSNS conversely, is known as the “rest and digest” system; it promotes digestion, reduces heart rate, increases salivation, increases urine secretion from the kidneys and constricts the pupils. On a day-to-day basis, these two pathways work in parallel to maintain homeostatic balance within the body. Glucose Glucose levels in the blood and tissues are maintained via a series of different processes, largely stimulated by different hormones. Ingested food is broken down by enzymes into simple sugars (monosaccharides), which are absorbed through the gut wall and transported to the liver. Glucose can directly enter the liver, brain, kidney and red blood cells. It uses insulin to enter muscle and adipose (fat) tissue cells. In the liver and muscle cells glucose is converted to glycogen, its storage form. The reverse process is the degradation of glycogen to form glucose and glucose-6-phostphate (G6P). In muscle, G6P is used to produce ATP, the unit of en Continue reading >>
Dipping Blood Sugars Cause Surprisingly Irregular Heart Rhythms In Diabetics
• Research unveils clues to ‘Dead in Bed’ cases where young people without any history of long-term complications die suddenly from diabetes. • Low blood sugar levels lead to heart rhythm disturbances and even life-threatening heart attacks. Dangerous overnight blood sugar levels often go undetected and cause prolonged periods of heart rhythm disturbances in older patients with Type 2 diabetes and associated heart problems, new research reveals. The findings from the research – led by Professor Simon Heller of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Human Metabolism and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - could offer vital clues to the mechanism by which low blood sugar levels could contribute to life-threatening changes in heart rhythm, a major risk for patients with diabetes. They also shed important new light on the ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome – where young people without any history of long-term complications die suddenly from the disease. Previous studies have apparently ruled out a direct effect of hypoglycaemia (very low levels of sugar in the blood) as a cause of death in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Few of the patients taking part in the present study reported symptoms of low blood sugar levels or irregular heartbeats – and they were only detected through continuous glucose monitoring and electrocardiograms used by Sheffield researchers which tracked blood glucose levels and heart rates over a week in a group of older patients with Type 2 diabetes and a history of cardiovascular disease. The breakthrough research was conducted by Elaine Chow, a specialist registrar at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the University of Sheffield under a £190K Biomedical Research Fellowship awarded by the National Institute for Health Researc Continue reading >>
Gestational Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Complications
MORE Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops, or is first diagnosed, during pregnancy. The condition, like other forms of diabetes, involves high blood sugar levels. Often times, gestational diabetes is a temporary disorder that occurs around the second trimester of pregnancy, and disappears after a woman gives birth. "Even if a woman had required quite a bit of therapy and treatment to keep her blood sugars under control when she was pregnant … usually the day after delivery, [her] sugars go back down to normal," said Dr. Christopher Glantz, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. But women who've had gestational diabetes should be monitored closely after birth, because they are more likely to develop diabetes later in life, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A 2014 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 4 and 9 percent of pregnant women in the United States develop gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently among certain ethic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders according to the March of Dimes. Symptoms Women with gestational diabetes usually have no symptoms or mild, non-life-threatening symptoms, according to the NIH. These symptoms are mostly related to abnormal blood sugar levels, and can include fatigue, excessive thirst and increased urination. Causes During pregnancy, changes happen in the mother's body to make sugar more available to the fetus, Glantz said. One of these changes is that the placenta produces hormones that interfere with the action of insulin, a hormone that helps sugar (or glucose) get from the bloodstream into cells. This means that sugar i Continue reading >>
Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar
Topic Overview High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is most often seen in people who have diabetes that isn't well controlled. The symptoms of high blood sugar can be mild, moderate, or severe. Mild high blood sugar If your blood sugar levels are consistently higher than your target range (usually 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) to 350 mg/dL in adults and 200 mg/dL to 240 mg/dL in children), you may have mild symptoms of high blood sugar. You may urinate more than usual if you are drinking plenty of liquids. Some people who have diabetes may not notice any symptoms when their blood sugar level is in this range. The main symptoms of high blood sugar are: Increased thirst. Increased urination. Weight loss. Fatigue. Increased appetite. Young children are unable to recognize symptoms of high blood sugar. Parents need to do a home blood sugar test on their child whenever they suspect high blood sugar. If you don't drink enough liquids to replace the fluids lost from high blood sugar levels, you can become dehydrated. Young children can become dehydrated very quickly. Symptoms of dehydration include: A dry mouth and increased thirst. Warm, dry skin. Moderate to severe high blood sugar If your blood sugar levels are consistently high (usually above 350 mg/dL in adults and above 240 mg/dL in children), you may have moderate to severe symptoms of high blood sugar. These symptoms include: Blurred vision. Extreme thirst. Lightheadedness. Flushed, hot, dry skin. Restlessness, drowsiness, or difficulty waking up. If your body produces little or no insulin (people with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes), you also may have: Rapid, deep breathing. A fast heart rate and a weak pulse. A strong, fruity breath odor. Loss of appetite, belly pain, and/or vomiting. If your Continue reading >>
