Da Costas syndrome (also known as "soldiers heart", cardiac neurosis, chronic asthenia, effort syndrome, functional cardiovascular disease, neurocirculatory asthenia, primary neurasthenia, subacute asthenia and irritable heart) is a psychiatric syndrome which presents a set of symptoms similar to those of heart disease. These include fatigue upon exertion, shortness of breath, palpitations, sweating, and chest pain. While a physical examination does not reveal any gross physiological abnormalities, orthostatic intolerance has been noted. It was originally thought to be a cardiac condition, and treated with a predecessor to modern cardiac drugs. While the condition was eventually recategorized as psychiatric, in modern times, it is known to represent several disorders, some of which now have a known medical basis. For stress-related combat disorders generally, see post-traumatic stress disorder. Historically, similar forms of this disorder have been noticed in various wars, like the American Civil War and Crimean war, and among British troops who colonized India. The condition was named after Jacob Mendes Da Costa who investigated and described the disorder in 1871. Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of Da Costas syndrome include fatigue upon exertion, weakness induced by minor activity, shortness of breath, palpitations, sweating, and chest pain. Causes
Da Costas syndrome was originally considered to be heart failure or other cardiac condition, and was later recategorized to be psychiatric. The term is no longer in common use by any medical agencies and has generally been superseded by more specific diagnoses, some of which have a medical basis.
A cervical pregnancy is an ectopic pregnancy that has implanted in the uterine endocervix. Such a pregnancy typically aborts within the first trimester, however, if it is implanted closer to the uterine cavity – a so-called cervico-isthmic pregnancy – it may continue longer. Placental removal in a cervical pregnancy may result in major hemorrhage. Diagnosis
The diagnosis is made in asymptomatic pregnant women either by inspection seeing a bluish discolored cervix or, more commonly, by obstetric ultrasonography. A typical non-specific symptom is vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Ultrasound will show the location of the gestational sac in the cervix, while the uterine cavity is "empty". Cervical pregnancy can be confused with a miscarriage when pregnancy tissue is passing through the cervix. Histologically the diagnosis has been made by Rubins criteria on the surgical specimen:  cervical glands are opposite the trophoblastic tissue, the trophoblastic attachment is below the entrance of the uterine vessels to the uterus or the anterior peritoneal reflection, and fetal elements are absent from the uterine corpus. As many pregnancies today are diagnosed early and no hysterectomy is performed, Rubins criteria can often not be applied. Management
True cervical pregnancies tend to abort; if, however, the pregnancy is located higher in the canal and the placenta finds support in the uterine cavity, it can go past the first trimester. With the placenta being implanted abnormally, extensive vaginal bleeding can be expected at time of delivery and placental removal.