EXPERT
Jonathan C. Pitts Crick
Cardiologist
Dr. Jonathan Pitts Crick is a cardiologist practicing in Bristol, City of Bristol. Dr. Pitts Crick specializes in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels and the cardiovascular system. These conditions include heart attacks, heart murmurs, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Dr. Pitts Crick also practices preventative medicine, helping patients maintain a heart-healthy life.
Jonathan C. Pitts Crick
- Bristol, City of Bristol
- Medicine
- Accepting new patients
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Can anemia cause shortness of breath?
Yes, anaemia makes the blood less able to carry oxygen to your muscles so they have to "make do" with less and to do this they produce lactic acid which causes you to feel breathless. READ MORE
Yes, anaemia makes the blood less able to carry oxygen to your muscles so they have to "make do" with less and to do this they produce lactic acid which causes you to feel breathless. But there are several other causes of breathlessness so you should reassess the situation once the anaemia has been successfully treated. Most breathless symptoms can be improved by deliberately slowing your breathing.
Could kidney disease cause cardiac issues?
Yes, in two ways:
1) There is an increased risk of coronary atheroma with chronic kidney failure, which could cause angina or a heart attack (myocardial infarct). This can nowadays READ MORE
Yes, in two ways:
1) There is an increased risk of coronary atheroma with chronic kidney failure, which could cause angina or a heart attack (myocardial infarct). This can nowadays be assessed with a high-resolution coronary CT-angiogram if there are suspicious symptoms especially declining exercise capacity;
2) Upsets in the blood chemistry, most likely during dialysis, can cause unstable heart rhythms.
1) There is an increased risk of coronary atheroma with chronic kidney failure, which could cause angina or a heart attack (myocardial infarct). This can nowadays be assessed with a high-resolution coronary CT-angiogram if there are suspicious symptoms especially declining exercise capacity;
2) Upsets in the blood chemistry, most likely during dialysis, can cause unstable heart rhythms.
Why do I have palpitations?
Your symptoms suggest "paroxysmal tachycardia" i.e. attacks of very fast heartbeats which suddenly sart and stop. They can usually be prevented with medications or by a heart READ MORE
Your symptoms suggest "paroxysmal tachycardia" i.e. attacks of very fast heartbeats which suddenly sart and stop. They can usually be prevented with medications or by a heart catheter procedure called ablation. The first step is to identify which type of tachycardia they are – the simplest way, if they go on for more than a few seconds, is to buy an AliveCor device to record an attack on your phone and show it to your cardiologist.
Weak from a stroke
Hi, it is not unusual for a stroke to affect mainly the hand (or mainly the leg) on one side. Recovery from stroke takes place in two stages: parts of the brain near the damaged READ MORE
Hi, it is not unusual for a stroke to affect mainly the hand (or mainly the leg) on one side. Recovery from stroke takes place in two stages: parts of the brain near the damaged area may be swollen and malfunction for awhile but this settles down over a period of a few weeks. After this further recovery can occur by neighbouring areas of brain taking over the function of the damaged part (this is called plasticity) but it can take months or even years and depends on practice. Recovery may never be complete but the more you work on it with physiotherapy and determination the greater the recovery will be.
I hope this is helpful. Best wishes for a reasonably good (even if not perfect) result.
Jonathan
I hope this is helpful. Best wishes for a reasonably good (even if not perfect) result.
Jonathan
Will my hip replacement put me at risk for heart disease?
A hip replacement will not cause heart disease but it might show up heart disease that is already there (but not known about) as it is quite stressful for the body.=20 Also, having READ MORE
A hip replacement will not cause heart disease but it might show up heart disease that is already there (but not known about) as it is quite stressful for the body.=20
Also, having arthritis may be limiting your activity and can therefore mask an angina problem which would only occur if you walked fast uphill =E2=80=93 this could become apparent when you are able to do more exercise after you have recovered from your hip surgery.
Nothing in life is 100% safe! The biggest cardiovascular risk with hip surgery is DVT and pulmonary embolism (blood clots forming in your lower leg and travelling to your lungs) and your surgeon should advise you on how to minimise this risk.
I hope it all goes well.
Jonathan
Also, having arthritis may be limiting your activity and can therefore mask an angina problem which would only occur if you walked fast uphill =E2=80=93 this could become apparent when you are able to do more exercise after you have recovered from your hip surgery.
Nothing in life is 100% safe! The biggest cardiovascular risk with hip surgery is DVT and pulmonary embolism (blood clots forming in your lower leg and travelling to your lungs) and your surgeon should advise you on how to minimise this risk.
I hope it all goes well.
Jonathan
Is running ever bad for your heart?
Exercise helps with hypertension and running is a good and natural kind of exercise provided you train up to it. Running cross-country is better than running on the road as it READ MORE
Exercise helps with hypertension and running is a good and natural kind of exercise provided you train up to it. Running cross-country is better than running on the road as it uses a wider range of muscles and avoids repetitive stress on the joints. Exercise is also generally good for your heart but it's important to listen it and give yourself a rest if the exercise makes you feel ill. If it keeps making you feel ill it would be sensible to have a heart check-up.
Unfortunately the blood pressure is only lowered slightly by exercise so, by itself, it's usually not enough. Hypertension is mostly in your genes, and there for a good reason, that as a caveman living in a hot climate it improves your survival up to the age of about 40 (which is all that evolution is interested in). Of course we now have a rather different agenda and want to stay healthy to a ripe old age and hypertension definitely puts that at risk. So we have to correct the genetic tendency and this means taking regular meds to bring the blood pressure down to normal, 120/80, to protect us from having strokes and heart attacks after 40. The sooner we get the BP under control the less damage it does to our arteries: so, especially if there is hypertension in your family, you should start treatment with meds as soon as the problem is detected.
The most important way that your genes put up your blood pressure is by the hormone angiotensin, so treatment which blocks this is best as a start, with one or two other kinds added in to get good control as required. You should get your own blood pressure machine (the wrist type is most convenient) and take an average of about 20 readings (all at rest) over a week to check if the treatment is working, and repeat this every 2-3 months.
Best wishes,=20
Jonathan
Unfortunately the blood pressure is only lowered slightly by exercise so, by itself, it's usually not enough. Hypertension is mostly in your genes, and there for a good reason, that as a caveman living in a hot climate it improves your survival up to the age of about 40 (which is all that evolution is interested in). Of course we now have a rather different agenda and want to stay healthy to a ripe old age and hypertension definitely puts that at risk. So we have to correct the genetic tendency and this means taking regular meds to bring the blood pressure down to normal, 120/80, to protect us from having strokes and heart attacks after 40. The sooner we get the BP under control the less damage it does to our arteries: so, especially if there is hypertension in your family, you should start treatment with meds as soon as the problem is detected.
The most important way that your genes put up your blood pressure is by the hormone angiotensin, so treatment which blocks this is best as a start, with one or two other kinds added in to get good control as required. You should get your own blood pressure machine (the wrist type is most convenient) and take an average of about 20 readings (all at rest) over a week to check if the treatment is working, and repeat this every 2-3 months.
Best wishes,=20
Jonathan
