Deciphering My Myeloma Lab Results - HealthTree For AML

Deadly Diseases:

2012

In 2012, approximately 122,000 people worldwide died from the measles, a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. Typhoid fever kills around 216,000 people a year. Tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease, killed an estimated 1.3 million in 2012. These are some of the infectious diseases that most concern health officials today.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease is a group of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. It's sometimes also called heart disease. Conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels can include problems you're born with, heart valves that don't work they way they should, and irregular heart rhythms. But when most doctors talk about cardiovascular disease, they are talking about conditions in these four main categories:

Coronary artery disease (CAD) or coronary heart disease (CHD). This is when you have a blockage or narrowing in your coronary arteries, which deliver oxygen-rich blood to your heart. This blockage or narrowing is usually due to cholesterol plaques that build up in your arteries and limit the amount of blood that can get to your heart muscle. CAD is the most common type of heart disease; about 33%-50% of people with cardiovascular disease have CAD. The blockage can cause angina (chest pain), myocardial infarction (a heart attack), and heart failure.

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD). These are conditions that affect the flow of blood to your brain. CVD can cause a stroke and a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is a temporary stroke that's often a warning sign of an actual stroke.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD). This is when you have a blockage or narrowing in your peripheral arteries, which send oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your arms and legs. This can cause pain, trouble walking, and sores on your limbs that won't heal.

Aortic atherosclerosis. This is when you have a blockage or narrowing in your aorta, which is the largest artery in your body. Your aorta runs from your heart to your pelvis, and you can get a blockage anywhere along this length. The most common place, though, is in the section that runs through your belly, or abdomen. When you have a blockage in your aorta, you may not get enough oxygen-rich blood flowing to many of your organs. You're also at an increased risk of an embolus, which is a sudden, complete block of your aorta. This can be due to a blood clot (thromboembolism) or a cholesterol plaque (atheroembolism). Thromboembolism is more common than atheroembolism. Aortic atherosclerosis can also weaken the wall of your aorta, which raises your risk of an aortic aneurysm. An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in your aorta that can be serious or life-threatening if it bursts or splits.

Your symptoms will depend on which condition you have, but some common symptoms that suggest you may have a heart issue include:

Chest pain (angina)

Chest pressure or discomfort

Shortness of breath

Dizziness or fainting

Fatigue

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. If you have symptoms, it's important for you to go to the doctor for a check-up. You can help keep your heart healthy by working with your doctor to manage any health conditions you have and practicing a healthy lifestyle.

Read on to learn more about the symptoms of different types of heart conditions, as well as some ways to prevent getting cardiovascular disease.

Causes depend on the type of disease you have. For instance, causes by type of condition include:

Atherosclerosis (hardening of your blood vessels due to a buildup of plaques made from fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances) causes coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Having CAD, scarring of your heart muscle, certain medications, or genetic problems can cause an arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat).

Rheumatic disease, certain infections, and aging can cause problems with your heart valves.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors

People who get cardiovascular disease usually have one of more of the following risk factors:

Tobacco use, including vaping

Lack of exercise or physical activity

Having excess weight or obesity

Overuse of alcohol

Having a diet high in sodium, sugar, and fat

Misuse of prescription or recreational drugs

Family history of heart disease

High blood pressure (hypertension)

High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)

Type 2 diabetes

Gestational diabetes

Preeclampsia or toxemia

Chronic kidney disease

Chronic inflammatory or autoimmune conditions

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia (also called dysrhythmia) is when your heart beats too fast, too slow, or in an irregular pattern. An arrhythmia can be caused by many things, including coronary artery disease (CAD), injury to your heart from a heart attack, and the healing process after heart surgery. There are several types of arrhythmias, depending on where they start in your heart. Some types of arrhythmia are harmless, but others put you at risk of cardiac arrest, which is when your heart stops beating or beats too fast to move your blood.

