Heart Disease

Different health conditions that affect the heart are called heart disease. These include:

Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
Blood vessel disease (including coronary artery disease)
Congenital heart defects (heart conditions present at birth)
Heart muscle disease
Heart valve disease

Many heart disease types can be treated with healthy lifestyle changes.

Symptoms

The symptoms a person experiences depend on the type of heart disease he/she has.

Blood Vessel Disease Symptoms

A common heart disease that negatively affects the major blood vessels that supply the heart muscle is called coronary artery disease. It usually occurs due to a buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls. These buildups are called plaques and if a build-up of the plaque occurs it is called (atherosclerosis). This condition decreases blood flow to the heart as well as other body parts and can cause chest pain, stroke, or myocardial infarction. Check below some coronary artery disease symptoms:

Shortness of breath
Pain that occurs in the jaw, throat, upper abdomen, back, or neck
Chest pain, tightness, pressure, and discomfort (also known as angina)
Weakness, coldness, numbness, or pain in the arms or legs (usually caused by narrowing of the blood vessels in that body area)

Some people do not get diagnosed until they experience a heart attack, angina, stroke, or heart failure. That’s why it is important to monitor heart symptoms. However, it is possible to get an early diagnosis of heart disease with regular checkups.

Arrhythmias Symptoms

This condition occurs when the heart begins to beat too quickly, slowly, or irregularly. Check below some symptoms:

Chest discomfort or pain
Dizziness
Fluttering in the chest
Racing heartbeat
Lightheadedness
Shortness of breath
Slow heartbeat
Fainting

Congenital Heart Defects Symptoms

When a baby is born with heart disease is it called by doctors a congenital heart defect. Check below some symptoms that may occur in children with congenital heart defects:

Gray or blue skin
Swelling that occurs in the abdominal region, legs, or around the eyes
Shortness of breath during feeding (which may lead to poor weight gain and other health problems)

Sometimes, this heart disease type is not found until childhood or even adulthood. Check below some symptoms that may occur later in life:

Swelling of the ankles, feet, or hands
Tiredness that occurs easily, especially during an activity or exercise
Shortness of breath during an exercise or activity

Heart Muscle Disease Symptoms

People with cardiomyopathy do not experience symptoms right after the condition happens. However, the following symptoms could appear when the condition worsens. Examples include:

Lightheadedness
Fainting
Dizziness
Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
Shortness of breath during nighttime when you are trying to sleep can occur
Pounding, fluttering, or fast heartbeats
Swelling in the feet, ankles, or legs

Heart Valve Disease Symptoms

Heart valves (4 valves) are open and close continuously, which helps the blood move through the heart muscle. There are different factors that could damage heart valves and lead to poor heart muscle work. For instance, if the heart valves become narrow it is a condition called stenosis but if the heart valves let the blood flow backward it is called regurgitation. The symptoms appear according to the valve that does not work properly. However, the heart valve disease symptoms include:

Extreme tiredness
Swollen ankles or feet
Breathing problems
Irregular heartbeats
Fainting
Chest pain

If you suspect you may have a heart disease or experience the following symptoms, immediately seek medical care. For example:

Chest pain
Trouble breathing
Fainting

Causes

To understand the causes of heart disease, it is important to know how the heart normally works.

How Does the Heart Work?

The muscle of the heart has 4 chambers (2 upper chambers called atria and 2 lower chambers called ventricles).
The blood goes to the lungs through the right side of the heart (through pulmonary arteries). Thus, the blood gets oxygen in the lungs and goes to the left side of the heart through pulmonary veins.
After that, the left side of the heart pumps the blood through the main artery of the body (aorta) to the rest of the body.

Heart Valves and Heartbeats

Check below the 4 valves that help to maintain blood flow in the correct direction:

Aortic valve
Mitral valve
Pulmonary valve
Tricuspid valve

Moreover, valves also have flaps (called cusps or leaflets) that open and close every time the heart beats. Reduced blood flow can occur even if one flap does not close or open properly.

Heartbeats are maintained by the heart’s electrical system that begins in certain cells located at the top of the heart (sinus node). Thereafter, they pass through a pathway between the lower and upper heart chambers known as the atrioventricular (AV) node. As a result, the previous process causes the heart to pump blood and squeeze.

Coronary Artery Disease Causes

In most cases, this condition occurs due to a build-up of certain substances (these include fats, cholesterol, and others) in the arteries. Moreover, there are some factors that may elevate your risk of getting this condition. For example smoking, obesity, lack of physical exercise, and unhealthy diet. To reduce the risk of atherosclerosis you should adopt a healthy diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Arrhythmia Causes

Check below the most common causes of irregular heartbeats:

Diabetes
Certain supplements, herbs, and medications
Congenital heart defects
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Smoking
Heart valve disease
High intake of alcohol or caffeine
Emotional distress
Use of street drugs (including cocaine)
Coronary artery disease
Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy)

Congenital Heart Defects Cause

This type of heart disease often occurs when the baby is developing in the womb (during pregnancy). Physicians do not fully understand the cause of most congenital heart defects but they think gene mutations (changes), certain health conditions, medications, and certain environmental factors could play a role.

