If my heart hurts ...

Functional diagnosis of heart disease.

Everyone knows that if you have heart pain, you need to do a cardiogram.

Our interlocutor Moroz Larysa Dmytrivna, doctor of functional diagnostics of the Swedish-Ukrainian medical center "Angelholm".

What other methods are there to diagnose heart defects? Who are they shown to and how do they work?

Another method of qualitative diagnosis, without which it is difficult to imagine modern cardiology - echocardiography, or as it is called this procedure - ultrasound of the heart. Ultrasound of the heart allows you to see on the monitor how the human heart works in real time. This diagnosis allows the so-called "look in the middle of the motor" in the human chest and notice even minor malfunctions in the cardiovascular system. It's completely safe.

Indications for Echo-CG are the following diseases or conditions (or suspicion of them):

• congenital and acquired heart defects
• coronary heart disease (angina, myocardial infarction)
• hypertension
• pericardial disease
• infectious endocarditis
• cardiomyopathy
• any heart rhythm disorders
• suspected tumors
• thromboembolism

People with heart problems often have this situation: there are complaints, but they occur when it is not possible to see a doctor right away - in the evening, at night, during events, and so on. The person goes to the doctor the next day, they take an electrocardiogram, but do not find any abnormalities. In such cases, Holter monitoring will help in making the diagnosis. This is a simple and safe procedure that helps to perform continuous ECG recording for 1-3 days. In order to conduct it, you need two visits to the doctor for 15-20 minutes. No special training required.

When do you need a holter?

1. If there are complaints of cardiac arrhythmias (palpitations, interruptions, dizziness, loss of consciousness)
2. if there is pain in the heart and chest
3. if you have congenital heart disease
4. In case of myocardial infarction
5. to evaluate the performance of the pacemaker
6. in all other cases of heart failure
7. overweight
8. in diseases of the endocrine system

Another method of diagnosis is bicycle ergometry. This is an electrocardiographic examination during exercise on a special bicycle. This method of diagnosis allows you to identify the initial stages and latent forms of heart disease. Its essence is to record the ECG and blood pressure with gradually increasing dosed exercise. This study may clarify the situation on the following issues:

1. presence or absence of ECG signs of coronary heart disease during exercise
2. what is the tolerability of physical activity in numbers (very important for athletes).

The advantage of this survey is that it can identify conditions of latent insufficiency that cannot be determined by other additional studies.

Medicine is advancing today, and there are many methods of diagnosis and treatment. The main thing is not to love the disease, not to be happy with it, and at the first symptoms of the disease to consult a doctor to detect the disease in time and overcome it, and not constantly fight it.

Take care of yourself and stay healthy!

Doctor	Name	Specialization	Reception time (Sunday)
	Halavka Snizhana Dmytrivna	Functional diagnostics	-