In some cases, you may not have any symptoms, but if you do, they may include:

Heart palpitations, which is when your heart feels like it's pounding, skipping beats, or racing

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Fainting episodes

Shortness of breath

Chest pain or discomfort

Weakness or fatigue

Aortic disease and Marfan syndrome

Your aorta is the largest artery in your body. It carries oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your brain, spinal cord, intestines, liver, stomach, kidneys, arms, and legs. Aortic diseases are those that affect your aorta, and they include:

Aortic aneurysm, which is a weakened area of your aorta in your belly. It can put you at a higher risk of having a rupture or dissection.

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, which is a weakened area of your aorta in your chest.

Aortic dissection, which is when the wall of your aorta splits. If this happens, it's an emergency that can be life-threatening.

Diseases of your aorta can be caused by atherosclerosis, inflammation in your blood vessels, injury, certain infections (like syphilis), and some inherited connective tissue conditions, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Marfan syndrome.

You probably won't have symptoms of an aneurysm until it ruptures or bursts open. Symptoms that suggest you may have an aneurysm developing include:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Feeling full after eating

Pain in your neck, back, chest, or belly

Difficulty or pain when swallowing

Swelling in your arms, neck, or face

If you have a rupture or dissection, it's a medical emergency. Call 911 if you have any of the following:

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Fast heart rate

Sudden, severe chest, belly, or back pain

Cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathy is the medical term for conditions that affect the muscle of your heart (called the myocardium). Cardiomyopathy can make your heart stiff, enlarged, or thickened. This means it can't pump blood to the rest of your body very well. It gets worse over time and can lead to heart failure.

It can run in your family but can also be caused by many things, including coronary artery disease (CAD), inflammation, infection in your heart muscle, and autoimmune connective tissue conditions.

Symptoms include:

Tiredness or fatigue

Heart palpitations

Chest pain

Arrhythmia

Shortness of breath

Swelling (edema) in your legs or ankles

Fainting episodes

Congenital heart disease

This is a problem with how your heart forms before you are born. It keeps your blood from flowing normally through your heart. Problems with how your heart form can include:

A hole in the wall of your heart

Problems with your blood vessels, such as too many or too few blood vessels, or blood flowing too slowly, to the wrong place, or in the wrong direction

Problems with your heart valves that help control the timing and direction of the flow of your blood

In many cases, it's hard to know exactly why it happens. Some of the risk factors include:

Having genes for congenital heart disease in your family

Drinking alcohol, smoking, or breathing in secondhand smoke during pregnancy

Taking certain medications, such as some medicines for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or acne, during pregnancy

Having an illness, such as diabetes, phenylketonuria, or a rubella infection, during pregnancy

Symptoms may start at birth or may appear later. The symptoms may vary and depend on a number of things, such as your age, the type of defect you have, how severe your defect is, and if you have more than one thing going on. If you have symptoms, they may  include:

Tiredness or fatigue

Fast breathing or difficulty breathing

Feeling unusually tired or out of breath during exercise

Heart murmur

Poor blood circulation

Weak pulse or pounding heart

Excessive sleepiness

Cyanosis (when your skin, lips, or nails turn blue due to lack of oxygen)

Coronary artery disease (CAD)

This is when one or more of your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked due to the buildup of plaque. Your coronary arteries are two major blood vessels that supply blood to your heart muscle: the right coronary artery and the left main coronary artery. These main arteries branch off to supply blood to the deeper tissues in your heart.

.

CAD (also called coronary heart disease and ischemic heart disease) is the most common condition of the coronary arteries. It's caused by atherosclerosis, which is when you have plaque that builds up on the walls of your arteries. This narrows them so blood doesn't flow as fast or as well. In some cases, the plaque causes a blood clot, which can completely block your artery and cause a heart attack.

Plaque is usually made up of cholesterol and other fats, proteins, and calcium, as well as some blood cells and immune cells that encourage inflammation. Plaques start to build up when you have damage to the lining of your arteries. Once it starts, it continues to grow over time.

