HEART HEALTH IS BLESSING
OVERVIEW
Heart disease
describes a range of conditions that affect the heart. Heart diseases include:
·
Blood vessel disease,
such as coronary artery disease
·
Irregular heartbeats
(arrhythmias)
·
Heart problems you're
born with (congenital heart defects)
·
Disease of the heart
muscle
·
Heart valve disease
Many forms of heart
disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices.
Symptoms
Heart disease symptoms
depend on the type of heart disease.
Symptoms of heart disease in
the blood vessels
Coronary artery disease is a common heart
condition that affects the major blood vessels that supply the heart muscle.
Cholesterol deposits (plaques) in the heart arteries are usually the cause of
coronary artery disease. The buildup of these plaques is called atherosclerosis
(ath-ur-o-skluh-ROE-sis). Atherosclerosis reduces blood flow to the heart and
other parts of the body. It can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or
stroke.
Symptoms of coronary artery disease can include:
·
Chest pain, chest
tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort (angina)
·
Shortness of breath
·
Pain in the neck, jaw,
throat, upper belly area or back
·
Pain, numbness,
weakness or coldness in the legs or arms if the blood vessels in those body
areas are narrowed
You might not
be diagnosed with coronary artery disease until you have a heart attack,
angina, stroke or heart failure. It's important to watch for heart symptoms and
discuss concerns with your health care provider. Heart (cardiovascular) disease
can sometimes be found early with regular health checkups.
Heart disease
symptoms caused by irregular heartbeats (heart arrhythmias)
The heart may beat too
quickly, too slowly or irregularly. Heart arrhythmia symptoms can include:
·
Chest pain or
discomfort
·
Dizziness
·
Fainting (syncope) or
near fainting
·
Fluttering in the
chest
·
Lightheadedness
·
Racing heartbeat
(tachycardia)
·
Shortness of breath
·
Slow heartbeat
(bradycardia)
Heart disease symptoms
caused by congenital heart defects
Serious congenital heart defects usually are noticed soon after
birth. Congenital heart defect symptoms in children could include:
·
Pale gray or blue skin
or lips (cyanosis)
·
Swelling in the legs,
belly area or areas around the eyes
·
In an infant,
shortness of breath during feedings, leading to poor weight gain
Less-serious
congenital heart defects are often not diagnosed until later in childhood or
during adulthood. Symptoms of congenital heart defects that usually aren't
immediately life-threatening include:
·
Easily getting short of breath during exercise or activity
·
Easily tiring during exercise or activity
·
Swelling of the hands, ankles or feet
Heart disease
symptoms caused by diseased heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
Early stages of
cardiomyopathy may not cause noticeable symptoms. As the condition worsens,
symptoms may include:
·
Dizziness,
lightheadedness and fainting
·
Fatigue
·
Feeling short of
breath during activity or at rest
·
Feeling short of
breath at night when trying to sleep or waking up short of breath
·
Irregular heartbeats
that feel rapid, pounding or fluttering
·
Swollen legs, ankles
or feet
Heart disease
symptoms caused by heart valve problems (valvular heart disease)
The heart has four valves — the aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid
valves. They open and close to move blood through the heart. Many things can
damage the heart valves. A heart valve may become narrowed (stenosis), leaky
(regurgitation or insufficiency) or close improperly (prolapse).
Valvular heart disease is also called heart valve disease. Depending on
which valve isn't working properly, heart valve disease symptoms generally
include:
·
Chest pain
·
Fainting (syncope)
·
Fatigue
·
Irregular heartbeat
·
Shortness of breath
·
Swollen feet or ankles
Endocarditis is an infection that affects the heart valves and inner
lining of the heart chambers and heart valves (endocardium). Endocarditis
symptoms can include:
·
Dry or persistent
cough
·
Fever
·
Heartbeat changes
·
Shortness of breath
·
Skin rashes or unusual
spots
·
Swelling of the legs
or belly area
·
Weakness or fatigue
When to see a
doctor
Seek emergency medical
care if you have these heart disease symptoms:
·
Chest pain
·
Shortness of breath
·
Fainting
Always call 911 or
emergency medical help if you think you might be having a heart attack.
Heart disease is
easier to treat when detected early. Talk to your health care provider if you
have any concerns about your heart health. Together, you and your provider can
discuss ways to reduce your heart disease risk. This is especially important if
you have a family history of heart disease.
If you think you may
symptoms of heart disease, make an appointment to see your provider.
Causes
Heart disease causes depend on the specific type of heart disease. There
are many different types of heart disease.
How the heart
works
To understand the causes of heart disease, it may help to understand how
the heart works.
·
The heart is divided
into chambers — two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles).
·
The right side of the
heart moves blood to the lungs through blood vessels (pulmonary arteries).
·
In the lungs, blood
picks up oxygen and then returns to the left side of the heart through the
pulmonary veins.
·
The left side of the
heart then pumps the blood through the aorta and out to the rest of the body.
Heart valves
Four heart valves — the aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid — keep
the blood moving the right way. The valves open only one way and only when they
need to. Valves must open all the way and close tightly so there's no leakage.
Heartbeats
A beating heart
squeezes (contracts) and relaxes in a continuous cycle.
