In order to gather a greater understanding upon the specific areas of CHD , research was noted from the provided leaflets. This allowed for accurate information surrounding the disease to be explained. The source is reliable and thus any information gained may be used within final pieces.
Familial Hypercholesterolaemia
Relevant information:
What is Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH)?
Familial hypercholesterolaemia or FH is a condition that leads to very high cholesterol levels. You usually have these high levels from when you’re born and FH stays with you all your life. FH is an inherited condition. This means that it’s passed through your family. It’s caused by a problem with one or more of your genes. These are often referred to as ‘gene mutations’ or ‘gene alterations’ .
FH is one of the most common inherited conditions. About one in every 200 people in the UK has FH
If you don’t have treatment, 1 in 2 men and nearly1 in 3 women withFH will develop coronary heart disease by the age of 55 .
What tests will I need?
Your blood cholesterol levels can be checked using a simple blood test. It can be done in two ways: – a blood sample is taken with a needle and syringe and is sent away to be looked at – a drop of blood is taken from your finger and looked at using a small machine that shows a result after a few minutes. Another test you may have is a genetic or DNA test. This test looks at your DNA to nd out if you have a gene mutation that causes FH. It can also be used to check if you’ve inherited the same gene mutation as another family member with FH.
How is FH diagnosed?
Your doctor or specialist may suspect FH if: – you have high cholesterol – you have a family history of FH – you’ve already had a heart attack, especially if it was at a young age – members of your family have had coronary heart disease at a young age – you or your doctor have noticed any physical signs of FH.
Heart Attack
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack happens when there is a sudden loss of blood flow to a part of your heart muscle. Most heart attacks are caused by coronary heart disease. A heart attack is life threatening and you need to have treatment as soon as possible.
How is a heart attack diagnosed?
If you are having a suspected heart
attack the ambulance sta ff will want to:
– take an ECG
– reduce your pain or discomfort
– start treatment to reduce or prevent damage
to your heart
– resuscitate you if you go into cardiac arrest.
Once you arrive at hospital you will be
seen immediately by a doctor or nurse.
This will include:
– more ECGs
–
an assessment of your symptoms and
medical history
– physical examinations, including measuring
your blood pressure and monitoring your
heart rhythm and heart rate
– a blood test called a troponin test (to detect
if there has been any damage to your
heart muscle).
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