Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Straight From the Heart

Those geniuses from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute identified the earliest master human heart stem cell from human embryonic stem cells. This is particularly helpful in how congenital heart disease develops. Congenital heart disease is the most common heart defect in children all across the globe, and this new discovery will hopefully lead to new treatments and possibly a cure.
To find out more, go to http://www.physorg.com/news165680045.html

Quick, what does FMD stand for? Fetal Muscular Disorder? Fatal Medicine Diagnosis? Funny Monkey Day?
FMD is short for fibromuscular dysplasia. Ever hear of it? Probably not. Most people, even many doctors, are unfamiliar with the disease. Fibromuscular dysplasia is a disease where the artery walls expand, often cutting off blood flow and resulting in cardiac arrest, which is what happend to 10 year old Haley McWhorter. Doctors believe that FMD is a very rare disease, but new studies suggest that the disease is more common then once believed, possibly 3% to 5% of the population (about 10 million Americans.) Symptoms include "young patients with high blood pressure, or who have had a stroke or temporary symptoms of a stroke; patients whose blood makes a swishing sound indicating turbulent flow; or patients with brain aneurysms."
Learn more @ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124605981966763611.html

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this blog. I am Haley's mom. Any information that can be spread is greatly appreciated. My only comfort in losing Haley is to know that one day her death might help save another person's life.

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