Recommendations from a cardiologist after suffering from COVID-19

• Nervous, mental disorders;
• Increased temperature due to illness, for example, with sore throat;
• Bleeding;
• Purulent infection.

Tachycardia is caused by physical and emotional stress, smoking, alcohol, lowering blood pressure and hemoglobin levels. Rapid heartbeat is possible with:

• purulent lesions;
• malignant neoplasms;
• use of certain medications.

Doctors distinguish a group of tachycardias, which are provoked by disturbances in the electrical conduction system. Rapid heartbeat can be paroxysmal or chronic. In the first case, it is important to determine the sinus or paroxysmal nature of the tachycardia.

Causes and types of food poisoning

In general, there are 2 main causes of food poisoning:

• The body's reaction to foods that differ from the daily diet2.
• pathogenic flora (bacteria, fungi), viruses and toxins that enter the body mainly with contaminated food.

Every corner of the world has its own infectious agents, and they are ready to instantly attack the human gastrointestinal tract, if you just gape.

During the hot season, the chance of getting poisoned increases many times over, because food is stored less and bacteria multiply much faster. Food poisoning is especially common when traveling, so there is a separate concept - “traveler's diarrhea.” Going south, to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America or hot islands, we endure a sharp change in climate zone, try unusual national cuisine and drink local water. All this, combined with bacteria and viruses new to our body, can cause food poisoning.

In the US, it has been estimated that out of 1,000 people who become ill after traveling, 1/3 always suffer from diarrhea and food poisoning. E. coli is becoming the most common cause of severe diarrhea abroad1.

A child's body is even more vulnerable. For a fragile body, the cause of poisoning can be anything, especially when traveling: unwashed hands, playing in the sand, unusual sweets or fruits. An accidental sip of water from a pool or sea can also affect a child's intestinal health.

What research should I do?

1. Take a general blood test, C reactive protein - to exclude persistent laboratory inflammatory syndrome. If myocarditis is suspected, additionally test for rheumatoid factor and Troponin.

2. Donate blood for vitamin D, iron, ferritin (if the level of these indicators is low, weakness and tachycardia will bother you for a long time).

3. Make an ECG (assess the heart rhythm, heart rate at rest, focal changes in the myocardium).

4. Do an echocardiography (exclude organic changes in the heart, fluid in the pericardium of the heart, signs of myocarditis, evaluate the contractility of the heart)

5. Do a Holter ECG for 24 hours (may be additionally recommended by your doctor).

6. If myocarditis is suspected, the gold standard for diagnosis is cardiac MRI with contrast.

Signs of food poisoning and possible complications

Despite the fact that food poisoning occurs due to various reasons, its manifestations at first are always the same, and the symptoms are similar.

The main feature of any poisoning is the speed with which it occurs. Everything happens very rapidly and quickly - within a few hours or in the next 24 hours the body signals a problem1.

The human body is a self-regulating system and therefore tries to get rid of pathogens in any way. This may include general malaise, diarrhea and abdominal pain3:

• Abdominal pain varies in nature, but is often sharp and quite severe. The intestines react to most toxins and bacteria with a spasm.
• Intoxication of the body - headache, weakness, muscle pain and joint aches.
• Diarrhea is also a striking symptom of food poisoning, manifesting itself in almost every case.

In case of severe poisoning, other symptoms may be added - nausea, vomiting and fever3:

• Nausea is one of the clearest examples of how the body tries to resist a food infection and eliminate bacteria. Nausea may be accompanied by belching and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
• Vomiting is another of the body’s defense mechanisms against infectious agents. In case of severe and progressive poisoning, vomiting must be controlled, otherwise severe dehydration may occur.
• Dehydration syndrome. Conditions for such a symptom would be active vomiting or diarrhea. The human body loses a huge amount of fluid in a short period of time, which can be expressed by severe thirst and dizziness, up to loss of consciousness. Dehydration is especially dangerous in children, who, with severe poisoning, instantly lose all water reserves in the body.
• Increased body temperature. The body reacts to any attack in a similar way. Food poisoning is no exception, the body tries to fight, which is manifested by an increase in temperature from 37.5º C to 40.0º C - it all depends on the specific type of virus or bacteria.

