Monthly Archives: May 2017

Hypertension-Life style modifications

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Lifestyle changes can help you control and prevent high blood pressure, even if you’re taking blood pressure medication. Here’s what you can do:

  • Eat healthy foods. Eat a healthy diet. Try the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy foods. Get plenty of potassium, which can help prevent and control high blood pressure. Eat less saturated fat and trans fat.
  • Decrease the salt in your diet. A lower sodium level — 1,500 milligrams (mg) a day — is appropriate for people 51 years of age or older,  or who have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.Besides reducing salt intake you generally should also pay attention to the amount of salt that’s in the processed foods you eat, such as soups, packaged foods, pizzas, burgers .
  • Maintain a healthy weight. Keeping a healthy weight, or losing weight if you’re overweight or obese, can help you control your high blood pressure and lower your risk of related health problems. If you’re overweight, losing even 2.5 kilograms can lower your blood pressure.
  • Increase physical activity. Regular physical activity can help lower your blood pressure, manage stress, reduce your risk of several health problems and keep your weight under control.For most healthy adults, it is recommended to get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination or moderate and vigorous activity. Aim to do muscle-strengthening exercises at least two days a week.
  • Limit alcohol. Even if you’re healthy, alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.
  • Don’t smoke. Tobacco injures blood vessel walls and speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries. If you smoke, ask your doctor to help you quit.
  • Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy coping techniques, such as muscle relaxation, deep breathing or meditation. Getting regular physical activity and plenty of sleep can help, too.
  • Monitor your blood pressure at home. Home blood pressure monitoring can help you keep closer tabs on your blood pressure, show if medication is working, and even alert you and your doctor to potential complications. Home blood pressure monitoring isn’t a substitute for visits to your doctor, and home blood pressure monitors may have some limitations. Even if you get normal readings, don’t stop or change your medications or alter your diet without talking to your doctor first.If your blood pressure is under control, you may be able to make fewer visits to your doctor if you monitor your blood pressure at home.
  • Practice relaxation or slow, deep breathing. Practice taking deep, slow breaths to help relax. There are some devices available that promote slow, deep breathing. However, it’s questionable whether these devices have a significant effect on lowering your blood pressure.
  • Control blood pressure during pregnancy. If you’re a woman with high blood pressure, discuss with your doctor how to control your blood pressure during pregnancy.

Fatty Liver

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Fatty liver (steatosis ) is a condition where excess fat is deposited on this organ. This condition happens when more than 5- 10 percent of the weight of the liver is made up of fat.
It can occur at all ages but most common in the age group of 40–50 years Obesity and diabetes are common predisposing factors.

Types of Fatty Liver

  1. Alcoholic fatty liver: This condition occurs when there is a heavy consumption of alcohol. If the patient doesn’t stop taking alcohal, then liver cirrhosis may develop. Treatment is complete abstention from alcohol.
  2. Non alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL): One may develop a fatty liver even if one is not an alcoholic. The liver in some cases is unable to process the fat in cells causing them to build-up on the organ.
     

    When more than 10% of the liver is made of fat then this condition is called Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFL).
     

    Non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): When fatty liver is associated with inflammation in liver patient is said to be having Non alcoholic steatohepatitis and has a higher risk of progressing to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These condition display symptoms like jaundice, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite and abdominal pain. Blood test (LFT) shows raised enzymes level. Approx 5-8% of the Indian population has NASH. Consult a doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

  3. Fatty liver during pregnancy: Occurs mainly in the third trimester.

 

Symptoms
During the early stages (fatty liver) of the disease, patients usually have no symptoms directly related to liver disease. However, people may experience a vague abdominal discomfort. If their liver is inflamed (NASH) then they may display symptoms of poor appetite, weight loss, pain in the abdomen and disorientation.
 

What causes fatty liver?
The most common cause of fatty liver is alcoholism. When the human liver is unable to metabolize fat fast enough or when there is an excess accumulation of fat on the liver cells then the liver becomes fatty. However, intake of high-fat foods may not result in a fatty liver.
 

Predisposing factor:

  1. Diabetes mellitus
  2. Obesity or being overweight
  3. Hyperlipidemia or the condition where there are high levels of fat in the blood
  4. Genetic reasons
  5. Rapid loss of weight
  6. Drugs: Aspirin, steroids, tamoxifen, tetracycline etc. cause side effects which also leads to fatty liver
  7. Nutritional status (eg, over nutrition, severe malnutrition, total parenteral nutrition [TPN], or starvation diet)
  8. Other health problems (eg, Hepatitis C infection, celiac sprue and Wilson disease).