Plaque tends to build up slowly. You may not have any symptoms until your arteries are significantly narrowed so that your heart has to pump really hard to get blood to all the different parts of your body. If you do have symptoms, the most common one is stable angina. This is when you have chest pain or discomfort that comes and goes in a pattern, usually when you're very stressed, filled with emotions, or during physical activity. This pain or discomfort usually goes away when you rest or if you take the angina medicine nitroglycerin. The second most common symptom is shortness of breath during even light exercise. In some cases, you may not know you have CAD until you have a heart attack.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is when you get a blood clot in a vein deep in your body. This usually happens in your lower leg, thigh, or in your groin. But it can happen in other parts of your body, including your arms, brain, intestines, liver, and kidneys. This isn't usually life-threatening, but it can become dangerous if a blood clot breaks free and travels through your blood to your lungs. When a blood clot gets stuck in the blood vessels of your lungs, it's called a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening.

You may be at higher risk of DVT if you:

Have a family or personal history of DVT

Have a genetic condition that increases your risk of blood clots

Have cancer or are having chemotherapy for cancer

Have an injury or surgery that limits blood flow in your deep veins

Are immobilized, especially after surgery or a serious injury, or if you sit for long periods of time, for instance while travelling 

Are pregnant or recently gave birth

Are older than 40

Have overweight or obesity

Have an autoimmune condition, such as lupus, vasculitis, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Use tobacco products

Have varicose veins

Take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy

Have a central venous catheter or pacemaker

Have COVID-19

Most people with DVT won't have any symptoms or will have only mild symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they can include:

Swelling in one of your legs or arms that can come on suddenly

Pain or tenderness in one of your legs or arms that may happen only when you're standing or walking

Areas in your affected leg or arm that are swollen, hurt, or feel warm

Areas in your affected leg or arm that are red or discolored

Veins close to the surface of your skin that look larger than normal

If you have a blood clot in the blood vessels of your belly, you may have belly or flank pain, which is pain in your back or side below your rib cage but above your waist.

If you have a blood clot in your brain, you may get a sudden, severe headache, or have a seizure.

If you have symptoms of a pulmonary embolism, you need to get to the emergency room right away because it can be life-threatening. These symptoms include:

Chest pain

Shortness of breath

Coughing up blood

Dizziness or light-headedness

Fainting episodes

Heart failure

This is a chronic (long-term) condition where your heart can't pump blood well enough to keep your body functioning as well as it should. Since your heart isn't able to move your blood well, blood builds up in other parts of your body, usually your lungs, legs, and feet. It's also sometimes called congestive heart failure.

Heart failure is a major health problem in the United States; it affects more than 6.7 million people. And it's the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65. According to the American Heart Association, the number of people diagnosed with heart failure in the U.S. Is projected to rise to 8.5 million by 2030.

Heart failure can be caused by many other cardiovascular diseases, including arrhythmia, coronary heart disease (CAD), heart attack, cardiomyopathy, and congenital heart disease; as well as having extra weight, kidney disease, and high blood pressure; and using alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs.

You may not have any symptoms, or you may only have mild symptoms. Symptoms can come and go, although heart failure does tend to get worse over time. If you do have symptoms, they can include:

Shortness of breath, including waking up in the night with shortness of breath

Chest pain

Heart palpitations

Fatigue when you're physically active

Swelling in your legs, ankles, or belly

Weight gain

Feeling like you have to pee when you lie down to sleep

A dry, hacking cough

A bloated or hard belly

Loss of appetite or nausea

Heart valve disease

You have four heart valves that sit at the exit of each of your four heart chambers: the pulmonary valve, aortic valve, mitral valve, and tricuspid valve. They keep your blood flowing in the right direction as your heart beats.

Your valves are made of small flaps of tissue called leaflets. When your heart contracts, the leaflets open to allow blood to move forward to the next chamber. When your heart relaxes, the leaflets close to prevent blood from flowing backward. There are several kinds of valve disease, and you can have the same problem in more than one valve. Examples of heart valve problems include:

Valvular stenosis. This is when your leaflets get stiff, which means the leaflets is your valve won't open as much when your heart contracts. It reduces the amount of blood that your heart can move with each pump.

Valvular insufficiency. This might be called regurgitation, incompetence, or a leaky valve. It happens when your valve doesn't close tightly enough, which allows blood to leak backward. So your heart has to beat harder to make up for the backward leak.

