Heart Diseases: Basic Concepts And Awareness

It has been always a confusion between heart diseases and heart attack. “All heart attacks are heart disease but not all heart diseases are heart attack”. One in every four deaths in United States is the result of heart disease. Continue reading to know about heart diseases basic concepts and awareness.

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In general, people presume all heart problems as heart attack. This being a commonly seen perception specially among less educated and low socioeconomic groups. However, there is difference between both.

Heart condition like, Coronary Artery Disease (blockage in the arteries of heart), congenital heart disease (structural defects present from birth), arrhythmia (Palpitation), all come under heart disease. Chest pain that happen because of blockage in the arteries of the heart causes heart attack.

All over the world, Heart disease contributes towards the leading cause of death and disability. Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices.

Symptoms Of Heart Disease

The symptoms of heart disease depend on which condition is affecting an individual. However, common symptoms include

• Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort (angina).
• Breathlessness.
• Heart palpitations, fast heartbeat and breathing.
• Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms if the blood vessels in those parts of your body are narrowed.
• Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen or back.
• Sweating.
• High levels of fatigue.

Types Of Heart Disease

Let’s just get through a short intro with type of heart disease. There are many types of heart disease that affect different parts of the organ and occur in different ways.

Congenital Heart Disease

Heart disease presented with structural deformities of the heart since birth.

• Septal defects: There is a hole between the two chambers of the heart.
• Obstruction defects: The flow of blood through various chambers of the heart is partially or totally blocked.
• Cyanotic heart disease: A defect in the heart causes mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood leading to shortage of oxygen around the body. In severe cases, it causes bluish discoloration of the skin and is generally seen in newborns or in adolescence stage if disease is left undiagnosed or untreated.

Arrhythmias

Arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. Irregular heartbeats are common, and all people experience them. They feel like a fluttering or a racing heart. However, when they change too much or occur because of a damaged or weak heart, they need to be taken more seriously and treated. Arrhytmias can become fatal.

Coronary Artery Disease: Heart Attack

The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygen by circulating blood. When arteries fail to supply oxygen demand to the heart muscle then it starts aching and causes a Heart Attack. It Happens ,when Coronary arteries become diseased or damaged, usually because of plaque deposits that contain cholesterol. Plaque buildup narrows the coronary arteries, and this causes the heart to receive less oxygen .

Heart Failure

Coronary Artery disease or high blood pressure can weaken the heart by decreasing its pumping efficacy.  Also known as congestive heart failure, heart failure occurs when the heart does not pump blood around the body efficiently.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Genetic disorder in which the wall of the left ventricle thickens, making it harder for blood to be pumped out of the heart. This is the leading cause of sudden death in athletes. A parent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has a 50 percent chance of passing the disorder on to their children.

Valvular Heart Disease 

Valvular heart disease is characterized by damage or a defect in one of the four heart valves. In Valvular heart disease, valve either does not close or open properly and causes heart failure symptoms or Syncope.

Causes

Heart Disease are Congenital, genetical and acquired. There are a number of lifestyle choices that can increase the risk of heart disease. These include:

• Age
• Family history
• High blood pressure and cholesterol
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Overweight and obesity
• Junk food
• History of preeclampsia during pregnancy

Treatment

Treatment options depends upon the type, severity, symptoms of the patients. It varies from simple preventive and healthy lifestyle changes to all the way up to major emergency cardiac surgeries.

Prevention

Acquired Heart Diseases can be prevented by:

• Eat healthy and balanced diet. Take low-fat, high-fiber foods and be sure to consume fresh fruit and vegetables each day. Increase your intake of whole grains and reduce the amount of salt and sugar in the diet.
• Regular Exercise, it will improve your circulatory system, reduce cholesterol, and maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Maintain a healthy body weight for your height.
• Smoking or tobacco of any kind is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease.
• Reduce the intake of alcohol as binge drinking can cause heart failure.

Thanks For Reading!!!

Some Must Reads:

1. 10 Tips To Lower High Blood Pressure
2. Symptoms of hypertension
3. How to maintain a healthy weight with healthy snacks?
4. Heart Palpitations
5. Heart Disease or Heart Attack