When someone in the movies has a heart attack, it usually involves sudden and terrible pain — something is obviously wrong. But in spite of the Hollywood portrayal, some heart attacks involve no pain, discomfort, or any signs at all. These events are called silent heart attacks, and experts estimate almost half...
Cholesterol is one of those common blood tests that many people don’t really understand. You may have heard that there’s “good” and “bad” cholesterol, or your doctor may have told you to watch your diet and work on lowering your cholesterol. It can all be confusing. At Heart & Vascular...
When you think about how we use the phrase “my heart skipped a beat,” you see that it covers all sorts of things. You might use it to describe a scare, a moment of happiness, or even surprise — and everyone would still understand your meaning. Interestingly, the physical sensation...
The same technology that can reveal the shape of a baby before it’s born can also evaluate your blood vessels and how well the blood moves through them. A healthy vascular system is necessary for your heart health, for injuries to heal, and for your overall good health. One of...
An echocardiogram uses ultrasound technology to create an image of your heart. Different types of echocardiograms can create different types of images that provide vital information to your doctor about your heart. The experts at Heart & Vascular Institute often ask patients to undergo echocardiograms to check for problems or assess how well treatments...
Although we can’t definitely tell you that your leg cramps will stop if you change your diet, we can offer some insight about why they might. At Heart & Vascular Institute, with offices in Dearborn, Detroit, and Southfield, Michigan, one of the conditions our experts treat frequently is leg pain caused by a condition called...
When you think of someone having a heart attack, do you imagine a man or a woman? Many people think cardiovascular disease mostly affects men, but that’s not the case. More women die of cardiovascular disease than anything else. At Heart & Vascular Institute, our highly trained, expert providers want...
An EKG, or electrocardiogram, is a test to measure the electrical activity related to your heartbeat. It’s a common test that provides important information about your heart. The experts at Heart & Vascular Institute order EKGs every day because it’s a simple, painless way for us to assess what’s happening with your heart. To...
Pregnancy can cause all kinds of feelings, including fear. Similarly, feeling your heart isn’t beating normally can be scary. The combination of pregnancy and an unusual heartbeat is enough to worry anyone! Happily, the experts at Heart & Vascular Institute say that heart palpitations during pregnancy are common and usually not a sign of a problem. ...
A heart attack is a frightening event, and recovery is usually accompanied by a bundle of confusing emotions. You’re likely grateful you survived, angry that you need to make changes, and afraid of having another one. Many people experience depression after a heart attack. Your recovery and preventing another heart attack are...
A pacemaker is a miraculous device that can lengthen your life, which is great news! However, pacemakers are battery-operated. Eventually, you’ll probably need surgery to replace your pacemaker so it continues to work properly. At Heart & Vascular Institute in Dearborn, Detroit, and Southfield, Michigan, our team of dedicated cardiologists provides meticulous follow-up care...
A deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is also called a blood clot. Several factors can lead to a DVT, including your blood moving too slowly through your veins or if you don’t move for a long time. At Heart & Vascular Institute, our medical experts have the tools to recognize...
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL, is the kind of cholesterol that builds up in your arteries and can lead to atherosclerosis, which is a risk factor for heart attack. On the other hand, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL, is sometimes referred to as “good” cholesterol because it picks up excess...
Some of the risk factors that are associated with heart attacks are things that you can’t change — such as your age. However, there are risk factors you can address that reduce your likelihood of having a heart attack. At Heart & Vascular Institute, many of our patients have both...
Most people don’t realize that leg cramps could be related to heart problems, but it’s true. Around 6.5 million people over the age of 40 in the United States have a condition called peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects the blood vessels in their legs. At Heart & Vascular Institute,...
Heart palpitations are surprisingly common. Anytime you feel like your heart is fluttering or pounding, or like it skipped a beat, you’re experiencing heart palpitations. Most of the time, it’s nothing to be worried about, but in some instances it could indicate a need to see a doctor. At Heart...
Roughly one-third of American adults have high triglycerides. Doctors and scientists are still working to understand exactly when high triglycerides are a cause and when they’re an effect of certain conditions. For example, people with high triglycerides often have other symptoms that indicate they have a condition called metabolic syndrome. ...
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the United States, even though many people think of it as an issue that usually affects men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about 1 in 5 deaths among women is due to heart...
An ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of the inside of parts of your body. You’ve probably heard it used in reference to pregnancy. But here at Heart & Vascular Institute, we perform vascular ultrasounds to evaluate how well blood is flowing through your body. Our experts use vascular...
