Heart Disease
A medical dictionary would define heart disease as an abnormal condition affecting the heart or its blood vessels.
Heart disease accounts for the maximum casualties in the United States. It is also a leading cause of disability for many. There are various types of heart disease and the most common cause of heart disease is the blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart and is known as Coronary artery disease. It develops over time and becomes a major health concern only after many years. In this case the arteries become hard and narrow and as a result enough blood does not reach the heart. Coronary artery disease can result in other conditions such as
Angina: It is the chest pain that occurs due to deficit blood supply to the heart. You might feel heaviness or a squeezing
pain in the chest or in some cases in the shoulders, neck, arms or jaw. Though Angina cannot be termed as a heart attack it is a sure shot symptom of a possible heart attack.
Heart attack: It occurs when the blood supply is totally cut off due to the severe blockage of arteries. If the heart goes without supply for more than 20 minutes heart attack can occur which can be fatal.
Heart failure: When the heart is unable to pump enough blood throughout the body, heart failure occurs. It results in cutting off the blood to other body parts resulting in breathlessness, inflammation of feet and ankles, fatigue and panting. Heart failure need not necessarily mean that the heart stops functioning.
Heart arrhythmias: Are disturbances in the rhythm of heart beats. Some of its common symptoms include dizziness,
breathlessness, black out or chest pain However in many cases these changes in the heart beat would not cause any serious problems. Aged people are more susceptible to have arrhythmias.
Electrocardiogram or echocardiogram is normally used to analyse the overall health of your heart. Some of the heart conditions are caused due to defective valves, problematic pumping mechanism, or congenital
heart disease which would all result in heart failure. Heart disease is not contagious and some of the risk factors include age or hereditary factors which are well beyond your control. But there are some other risk factors which can be easily managed such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, overweight, smoking or lack of exercise.
Try to cut down on smoking and ensure adequate exercise to maintain a healthy body weight. Take timely preventive action to avoid the risk of a heart attack. If you suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes, make the necessary changes in your diet; Stress management and cholesterol control are also equally important in preventing heart failures. If you take hard drinks, make sure not to take more than one drink. In case you have any of the above risk factors it is advisable to go for regular medical check ups to reduce the hazard of a heart attack. Many people do not realize that they have
heart disease until they have chest pain or stroke, which turns out to be emergency conditions requiring immediate medical aid.