Heartbeat in the morning

Patients often complain of rapid heartbeat in the morning. This condition is directly related to neuroses. Tachycardia upon awakening is the main symptom of hypochondriacal disorders. Sometimes noted:

• interrupted and restless sleep;
• painful psychogenic sinus tachycardia;
• fear of death.

To stop the manifestations, antidepressants and tranquilizers are added to the drugs aimed at stabilizing the work of the heart muscle.

In addition to nervous disorders, tachycardia upon awakening is associated with VSD. To improve the condition, you should:

• normalize sleep patterns;
• wake up calmly, get up without sudden movements;
• do light exercises in bed for 5-10 minutes;
• sleep at least 6 hours;
• Ventilate the room regularly.

Treatment of food poisoning

First of all, to restore the body, you need dietary nutrition, which will help restore normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).

When resuming nutrition after poisoning, general recommendations must be followed3:

• You need to eat often and in small portions.
• Fried, stewed, spicy, salty and fatty foods are strictly prohibited.
• Alcohol and carbonated sweet drinks should be forgotten during treatment and further recovery.

• It is important to maintain the serving temperature of the food - it should remain neutral - neither cold nor hot.
• The predominant cooking method is boiling and steaming.
• Dishes should be light, mostly lean and familiar to the body.

A home or traveler's first aid kit should always include anti-poisoning medications.

The most popular products3,4:

• Adsorbent preparations or sorbents. No first aid kit should be without such a product. The task of the sorbent is to absorb the toxin and its further removal from the body.
• Drugs to improve digestion. They help the body fully absorb food and will be especially relevant after defeating poisoning.

• Antispasmodics or painkillers. Spasms and pain in the stomach or intestines can also be the body’s reaction to an external “attack”. The task of such medications is to relax the internal muscles and relieve spasms, as a result of which the pain goes away.

When faced with food poisoning, it is first of all important to cope with the acute period of the problem, but it is equally important to think about the period of rehabilitation of the digestive system, because the inflammatory process disrupts its normal functioning. One of the consequences of such a disorder may be a lack of digestive enzymes, which are responsible for the breakdown and absorption of food in the body. As a result, the body experiences a deficiency of nutrients, and a person, even after recovery, may still experience unpleasant symptoms for some time - discomfort in the abdomen, heaviness after eating, periodic bowel movements, etc.

Pancreatin enzyme preparations may be useful to maintain digestion after poisoning5. They are called enzymatic because they contain digestive enzymes identical to those produced by the body and are included in the standard treatment of foodborne infections6.

Digestive enzymes are a special type of compound designed to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats for subsequent absorption in the body.

Content:

• Clinical signs of low glucose levels
• Causes of low blood sugar
• Hypoglycemia in newborns
• Hypoglycemia in a healthy person

Hypoglycemia - low blood sugar. Symptoms develop gradually, over 20-60 minutes. It occurs mainly in people suffering from type I diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent) when the rules of replacement therapy are violated. Sometimes occurs in pregnant women or newborn children. The minimum acceptable blood glucose level is 3.3 mmol/l. With decompensated diabetes, symptoms of a drop in blood sugar in a person occur already at 4.5 mmol/l. In the most severe cases, hypoglycemia can occur at 6-7 mmol/l.

How is the feeling of a lump in the throat treated?

Treatment is determined by the causes and mechanism of development of the disease and is selected individually for each patient.

For a recent and non-severe condition

treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis: the doctor conducts a psychotherapeutic session, prescribes medications that the patient takes at home and periodically comes for follow-up consultations.

For moderate severity

- treatment in a day hospital is recommended: daily treatment procedures are carried out (drug infusions, physiotherapy, etc.), which take an hour and a half, but the patient lives at home and goes about his usual business. The average course of a day hospital is about 10 days.

In severe condition

hospitalization in a hospital is recommended. Due to intensive treatment, the condition can be stabilized already in the first hours of stay. The average length of hospital stay is 10 days (from 5 to 30 days depending on the severity of the condition and the body’s recovery abilities).

Main methods of treatment:

• Psychotherapy.
• Drug treatment (pharmacotherapy).
• Physiotherapy.
• Massage and manual therapy.
• Diet therapy.
• Biofeedback therapy.