Valvular atresia. This is when your valves don't form correctly before you're born.

Heart valve disease can be caused by rheumatic fever, infective endocarditis (an infection of your heart muscle), a heart attack, heart failure, degeneration of your heart valves over time, or a thoracic aortic aneurysm.

You may not have any symptoms of heart valve disease until the problem gets bad enough to make your heart work extra hard. If you do have symptoms, they can include:

Shortness of breath that gets worse, especially when you exercise or lie down

Heart palpitations

Swelling of your ankles, feet, or abdomen (edema)

Dizziness or weakness

Gaining weight really quickly

Chest pain or discomfort when you are exercising

Fatigue

If you have an infection, you may also have chills, body aches, or a fever.

Pericarditis

This is inflammation in the sac that surrounds your heart (called the pericardium). It has many causes. But about 90% of the time, your doctor may not be able to tell what caused it. Potential causes include:

An infection with a virus, bacteria, fungus, or parasite

Autoimmune conditions, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or scleroderma

Injury to your chest

Kidney failure

Lymphoma

Medications that suppress your immune system (very rare)

Certain genetic conditions, such as familial Mediterranean fever

The main symptom is sharp, stabbing chest pain that may get worse when you cough, swallow, take a deep breath, or lie down flat. It may get better when you sit up or lean forward. You may feel like you need to bend over or hold your chest to make breathing easier and more comfortable. Other symptoms include:

Pain in your back, neck, or left shoulder

Difficultly breathing when you lie down

A dry cough

Heart palpitations

Anxiety

Fever

Fatigue

In serious cases, you may have swelling in your legs, feet, and ankles.

Rheumatic heart disease

This happens when you have heart valve damage due to rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an autoimmune condition caused by an overreaction to a strep throat or scarlet fever infection. Rheumatic fever is rare in the U.S. Because most people get antibiotics for bacterial infections. In the U.S., it's usually because you didn't get treatment for a strep throat or scarlet fever infection. It's most common in youths ages 5-15. But you may not get any signs or symptoms until years after your infection.

Symptoms of heart valve damage include: 

Chest pain

Fatigue

Heart murmur

Shortness of breath, especially when you exercise or lie down

Swelling in your belly, hands, and feet

Heart palpitations or arrhythmias

Coughing up blood

Stroke

Strokes happen when part of your brain doesn't get enough blood, usually because of a blocked artery or bleeding in your brain. When your brain cells can't get the oxygen and nutrients they need, they begin to die. This is a life-threatening medical emergency. If you have any signs or symptoms of a stroke, you need to call 911 and get to the emergency room as soon as possible. 

Your symptoms will depend on which part of your brain is affected, but they may include:

Weakness or paralysis on one side of your body

Difficulty speaking or loss of your ability to speak

Slurred speech

Loss of muscle control on one side of your face

Sudden partial or total loss of one or more of your senses: vision, hearing, smell, taste, or touch

Blurred or double vision

Loss of coordination or clumsiness

Dizziness

Nausea and vomiting

Neck stiffness

Emotional instability or changes in your personality

Confusion or agitation

Seizures

Memory loss

Headache, usually sudden and severe

Fainting episodes

Loss of consciousness

Your doctor will start by asking questions about your symptoms, health history, and family history. If you have risk factors such as obesity, angina, decreased exercise tolerance, shortness of breath, sleep apnea, dizziness or fainting episodes, or pain in your legs during activity, your doctor will be more likely to suspect cardiovascular disease. 

If you have risk factors or symptoms that suggest cardiovascular disease, they will likely do a physical exam and may order some tests. Common tests your doctor may use to diagnose cardiovascular disease include:

Ankle brachial index, which can help diagnose peripheral artery disease (PAD). Ankle brachial index is the ratio between your systolic blood pressure (the upper number or pressure when your heart is contracted) of your ankle and arm. A ratio above 1.4 suggests you have some hardening of your blood vessels that may mean you have atherosclerosis.