About half of the adults in the United States are living with hypertension, or high blood pressure, but many have no idea. With high blood pressure, you don’t usually have any symptoms at all. You feel fine, yet your health is at grave risk. The expert providers at Heart &...
Did you know that you need cholesterol to live? You do, and your liver produces it naturally. You need it for all sorts of bodily functions like making vitamin D, forming cell membranes, and more. But, when there’s too much of the wrong type of cholesterol in your blood, your...
Leg pain can be a normal result of standing at your job, aging, or overdoing your workout. Or, it can be a symptom of cardiovascular disease. It can be surprisingly difficult to tell why your legs hurt, so it’s a good idea to have an evaluation by an expert. The...
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a serious condition that has symptoms you may not notice. If you have PAD, you’re at risk for other life-threatening conditions such as coronary artery disease or cerebrovascular disease. The specialists at Heart & Vascular Institute know the importance of treating PAD, and they can...
Anytime your doctor recommends a surgical procedure, it’s normal to feel nervous and maybe to look for reasons you don’t need it or shouldn’t have it. However, physicians don’t generally recommend surgery without good reason, including having a pacemaker implanted. The experts at Heart & Vascular Institute understand that any...
A stress test, a treadmill test, and an exercise stress test are the same thing, a way to see how well your heart works when you exercise. In most instances, you actually do exercise during the test, but we may give you a drug that makes your body behave as...
The most common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, but that’s not the only type. In this post, we explore the various types of irregular heartbeats and how they’re treated. At Heart & Vascular Institute, we specialize in cardiology, which means our skilled providers treat many patients who have various...
Pain is notoriously difficult to describe, and the same area of your body may hurt for a variety of reasons. Consider, for example, a twisted ankle and a blister from an ill-fitting shoe. Both situations result in pain, but for very different reasons — and they require different treatments. The...
If you’ve ever had the feeling that you just can’t get enough air, you know what it’s like to experience shortness of breath. It’s unpleasant, and it can be frightening. In some instances, shortness of breath isn’t something to worry about. More often, it’s a symptom of an underlying problem...
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered dramatic changes throughout everyday life — and in the medical community as well. Not only are providers across the country postponing elective procedures, but many are also encouraging people to avoid in-office appointments to reduce their risk of exposure to this highly contagious coronavirus. But...
The complications associated with uncontrolled hypertension are serious. Stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney damage have all been linked to high blood pressure. By making some lifestyle changes, you can avoid those complications and reduce your blood pressure. The highly skilled and knowledgeable experts at Heart & Vascular Institute...
Understanding the cholesterol readings when you have a blood test can be confusing. There are several numbers that you should pay attention to, and in this post, we explain what they are and why they matter. The expert providers at Heart & Vascular Institute always go over your test results...
It’s well known that thyroid disorder can affect your metabolism, but people may not know that there’s a link between thyroid problems and high blood pressure. If you’ve been diagnosed with either, you may want to discuss the other with your doctor. At Heart & Vascular Institute, our experts have...
“Pain” isn’t always a clear description of a sensation. You can feel discomfort that doesn’t rise to the level of pain, or you may feel pressure that isn’t exactly pain, but isn’t normal either. With chest pain, the nature of the sensation, the duration, and other factors can point to...
If you have a heart condition, your health is probably at the top of your mind most of the time, and the specter of COVID-19 sweeping the country has likely made your health a serious concern. The specialists at the Heart & Vascular Institute want you to remain safe and...
Early identification of heart disease is one of the most important steps in keeping you healthy. At Heart & Vascular Institute, with three locations in Michigan, our experts provide state-of-the-art care that helps them diagnose potential problems before they become much larger problems — and more difficult to treat. If...
Many people imagine that a heart attack happens suddenly and is unmistakable. While the Hollywood depiction of what a heart attack looks like can happen, it’s not the most common way that people experience a myocardial infarction, which is the medical name for a heart attack. Here at Heart &...
If you’ve ever felt your heart skip a beat, flutter, flip-flop, pound, or otherwise beat oddly, you’ve experienced heart palpitations. In most cases, heart palpitations aren’t cause for concern. But if you also have pain or shortness of breath, you feel dizzy, or you faint, you should get checked out....
When your total cholesterol levels exceed 200 mg/dL, your risk of cardiovascular disease increases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 95 million Americans have total cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dL. At Heart & Vascular Institute, our experts work hard to prevent cardiovascular disease, so we’d...
If you’ve been told you have arrhythmia, or you’re having odd symptoms, you probably have some questions. At Heart & Vascular Institute, our experts have the answers. We can help you understand what arrhythmia is, what treatments are available, and what a diagnosis of arrhythmia means in your specific situation....