Pressure control

Many people are concerned about whether it is possible to measure blood pressure immediately after eating. Since food slightly increases blood pressure after consumption, it is better to wait 30-60 minutes before taking measurements. But this does not apply to situations where a person feels ill immediately after eating. It is only important to take into account that an increase in the usual indicators by 20 mm Hg. Art. is normal when you measure blood pressure immediately after a meal.

The risk that your blood pressure may rise and your heart rate may increase after eating increases with factors that contribute to hypertension, including the following:

• heredity;
• endocrine disorders;
• nervous system disorders;
• renal failure;
• psychical deviations;
• old age (over 65 years);
• diagnosed cardiovascular diseases;
• osteochondrosis.

If this is not the first time your blood pressure has risen, you should visit a doctor and purchase a tonometer that allows you to constantly monitor your condition and immediately stabilize it with special medications. To improve your well-being, it is necessary not only to relieve the symptoms of incipient hypertension or hypotension, but also to get rid of the root cause of this condition. Regular examinations by specialists and timely treatment of chronic diseases will help to avoid complications associated with changes in blood pressure.

Blood pressure lowering products

If your blood pressure rises after eating, it makes sense to reconsider your diet and fill it with food that normalizes your condition and strengthens blood vessels. These include:

• spinach;
• raw almonds;
• bananas;
• white beans;
• potato;
• turmeric;
• Cayenne pepper;
• sunflower seeds;
• low-fat dairy products;
• ginger;
• green tea;
• chokeberry;
• black chocolate.

Such food has a beneficial effect on blood pressure, normalizes heartbeat, and prevents the formation of plaques on the walls of blood vessels. But it is not able to have a pronounced effect on pressure in the form of a sharp drop.

Citrus fruits, consumed in large quantities, have an excellent ability to lower blood pressure.

Why does blood pressure change after eating?

When food enters the digestive tract, the processes of its assimilation and digestion begin, and the production of gastric juice, enzymes and enzymes begins. The blood is enriched with nutrients and is supplied with redoubled force to the gastrointestinal tract to enhance metabolic processes. At this time, the plasma volume increases, the number of red blood cells in the blood decreases significantly.

Whether the pressure will increase and by how much depends on a number of factors. The main reasons for the increase: thick blood (the thinner it is, the lower the risk of a jump in blood pressure), the presence of plaques and blood clots in the vessels that impair blood movement. In this case, a person feels all the symptoms of high blood pressure - headache, increased pulsation, nosebleeds may occur, anxiety and irritability may appear.

If your blood pressure drops after eating, which is typical not only for hypertensive patients, but also for hypotensive patients, then the symptoms are somewhat different. Vision becomes blurred, nausea appears, dizziness, severe general weakness and drowsiness are felt.

In both the first and second cases, measure the pressure that rises or falls and take measures to stabilize the condition. You should pay attention to exactly what foods you consumed before the attack, and try to temporarily exclude them from your daily diet. It would be useful to consult a doctor who can assess the state of the cardiovascular system, prescribe treatment and give nutritional recommendations.

But if a healthy person does not feel the changes occurring in the body, then a chronic hypertensive patient or a patient in a pre-infarction state can often feel the full force of the influence of the usual food on blood pressure. Why a certain product affects your well-being can only be found out after a medical examination.

Important! It is necessary to decide on foods that can increase or slow down the heartbeat, raise or lower blood pressure, and also include foods that stabilize blood pressure in the menu.

To summarize: all safety measures

A regular increase in heart rate and increase in blood pressure after eating puts a person at risk. People in this category should monitor their daily diet and completely eliminate dry snacks, late-night dinners, and overeating.

Actions to prevent blood pressure from rising due to food.

1. Diet variety with fiber - carrots, cabbage, bran, fresh peas. These products retain liquid in the fibers and speed up digestion.
2. Rational consumption and gradual reduction in the amount of coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco.
3. Saturating the body with foods to normalize blood pressure - spinach, potatoes, nuts, pumpkin.
4. Maintaining fluid balance. Drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day.

Why blood pressure rises depends on food intake and the condition of the internal organs. Don’t turn a blind eye to the problem and don’t attribute constant increases in blood pressure to overwork. A mandatory action in such a situation is to attend a consultation with a therapist or cardiac surgeon and obtain treatment prescriptions.