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Patients who cannot swallow may receive nutrition via a parenteral route—usually, a catheter is inserted through the chest into a large vein going into the heart.
IgA antibodies protect body surfaces exposed to outside foreign substances. IgG antibodies are found in all body fluids. IgM antibodies are the first type of antibody made in response to an infection. IgE antibody levels are often high in people with allergies. IgD antibodies are found in tissues lining the abdomen and chest.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system destroys its own healthy tissues. When this occurs, white blood cells cannot distinguish between pathogens and normal cells.
It is widely believed that giving a daily oral dose of aspirin to heart attack patients improves their chances of survival because the aspirin blocks the formation of new blood clots.
Elderly adults are at greatest risk of stroke and myocardial infarction and have the most to gain from prophylaxis. Patients ages 60 to 80 years with blood pressures above 160/90 mm Hg should benefit from antihypertensive treatment.
![Endocarditis. The human heart has been sectioned to reveal the left ventricle and origin of the aort](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_14755_11_11_12_7_14_26_100221543.jpeg)
![Electrocardiography. (a) Electrodes are placed on the patient’s chest to record the electrical event](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_14755_11_11_12_7_15_46_100311063.jpeg)