Ambulatory monitoring to track your heart rhythm and rates over time using a wearable device, such as a Holter monitor

Blood tests to check your cholesterol, blood sugar, and proteins made by your heart

Cardiac computerized tomography (CT), which uses X-rays to make a 3D image of your heart and blood vessels

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses a really strong magnet to make images of your heart

Cardiac catheterization, which uses a catheter to measure pressure and blood flow in your heart

MR angiogram or CT angiogram, which uses MRI or CT to make images of the blood vessels in your legs, neck, and head

Echocardiogram, which is a special ultrasound that can show your doctor the structure of your heart and how your blood is flowing through the chambers

Electrocardiogram (EKG) to check the electrical activity of your heart

Stress tests to see how your heart responds to exercise or medication-induced stress in a controlled environment. It often includes EKGs and other imaging tests.

Ultrasound of other parts of your body (for instance, your legs and neck) to see how your blood is flowing

Treatments for cardiovascular diseases will be based on your symptoms and the condition you have. Common treatments include:

Active surveillance, where your doctor will monitor you with tests over time without medication, procedures, or surgeries. If your symptoms or condition worsens, they will advise you on treatment options at that time.

Medications, including ones that treat risk factors like blood pressure or cholesterol or those used to break up clots

Medical procedures or surgeries, such as heart valve surgery, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or having a balloon or stent placed

Cardiac rehabilitation, which uses a supervised exercise program to help your heart get stronger after after a heart attack, if you have heart failure, or after a heart procedure or surgery

Making lifestyle changes, such as changing your diet, increasing your exercise, and quitting alcohol and tobacco

Left untreated, cardiovascular disease can have serious complications, including:

Heart attack

Stroke

Sudden blocks in the arteries of your legs (acute limb ischemia)

Aortic dissection, which is when the lining of your artery splits or tears

Sudden cardiac arrest, which is an electrical issue with your heart where it either stops beating or beats too fast to pump your blood

You can't prevent some types of cardiovascular disease, such as a congenital heart condition. But you can help keep your heart as healthy as it can be and help prevent other types of cardiovascular conditions by practicing a healthy lifestyle. For instance:

Avoid all tobacco products.

Manage your other health conditions, especially type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Eat a diet low in saturated fat and sodium.

Exercise at least 30-60 minutes per day on most days.

Reduce and manage your stress.

Cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, is a group of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. These can include problems you're born with, heart valves that don't work the way they should, and an irregular heart rhythm. But when most doctors talk about cardiovascular disease, they're usually talking about coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), or aortic atherosclerosis. These conditions are generally caused by lifestyle factors, such as a diet high in fat, sugar, and sodium or a lack of exercise. If you have symptoms that suggest a heart condition, such as chest pain or discomfort or shortness of breath, it's important for you to go see your doctor because the complications can be life-threatening.

What are the top three types of cardiovascular disease?

These are coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and peripheral artery disease (PAD). CAD and PAD are caused by atherosclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries due to a buildup of plaque. In the U.S., up to half of all cases of cardiovascular disease are CAD. Worldwide, more than four out of five deaths due to cardiovascular disease are because of heart attacks and strokes.

What can cause cerebrovascular disease (CVD)?

Causes of CVD include:

Blood clots that form in a blood vessel of your brain

Blood clots that travel from other areas of your body to your brain

Ruptured blood vessels in your brain

Plaque buildup in the arteries of your brain

Problems with the structure of the blood vessels in your brain

Traumatic brain injury

What is Stage 3 cardiac disease?

This staging system is used for heart failure, which can get worse over time. If you have stage C or stage D heart failure, it means that you have symptoms of heart failure. In this case, your doctor will assess how your condition affects your daily life and assign you a stage to indicate that. The stage is usually based on the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. Stage 3 (or III) means that you have a marked limit in your physical activity levels, but you don't have symptoms when you're resting. When you do any sort of physical activity, you may have shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations, and fatigue. 

Structural Variation Articles From Across Nature Portfolio

Facilitating genome structural variation analysis

Although structural variation is less explored than single-nucleotide variation, recent studies have shown it to be associated with several human diseases. Three fresh computational methods might help to elucidate this inadequately understood part of our genetic makeup.

---