·
During contraction
(systole), the lower heart chambers (ventricles) squeeze tight. This action
forces blood to the lungs and the rest of the body.
·
During relaxation
(diastole), the ventricles fill with blood from the upper heart chambers
(atria).
Electrical
system
The heart's electrical
system keeps it beating. The heartbeat controls the continuous exchange of
oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood. This exchange keeps you alive.
·
Electrical signals
start in the upper right chamber (right atrium).
·
The signals travel
through specialized pathways to the lower heart chambers (ventricles). This
tells the heart to pump.
Causes of
coronary artery disease
Causes of
irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
Common causes of
arrhythmias or conditions that can lead to them include:
·
Cardiomyopathy
·
Coronary artery
disease
·
Diabetes
·
Drug misuse
·
Emotional stress
·
Excessive use of
alcohol or caffeine
·
Heart problem present
at birth (congenital heart defects)
·
High blood pressure
·
Smoking
·
Heart valve disease
·
Use of certain medications,
including those bought without a prescription, and herbs and supplements
Causes of
congenital heart defects
Causes of a
thickened or enlarged heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
The cause of cardiomyopathy depends on the type:
·
Dilated cardiomyopathy. The cause of this most common type of cardiomyopathy often
is unknown. It may be passed down through families (inherited). Dilated
cardiomyopathy typically starts in the heart's main pumping chamber (left
ventricle). Many things can cause damage to the left ventricle, including heart
attacks, infections, toxins and some drugs, including cancer medicines.
·
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This type is usually passed down through families
(inherited).
·
Restrictive cardiomyopathy. This is the least common type of cardiomyopathy. It can
occur for no known reason. Sometimes it's caused by a buildup of protein called
amyloid in the heart (cardiac amyloidosis) or connective tissue disorders.
Causes of
heart infection
A heart infection, such as endocarditis, occurs when germs reach the
heart or heart valves. The most common causes of heart infections are:
·
Bacteria
·
Viruses
·
Parasites
Causes of
heart valve disease
Many things can cause
diseases of the heart valves. Some people are born with heart valve disease
(congenital heart valve disease). Heart valve disease may also be caused by
conditions such as:
·
Rheumatic fever
·
Infections (infectious
endocarditis)
·
Connective tissue
disorders
Risk factors
Risk factors for heart disease include:
·
Age. Growing older
increases the risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and a weakened or thickened
heart muscle.
·
Sex. Men are
generally at greater risk of heart disease. The risk for women increases after
menopause.
·
Family history. A family history of heart disease increases the risk of
coronary artery disease, especially if a parent developed it at an early age
(before age 55 for a male relative, such as your brother or father, and 65 for
a female relative, such as your mother or sister).
·
Smoking. If
you smoke, quit. Substances in tobacco smoke damage the arteries. Heart attacks
are more common in smokers than in nonsmokers. If you need help quitting, talk
to your health care provider about strategies that can help.
·
Unhealthy diet. Diets high in fat, salt, sugar and cholesterol have been
linked to heart disease.
·
High blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause the arteries to
become hard and thick. These changes interrupt blood flow to the heart and
body.
·
High cholesterol. Having high cholesterol increases the risk of
atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis has been linked to heart attacks and strokes.
·
Diabetes. Diabetes
increases the risk of heart disease. Obesity and high blood pressure increase
the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
·
Obesity. Excess
weight typically worsens other heart disease risk factors.
·
Lack of exercises. Being inactive (sedentary lifestyle) is associated with
many forms of heart disease and some of its risk factors, too.
·
Stress. Unrelieved
stress may damage the arteries and worsen other risk factors for heart disease.
·
Poor dental health. It's important to brush and floss your teeth and gums
often. Also get regular dental checkups. Unhealthy teeth and gums makes it
easier for germs to enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart. This can
cause endocarditis.
Complications
Complications
of heart disease include:
·
Heart failure. This is one of the most common complications of heart
disease. Heart failure occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood to meet
the body's needs.
·
Heart attack. A heart attack may occur if a blood clot is stuck in a
blood vessel that goes to the heart.
·
Stroke. The
risk factors that lead to heart disease can also lead to an ischemic stroke.
This type of stroke happens when the arteries to the brain are narrowed or
blocked. Too little blood reaches the brain. A stroke is a medical emergency —
brain tissue begins to die within just a few minutes of a stroke.
·
Aneurysm. An
aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery. If an aneurysm bursts, you may
have life-threatening internal bleeding.
·
Peripheral artery disease. In this condition, the arms or legs — usually the legs —
don't get enough blood. This causes symptoms, most notably leg pain when
walking (claudication). Atherosclerosis can lead to peripheral artery disease.
·
Sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of heart
function, breathing and consciousness. It's usually due to a problem with the
heart's electrical system. Sudden cardiac arrest is a medical emergency. If not
treated immediately, it results in sudden cardiac death.
Prevention
The same lifestyle
changes used to manage heart disease may also help prevent it. Try these
heart-healthy tips:
·
Don't smoke.
·
Eat a diet that's low
in salt and saturated fat.
·
Exercise at least 30
minutes a day on most days of the week.
·
Maintain a healthy
weight.
·
Reduce and manage
stress.
·
Control high blood
pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
·
Get good sleep. Adults
should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
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