Sepsis And Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease that has a significant impact on your life. Having diabetes means you must work to control your blood glucose (sugar) levels to be sure that they don’t get too high or too low. The amount of glucose in your blood is important. Your body needs glucose for energy, but too much of it can destroy body tissues and too little can starve your body of nutrients. People who have diabetes are also at risk of developing wounds and sores that don’t heal well. While the wounds are present, they are at high risk of developing infection. And, again because of the diabetes, the infections can get severe quickly. When infection overwhelms the body, the body can respond by developing sepsis and going into septic shock. Sometimes incorrectly called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body’s often deadly response to infection. Sepsis kills and disables millions and requires early suspicion and rapid treatment for survival. Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in the body, such as pneumonia, influenza, or urinary tract infections. Worldwide, one-third of people who develop sepsis die. Many who do survive are left with life-changing effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and fatigue, organ dysfunction (organs don’t work properly) and/or amputations. What is diabetes? Your pancreas is a small organ (about 6” by 1.5”) that is part of your digestive system. It is connected to your small intestine and it lies just below your stomach towards the back. Your pancreas has a few roles, one is to help digest the food you eat and another is to secrete (send out) insulin, which stimulates your cells to use the glucose in the food and drink you consume. When a person has diabetes, the pancre Continue reading >>
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Pre-diabetes And Heart Health
Contents How the Cardiovascular System Works and What Can Go Wrong Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the U.S. But do you know if you're at risk? And do you know what steps to take if you're vulnerable? Even though most of the risk factors can be controlled, too many adults of both sexes still pursue a lifestyle of poor diet and lack of exercise that leads to weight gain. This, in turn, causes damage to the cardiovascular system. "Heart trouble" is a commonly used phrase. But many people don't realize that it refers to a number of different problems, depending on which part of the cardiovascular system is affected. Although the heart is a single organ, it is made up of several different parts: Coronary arteries deliver blood to the heart muscle. The heart muscle pumps oxygenated blood out of the heart via the aorta artery to nourish every other organ of the body. The pulmonary artery carries blood to the lungs. Valves, two on each side, direct blood flow in and out of the heart and among its four chambers, called the atria (upper) and ventricles (lower). The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs, while the right atrium receives blood from the body and contains the heart's "natural pacemaker" called the sinoatrial node or sinus node, which keeps the heart beating regularly. The left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood around the body, while the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs for fresh oxygen. The septum is a muscle down the center of the heart. It separates the right side - where blood returns from the body on its way to the lungs to be replenished with oxygen - from the left side, where oxygen-enriched blood is pumped out to the rest of the body. The pericardium is an outside sheath that covers and protects the heart muscle. The electri Continue reading >>
Diabetes Insipidus
Symptoms The most common symptoms associated with diabetes insipidus (DI) are extreme thirst and excessive urination. Some patients may drink as much as a full glass of fluids every 10 to 20 minutes. As DI may start in the toddler age group, the excessive thirst and asking for fluids may be misinterpreted as “bad behavior” or habit and parents may be mistakenly told to withhold fluids to break the habit. It is important that these children are allowed open access to fluids until treatment is started. If unable to find fluids easily, some children have been known to drink directly from faucets, baths, pet dishes, swimming pools, and other unusual sources around the home. The extreme urination may continue throughout the day and the night, sometimes as often as every 15-20 minutes, and often includes bed-wetting. The urine is usually pale, without color. Symptoms of diabetes insipidus are very similar to those of diabetes mellitus, except that the urine does not contain high sugar levels. Diabetes insipidus can interfere with appetite and eating. In children, it can interfere with growth and weight gain. Signs of dehydration often appear, since the body is unable to keep enough of the water it takes in. Symptoms of dehydration include: Dry skin Dry mucous membranes (sticky mouth) /reduced tears Sunken appearance to eyes Sunken fontanelles (soft spot in the skull) in infants Fatigue/sleepiness Weight loss Headache Irritability Low body temperature Muscle pains Rapid heart rate Low blood pressure/shock Adults with untreated DI may be able to drink enough water to make up for the extreme loss of urine. However, there is a serious risk of dehydration and imbalances in the blood, such as salt and potassium. Most patients with diabetes insipidus have an abnormal appearance Continue reading >>
