HealthyDude.net

Today I noticed in the news an 18 month old girl desperate for a new heart due to being born with narrow heart valves.

Zoe Charmers is in hospital in the UK, and unfortunately at the time of writing no transpants are available.  She is currently at the top of the heart transplant list across Europe, but still no luck.

At the moment her heart has been substituted by a machine which does a similar job however this is a temporary measure and time is running out.  Her mother Julie has said: “She is desperate. She keeps getting infection after infection”.

So lets all cross our fingers and hope a transplant becomes available that will work out and give her the best chance.

Good luck Zoe

News of an Australian science breakthrough was released today which uses an eye test to help identify increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. The technique involves taking a photo of the arteries and veins at the back of the eye .  Small changes in these blood vessels can give health officials an insight into what is happening in other parts of the body.

Studies suggested that increase in weight and body mass result in changes in the eyes blood vessels.

The real advantage in using this technique to spot potential future health problems easily before other issues occur.  Changes in smaller blood vessels due to increased weight gain happen before other cardiovascular risk factors develop.

Part of future heart disease screening may include a visit to the opticians to spot blood vessel enlargment and potential problems.