Blog

I have been off for half term this week, so no interesting patient stories to learn from. It hasn’t felt like a week off though, as we have spent the week painting and decorating. I would be lying if I said there were no times when I wished I had paid someone to come and […]

Quick answer: In almost all cases, yes. For most people with a heart condition, the bigger risk usually comes from avoiding exercise altogether rather than from pushing yourself a bit. Blood pressure normally rises safely during exertion — even up to 200-300mmHg systolic during intense exercise — and even a previous heart attack isn’t necessarily […]

How lovely it is to be sat in the garden with a coffee, feeling the sun on my face whilst I type. Not so lovely that when I’m finished there’s a lot of weeding to do, but hey. Did you do your homework from last week? Did you reach out to someone you’ve been meaning […]

This week’s blog has been written in advance, as it has been one of the highlight weekends of my year. The annual ‘miscellaneous medics’ golf tournament. 8 of us who met either at medical school, or in the first year or two as junior doctors, have got together annually for over 20 years now to […]

Quick answer: Heart failure affects around 1 million people in the UK, but roughly half remain undiagnosed despite highly effective modern treatment. New implantable sensor technology, now in UK clinical trials, aims to catch deteriorating heart failure before symptoms even appear — shifting care from reactive to proactive. A month or so ago I received […]

What is a hole in the heart (ASD) and why is it often missed? An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole between the heart’s two upper chambers that can go undiagnosed for decades, sometimes into a person’s 40s, 70s or later, because symptoms can be subtle or absent. It can run in families and […]

I’m coming to the end of a busy week on-call, and now very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow! I see so many patients during a week on-call, that there are always some interesting cases for my weekly blog, and this has certainly been the case this week. From a ‘human factors’ perspective, […]

Quick answer: New research suggests GLP-1 and SGLT2 diabetes drugs may lower dementia risk, though it isn’t yet clear whether this is via weight loss, better blood sugar control, or something else. What is clear is that consistency — in medication, but also in everyday habits like meditation — matters more than any single big […]

It’s often rather strange coming back from holiday, and this week was doubly so as I left the snowy mountains and arrived later that morning to British summer time! What amazing weather here! The BBQ has been out on 2 consecutive days, and if I were on my deathbed and allowed one last meal, it […]

Quick answer: A Holter (ambulatory ECG) monitor records your heart’s rhythm continuously, sometimes for weeks at a time, and is most often used to investigate palpitations or dizzy spells. Very occasionally it captures something dramatic — in this real case, a frail patient’s cardiac arrest at a care home, showing the exact moment his heart […]

I too learn new things when researching for my weekly blog, and if you missed last week’s video, the take-away was this – regular dental flossing is good for your heart. All very interesting, but means little if not practiced regularly. I’ve been very fortunate with my teeth; never had so much as a filling. […]

What is the polypill? The polypill combines a statin, low-dose blood pressure medications and sometimes aspirin into a single daily pill, aimed at reducing heart attack and stroke risk across the population without needing individual risk assessment. Trials show it can cut major cardiovascular events by around a third, rising to 50% with good adherence. […]

Quick answer: Not really — cholesterol itself isn’t good or bad, it’s essential for the body. The distinction is really about HDL and LDL, the particles that carry it: LDL can get stuck in artery walls and drive coronary artery disease, while HDL carries cholesterol back to the liver. But a high HDL doesn’t automatically […]

This week was half-term, and I had fully intended to have a relaxing restful time with my family. Unfortunately however, first my daughter then myself came down with a nasty cold. I can’t even remember the last one I had, as very rarely do, and have never had to take a day of work for […]

In last week’s video, I outlined how the heart and lungs ‘interact’ from an anatomy perspective. Today I’ll follow this up with some common examples I see each week in my practice, where a lung issue has caused a heart problem. Like a lot of conditions in my clinic, the thing they have in common […]

What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is it treatable? Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited heart condition, affecting around 1 in 500 people. It causes the heart muscle to thicken, and can cause breathlessness, chest pain and dizziness. A new drug, mavacamten, can now dramatically improve symptoms without surgery in suitable patients. Someone emailed […]

Is loneliness bad for your health? Yes — the US Surgeon General has described loneliness as a public health threat on a par with obesity and smoking. Social connection is one of the most overlooked, modifiable factors in long-term physical and mental health. I read an interesting article this week that really stood out to […]

Firstly, I just wanted to start by saying how much I appreciate all the messages of support I have received this week in respect of my Mum and her dementia. It is humbling to read, and much appreciated. Only this morning my Dad has messaged after yet another terrible night, and many of the stories […]

It’s been an emotional week. Let me explain. My Dad is still working at 74, as an academic Professor. For many people, working at this age  would seem an awful proposition, but his job is also his hobby and passion so whilst he remains mentally and physically capable he is happy to do it. I […]

However tough the start to the new year has been, it can’t compare to the awful scenes of fire and destruction in Los Angeles. A friend of mine lives in LA, and I was lucky enough to visit her last year. Looking at google maps her house came very close to being enveloped by fire. […]

Happy New Year! I hope you had a good holiday season. I’ve been on leave for a few days, which has been lovely other than a sudden decision to DIY and repaint a room. Now it’s done, I can look back with satisfaction and think job well done, but at the time it was rather […]

Quick answer: 2024’s most notable cardiology research findings fell into three main areas: how diet affects long-term heart risk (using huge datasets like the UK Biobank), a fresh look at cholesterol and how it’s measured and treated, and new evidence on blood pressure management. The sections below round up the year’s most useful takeaways in […]

Bonjour from France! I’ve been looking forward to this week off for ages. I’ve been a bit rubbish at taking annual leave in the second half of this year, and I’m going to make sure I don’t do it again next year. Life and work are always super busy, and I should know better than […]

Well it’s certainly been a less extraordinary week than last week’s cardiac arrest at the Christmas party! I received so many kind messages afterwards for which I’m very grateful. There’s been a momentous change in my work life this week though, I’ve moved offices. On the face of it that’s not such a big deal? […]