8 Signs Your Heart Is Changing During Menopause
Hot flashes, insomnia, and night sweats probably come to mind when you think of menopause. Heart disease may not be high on your list of related health concerns, but perhaps it should be. Heart disease is the top killer of women, and a woman’s risk for heart disease increases dramatically around the time she goes through menopause — typically between ages 50 and 54. During menopause, levels of the female hormone estrogen drop significantly, explains Nicole Weinberg, MD, a cardiologist at the Pacific Heart Institute in Santa Monica, California. Estrogen Drops, and Your Body Responds High blood presure When estrogen levels drop, your heart and blood vessels become stiff and less elastic. Because of these changes, your blood pressure tends to rise, causing hypertension. Elevated blood pressure can place added strain on the heart, says JoAnne Foody, MD, medical director of the cardiovascular wellness program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. High cholesterol Lack of estrogen can also cause detrimental changes in your cholesterol and blood fats: Your good cholesterol (HDL) may go down, and your bad cholesterol (LDL) may go up, which increases your risks of heart attack and dying from heart disease, says Dr. Foody. Triglycerides, another kind of fat in the blood, also increase becasue of the drop in estrogen. Diabetes When women go through menopause, they can also become more resistant to insulin, the hormone needed to convert blood sugar and starches into energy for cells to use. As a result, “women are more likely to become prediabetic and diabetic as they transition from premenopause to menopause,” explains Foody. Having diabetes puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke. Atria Continue reading >>
Hyperthyroidism...the Heart Of The Matter
Medical Author: Ruchi Mathur, M.D. Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR I see a number of patients with hyperthyroidism. Very frequently, their symptoms involve the heart. The most common symptoms are a feeling of palpitations and a sensation of a racing heart beat. These symptoms are due to a physiologic effect of thyroid hormone on the heart. I thought I'd take a moment to explain more about what impact thyroid hormone can have on the heart and why these symptoms result. Many of the signs and symptoms patients experience when they are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism result from the direct effect of thyroid hormones on the heart. While heart effects are also seen in hypothyroidism, they are usually much more obvious in hyperthyroidism. Excess thyroid hormone causes palpitations and some degree of exercise intolerance that is due to an increased heart rate and fatigue. The changes in heart rate are a result of a change in the nervous system's control on the heart. With excess thyroid hormones in the body, a heart rate of greater than 90 beats per minute (tachycardia) is common, even at rest and when asleep. In addition, the normal increase in heart rate during exercise is exaggerated. A rapid heart rate is one of the most common signs of hyperthyroidism. The amount of blood pumped out by the heart is also increased in hyperthyroidism. This may be important in patients who have weak hearts, because this increased workload on the heart muscle may result in heart failure. While a rapid regular heart beat is the most common rhythm variation in hyperthyroidism, an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation is also common. Atrial fibrillation occurs as a result of the chaotic beating of the smaller, upper chambers of the heart (the atria). Instead of pa Continue reading >>
Are You At Risk For Diabetes?
Who Gets Diabetes and How to Manage It Diabetes is a metabolic disease that can lead to serious health complications if left untreated. Several factors, such as body weight, family history and race and ethnicity may increase your risk of diabetes. Diabetes can be effectively managed by exercising and eating a healthy diet. What is diabetes? Diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is a common, chronic disorder marked by elevated levels of blood glucose, or sugar. It occurs when your cells don’t respond appropriately to insulin (a hormone secreted by the pancreas), and when your pancreas can’t produce more insulin in response. Diabetes usually can’t be cured. Left untreated—or poorly managed—it can lead to serious long-term complications, including kidney failure, amputation, and blindness. Moreover, having diabetes increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. Your body and sugar To understand diabetes, it’s helpful to understand the basics of how your body metabolizes (breaks down) sugar. Most of the cells in your body need sugar as a source of energy. When you eat carbohydrates, such as a bowl of pasta or some vegetables, your digestive system breaks the carbohydrates down into simple sugars such as glucose, which travel into and through your bloodstream to nourish and energize cells. A key player in the breakdown of sugar is the pancreas, a fish-shaped gland behind your stomach and liver. The pancreas fills two roles. It produces enzymes that flow into the small intestine to help break down the nutrients in your food—proteins, carbohydrates, and fats—to provide sources of energy and building material for the body’s cells. It makes hormones that regulate the disposal of nutrients, including sugars. Cells in Continue reading >>
