In our last blog post, we discussed some common heart terms that are useful to know when you are looking for cardiovascular care in the Stockton area. Medical terms, especially for specialties such as cardiology, can be difficult to decipher and downright confusing.
The heart surgeons at Stockton Cardiology Medical Group offer the best in cardiovascular care, including electrophysiology services, cardiac PET, SPECT, and treatments for congenital heart disease. Our highly-skilled team of heart doctors always put our patients’ needs first, striving to offer the best treatment options for you. Below, we’ll continue our look at common heart terms that are helpful to know. Contact our heart surgeons today!
MORE COMMON HEART TERMS
Hypertension
Hypertension is just a fancy word for high blood pressure. The opposite for high blood pressure is low blood pressure known as hypotension, which does not make the news as often since it is less dangerous than hypertension.
Many people don’t know what the numbers mean when they do have their blood pressure taken. For example, 140/90 stands for 140 mmHg systolic and 90 mm Hg diastolic. What this means in lay terms is the 140, or the top number of your blood pressure is the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart muscle contracts (or systolic pressure). The bottom number measures the diastolic pressure and is the your blood pressure in-between heart beats.
For a healthy adult, you want a blood pressure reading of less than 130 systolic and less than 85 diastolic. Anything over is on the high side, and anything under is low. Hypertension has historically been an indicator for an individual’s risk for a heart attack. Currently, 103 million Americans are suffering from hypertension.
Palpitations
If your heart is suffering from palpitations, this is either a rapid or an irregular heart beat. Palpitations have many causes, including stress, anxiety, caffeine, nicotine, or even pregnancy. They happen to everyone. However, heart palpitations can be a sign of a more serious heart condition if you have them regularly, so see a heart doctor, like the cardiologists at Stockton Cardiology Medical Group if you suspect a problem.
Arrhythmias
Another common heart term you are likely to hear is arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is just a fancy word for an irregular heart beat. Millions of Americans suffer from arrhythmias like heart palpitations at some point in their lives. Most of the time, these are harmless. However, some arrhythmias are caused by potentially serious heart conditions. Arrhythmias can be studied by electrophysiological services, which is one of the many heart services our Stockton cardiologists offer to patients. Small catheters are inserted into the heart to reproduce rhythm disturbances in a controlled setting for diagnostic purposes.
VISIT STOCKTON CARDIOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP FOR YOUR HEART CONDITIONS
The heart is a very complicated muscle that is so very important for our health. Thus, it’s important to have the right team of cardiologists on your side when you are suffering from a heart condition. Call the heart doctors at Stockton Cardiology Medical Group today for an appointment in one of our four locations: Manteca, San Andreas, Stockton, or Tracy.