Understanding Antibiotics, Cardiovascular Health, and Spanish Health Legislation
Antibiotics
Antibiotics: Chemical substances of biological or synthetic origin that kill bacteria or stop their multiplication. Antivirals stop viruses (or fungi or protozoa) from entering cells or, after their reproduction, prevent them from being released and infecting neighboring cells. Drug resistance arises through mutation, where information changes spontaneously and randomly, altering the ability to survive antibiotic action, or by the exchange of genes between bacterial species or variants. Both are natural phenomena that cannot be avoided, but the selection and propagation of more resistant bacterial varieties can be avoided. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing includes both excessive and insufficient use in humans, plants, and animals.
New Medications
Preclinical stage: Research and development to verify that the substance works as expected and is not toxic, both in vitro and in vivo. Clinical stage: Involves volunteers, with some studies lasting longer (2 to 10 years). There are three phases:
- Phase I: Small groups of healthy volunteers to ensure there are no harmful effects.
- Phase II: Small groups of ill patients not receiving other treatments to check effectiveness, proper dosage, and expand safety data.
- Phase III: Larger groups of patients (1000 to 3000) in treated groups compared to existing drugs or a placebo. If it meets requirements, it is registered.
Patenting
Newly discovered molecules are patented for at least twenty years. After this period, other companies can manufacture and sell the drug under its generic name. Generic: A drug with the same composition, therapeutic efficacy, safety, and quality as the original.
Health
Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. A person’s health is not defined solely by physical condition; mental health must also be considered. The concept of health is not merely the absence of disease but should include positive elements of well-being and quality of life. Factors influencing health:
- Individual lifestyle: Personal behaviors impacting health, such as diet and physical activity.
- Social factors: Access to healthcare.
- Environmental factors: Weather or pollution.
- Genetic factors: Hereditary information contained in genes.
What is a Stroke?
A stroke, or myocardial infarction, occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough oxygen and nutrients due to blocked blood flow in the arteries. Myocardial infarction is a type of cardiovascular disease (CVD). When blood flow to an area of the heart is completely blocked, it causes muscle tissue death and permanent heart damage. A partial blockage that reduces blood flow causes strong chest pain (angina), which usually doesn’t cause irreversible damage but indicates a heart problem. It is also called a heart attack.
Symptoms
Symptoms begin as pain or discomfort in the center of the chest, lasting several minutes or recurring. It may radiate to the arms, left shoulder, elbow, jaw, or back. There may also be difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, cold sweat, or paleness. CVDs are serious, and survival depends on prompt treatment.
Cause
A stroke is caused by the blockage of a coronary artery branch. The most common cause is the deposit of lipids on the inner artery walls, making them narrower, rougher, and rigid. Blood clots can form on these rough areas, leading to coronary thrombosis. Arterial blockages can also affect vital organs, causing brain strokes (CVA).
Risk Factors
Risk factors are circumstances or situations that increase the probability of an event, referring to the total population, a specific time period, or a sector of the population. Risk factors for CVD are studied in epidemiology, a branch of medicine focusing on disease distribution and causes, forming the basis of preventive medicine. Risk factors act together, multiplying their effect. High Cholesterol: Cholesterol is a lipid necessary for building cell membranes. High Blood Pressure: Depends on arterial wall elasticity. High blood pressure indicates inelastic arteries, forcing the heart to work harder, weakening it over time and increasing the risk of clots. Age and sex are unmodifiable risk factors; older age and being male are risk markers. Diabetes: Characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), accelerating the narrowing and hardening of arteries. Smoking: Damages lungs, blood vessels, and the heart, increases blood pressure, and makes arteries harder. Sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and stress: Act indirectly by favoring other risk factors like hypertension or high cholesterol. Lipoproteins: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is considered “good” as it transports cholesterol to the liver for destruction, reducing risk. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is considered “bad” as it stays in the plasma, increasing CVD risk.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
The heart’s contraction generates a small electrical charge from the pacemaker in the right atrium. An ECG records this electrical activity graphically. Each cardiac cycle has a known pattern of electrical changes reflecting heart function.
Measuring Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is measured with a sphygmomanometer, assessing the pressure exerted by blood on artery walls. Systolic pressure is the peak pressure during heart contraction, and diastolic pressure is the minimum pressure during heart relaxation. Hypertension is diagnosed if systolic pressure is above 140 mmHg and diastolic pressure is above 90 mmHg.
Blood Analysis
Blood analysis includes a blood count (red and white cells), coagulation study (clotting time, platelets), and biochemistry (levels of molecules like cholesterol and glucose in blood plasma).
A Very High-Risk Factor: Smoking
Nicotine: An addictive drug that contracts and hardens arteries, raising blood pressure. Carbon Monoxide: A toxic gas from smoking that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells, forcing the heart to work harder. Tar: A viscous mixture containing over 3000 chemical substances, 60 of which are carcinogens, accumulating in the lungs.
Spanish Legislation
Spanish legislation establishes brain death as the concept of death for an individual. It respects the deceased and requires diagnosis by an independent team of transplant physicians. Organ donation is altruistic, not commercial, with guaranteed anonymity and physician-led distribution criteria.