Increased Heart Rate And Cardiovascular Risk In Hypertension And Diabetes
High resting heart rate increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the general population, as well as in those with hypertension, and in those with type 2 diabetes. Drugs that increase the heart rate may adversely affect cardiovascular health Population studies have shown that there is a relationship between high resting heart rate and increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. This has also been obvious in most studies in patients with hypertension - findings summarized in a report from a Consensus Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension in 2005.1 This report was updated in 2016 in a statement from the Second Consensus Conference, which concluded that heart rate measurement should be included in the routine assessment of the hypertensive patient.2 A similar view was reported from a group reviewing publications from the Asia Pacific region.3 An analysis of prospective studies in patients with hypertension found that night-time heart rate measured by ambulatory recordings was a better predictor of mortality than elevated heart rate in the clinic.4 The analysis included 7602 hypertensive patients with ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and heart rate recordings from 6 prospective studies in Italy, Japan and Australia. They defined tachycardia as an office heart rate >85 beats/minute or a night-time heart rate >76 beats/minute (these represented the upper quintiles). Patients with elevated heart rate in the clinic but normal night-time heart rate were considered to have white-coat tachycardia whereas those with normal clinic heart rate but increased night-time heart rate were classified as having masked tachycardia and those with elevated heart rate in both clinic and night-time recordings had sustained tachycardia. White-coat tachycard Continue reading >>
- Increased heart rate and cardiovascular risk in hypertension and diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Diabetes: Heart attack risk due to loss of small blood vessels around the heart
Dehydration And Elevated Heart Rates
Many people have increased thirst from time to time, commonly due to eating salty foods, exercise or working in the heat. However, an unusual increase in thirst, especially if you experience a rapid heartbeat, can signal the presence of an underlying illness or health condition. Consult your medical health professional in order to rule out serious causes of these uncomfortable symptoms. Video of the Day Disorders that affect your body’s ability to process food into energy, such as diabetes and hypoglycemia, can cause an increase in thirst and a rapid heart rate. Diabetes occurs when your pancreas fails to secrete adequate amounts of insulin. The symptoms may come on suddenly or develop over time. In addition to thirst and an increase in heart rate, you may also experience weight loss, hunger, and an increase in urination. Diet and insulin injections can help control diabetes. Heat stroke is an emergency condition that requires immediate medical care. Long, extreme exposure to the sun that causes inadequate sweating can result in heat stroke. This occurs when you do not produce enough sweat to lower your body temperature. Symptoms of this life-threatening condition may include agitation, rapid heartbeat, hallucinations and headache. Emergency treatments of individuals suffering from heat stroke include ice packs to the armpits and groin, fanning and intravenous fluids. While the main symptoms of food poisoning commonly involve the digestive tract, such as vomiting and diarrhea, other symptoms may occur. Contaminated foods and drinks that contain viruses, parasites or bacteria can lead to food poisoning. Staphylococcus and E.coli are the most common causes of food borne illnesses. Symptoms of illness, including headache, fever and weakness, may begin within a few hours Continue reading >>
How Does Sugar Affect Your Heart Rate?
Your body uses the foods you eat as fuel. This food is converted to fuel in the form of glucose, which is a form of sugar. While sugar provides you with energy, high blood sugar levels accompanied with high cholesterol can lead to heart disease. Excess sugar stored in the body turns into fat and excess weight, which adversely affects your body’s ability to process fuel properly. This problem affects your cardiac and pulmonary system. Effects Blood sugar levels affect the heart when the levels are at extremes, either very high or very low. A higher level of blood sugar raises the blood pressure and heart rate. This leads to heart diseases. If you have low blood sugar levels you will experience a rapid heart rate and a drowsy, irritable weak feeling. Hormonal imbalances, fatigue, depression, panic attacks and hallucinations are results of erratic blood sugar levels. In infants, low blood sugar levels can cause an abnormal heart rate Glycemic Disregulation Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) are the two extreme conditions of glucose levels in our body. Modern, sedentary lifestyles and the consumption of fiber-deficient foods lead to a hypoglycemic condition. Your pancreas reacts to the consumption of refined food. The result can be an excess production of insulin, which can cause your blood glucose level to drop quickly. This can lead to brain damage, depression or just a feeling of being unwell, along with changes in heart rate. Prevention/Solution The yoga practice of pranayam, which involves the systematic exercise of respiration, can normalize blood sugar levels and improves blood circulation, according to KnowYoga.org. Cinnamon also aids in stabilizing blood sugar, lowering fasting serum glucose, blood fats and total cholesterol in pa Continue reading >>
