Heart diseases are the diseases that emerge due to dysfunction of the coronary artery or abnormalities to the organ structure including valves, chambers, walls, or heart muscles. These defects may present as hypertrophy, fibrosis, and hole formation on the organ wall. When these conditions are prolonged without proper treatment, it may lead to sudden cardiac arrest or organ failure.
What is Heart Disease?
Heart diseases or cardiovascular diseases are defined as a range of medical conditions that critically impact the heart structure and its functioning. One of the most common and prevailing heart diseases is Coronary artery disease (CAD). When the blood pumping to the heart is not functioning properly, it may lead to severe heart problems even to stroke and heart failure.
Common Symptoms of Heart Diseases
Symptoms of cardiovascular disease can vary person to person, based on their health condition, gender, age and other factors. Discover some of the common heart disease symptoms listed below;
- Chest discomfort or angina
This indicates a feeling of squeezing, tightness or pressure that may excerpt at the centre of the heart or on the left side, typically lasting for a few minutes.
- Shortness of breadth
The experience of “unable to breathe” while doing certain activities is also sometimes at a state of rest.
- Fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance
Excessive tiredness or feeling of unable to manage even performing a less intensity works,
- Nausea, jaw pain, dizziness instead of classic chest pain
These are mostly common in women. Experiencing persistent pain on several body parts like throat, neck and stomach area or heartburn and dizziness are overlooking critical evidence.
- Diabetics
People with diabetes might not show extreme fatigue or chest pain due to the nerve damage, this leads to minor heart failures or attacks without any real time signs.
- Swelling, confusion, or fainting spells
The indication of cardiac disease as swelling can be caused mainly by the accumulation of fluid in legs, feet, abdomen, and legs. This typically indicates heart failure or pumping to the heart is not efficient.
Types of Heart Diseases and Causes?
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
It is one of the prevailing types, caused by blockage in the coronary artery or its narrowing condition. As the coronary artery is an important vessel that supplies oxygen rich blood supply to the heart muscles, the restrictions in blood flow can lead to cardiovascular diseases.
Causes:
Atherosclerosis: The accumulated deposits of plaque on the walls of arteries, causing reduced blood flow passage. High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity and lack of physical activities are the major triggers of this condition. The complications are Myocardial infarction or heart attack and ischemic heart failure.
- Heart Failure
The most common cause of heart failure is long term hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, chronic lung disease etc. Due to these, the heart becomes inefficient to pump blood to the necessary level of blood, emerging excess fluids in tissues and manifest as fatigue. Through diagnostic techniques like echocardiography, BNP blood tests, patients can identify before the risk escalation.
- Arrhythmias
It is the condition where abnormal heart rhymes causing acceleration in heart beats, slowly or in an irregular manner. In other words, the electrical system disturbances causing triggers in heart beat rhythm leading to complex problems such as heart failure, stroke or unforeseen cardiac death. Stress, genetic factors, and electrolyte imbalance are the key contributing factors of this condition. Some of its classifications are, Atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and bradycardia.
- Congenital Heart Defects
It is a congenital condition—upnormal formations like septal (holes) inside the heart structure during the fetal development or due to valve dysfunctions. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) affect the blood flow across the body, hence early diagnosis has heightened benefits. Neonatal screening, fetal echo cardiography, patients can identify these defects and seek cure practices.
Other Types
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart Infections
Treatment Options
Medications
- Cholesterol lowering medications – The application of drugs can reduce the excessive amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood stream and prevent plaque buildup, one of the leading causes of Atherosclerosis. Atorvasatatin, Simvasatatin, such drugs block substances in the liver that primarily produce cholesterol.
- Blood pressure medications
ACE, Beta-Blockers, calcium channel blockers like Amlodipine, Diltiazem, Diuretics are effective medications to reduce and control blood pressure. In which some are effective for eliminating sodium and water for lowering BP, blocks pressured impact of hormone epinephrine, and prevents the substance blockage that causes narrowing arteries.
- Blood thinners/antiplatelet therapies
Blood thinners are mainly suggested to eliminate the formation of blood clots in the arteries. Typically, Aspirin or Clopidogrel are prescribed to prevent this condition, especially individuals with high risk conditions. Anticoagulants like Warfarin are proven for lowering the formation of clots.
Lifestyle Modifications
By embracing certain modifications in lifestyle such as heart health diet, regular exercise, stress management practices, prioritizing quality sleep will enable people to prevent and manage heart diseases. Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, food containing omega 3 fatty acids as a portion of daily meals. In a fast paced environment, practicing daily meditations, yoga and mindfulness, seeking counseling help reduce hypertension due to chronic stress. An average healthy human being has required up to 7-8 hours of quality sleep. Irregular sleep hours may trigger not just heart diseases but also cognitive decline and other severe harmful effects on the body.
Procedures and Surgeries
- Coronary Angioplasty and Stending
It is a minimally invasive procedure, where a doctor inserts a thin shaped tube named as catheter into an artery, usually in the wrist and directs it to the heart. The inflammable balloon in Foley catheter helps flattening the plaque.
- Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
CABG is an open heart surgery, conducted particularly to remove blocks in the heart. In this process, a healthy blood vessel is taken from a patient’s leg, sewn and creates a new pathway to fix the blood flow.
- Implantation of devices
Electronic devices like pacemakers, ICDs, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices are implanted in the chest or abdomen. The electrical impulses developed through it help balancing heart beat, rhythm and contractions to improve pumping efficiency.
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