Cardiomyopathy Causes

Cardiomyopathy causes depends on the type a person experiences. For example:

Dilated cardiomyopathy – The cause of this cardiomyopathy type in most cases remains unknown but it is the most common type of this heart disease. Some experts think that it may pass through families (inherited).
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – This heart disease type usually passes through families.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy – While connective tissue disorders and amyloid (buildup of protein) can cause this cardiomyopathy type, sometimes the exact cause is not known.

Heart Valve Disease Causes

There are different factors that could damage or cause heart valve disease. Sometimes, people are born with a disease of the heart valve. However, if it happens physicians call it congenital heart valve disease. Check below other potential causes of heart valve disease:

Connective tissue disorders
Heart valve lining infection (infectious endocarditis)
Rheumatic fever

Risk Factors

The following factors may elevate your risk of developing a heart disease. For example:

Age – Older people are more prone to develop heart disease due to a higher risk of damaged or narrowed arteries and weakened heart muscle.
Sex – Generally, men are at increased risk of getting heart disease than women. However, the female’s risk of heart disease increases significantly after menopause.
Family history – if you have a family history of coronary artery disease, your risk increases too.
Smoking – The substances that tobacco products contain can damage the blood vessels (including arteries). For instance, myocardial infections occur more frequently in people who smoke compared to those who do not use tobacco products.
Unhealthy diet – The risk of heart disease increases if you are eating foods high in salt, fat, and sugar.
Hypertension – Thickness and hardness of the arteries can occur if you experience high blood pressure and do not manage it. It also may lead to reduced blood flow to the heart and entire body.
High cholesterol – The risk of atherosclerosis increases if you have increased cholesterol levels in the blood.
Diabetes – People with diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease. In addition, obesity and hypertension increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Obesity – If you are overweight (excess weight) it negatively affects other heart disease risk factors.
Lack of physical exercise – Those who are inactive are more prone to develop heart disease. Moreover, it also may worsen other risk factors.
Stress – Damage to the arteries can cause emotional distress.
Poor dental health – Certain germs are more likely to enter the bloodstream if you have unhealthy teeth and gums. As a result, it may lead to endocarditis.

Complications

If you ignore the symptoms and do not get treatment for any heart disease type, you may experience the following unpleasant complications. For example:

Heart failure – When it occurs the heart is unable to pump enough blood to ensure the body’s needs. Moreover, heart failure is one of the most common complications of heart disease.
Myocardial infarction – If even a small piece of plaque in an artery or a blood clot moves to the heart, you may experience this complication.
Stroke – Risk factors that could provoke a heart disease can also lead to ischemic stroke. This stroke type occurs when the arteries to the brain are blocked or narrowed causing reduced blood flow to the brain.
Aneurysm – A bulge that appears in the wall of an artery is called an aneurysm. However, if an aneurysm bursts, it may lead to a serious complication (internal bleeding).
Peripheral artery disease – When this disease happens, people experience leg pain when walking (claudication) due to reduced blood flow to the legs.
Sudden cardiac arrest – A loss of heart activity, breathing, and consciousness that occurs suddenly it is called sudden cardiac arrest. This is a medical emergency and it usually happens due to a problem with the heart’s electrical system. If a person does not get treatment right away, it may lead to death.

Is it Possible to Prevent Heart Disease?

The following lifestyle changes can help to manage heart disease as well as prevent them. Check below some of them:

Try to get and maintain a healthy weight
Manage regularly hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels
Have enough good sleep (aim for at least 7-9 hours per day)
Reduce stress
It is also advised to have at least 30 minutes per day of physical exercises
Adopt a healthy diet low in saturated fat and salt
Quit smoking or never begin

Diagnosis

Doctors usually diagnose a heart disease by performing a physical examination and asking some questions about symptoms and family history. Moreover, they can also perform additional tests that help to confirm the condition and rule out others that cause similar symptoms. For example:

Tests

Blood tests – Doctors usually perform blood tests to check for certain proteins that often leak into blood after a heart attack. Sometimes, doctors may perform additional blood tests to check for high blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and others. Moreover, you may need to do a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) test to check for protein that is associated with inflammation of the arteries.
Chest X-ray – This test is used to get detailed images of different body parts. In such cases, it helps to determine if the heart muscle is enlarged or not.
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) – This is a painless and quick test that helps to see the electrical activity of the heart. It also helps to see if your heart is beating too fast or too slow.
Holter monitor – This is a portable device (portable EKG) that records the heart’s activity during daily routine.
Echocardiogram – This test uses sound waves to make images of the heart in motion. It also helps to see how the blood moves through the heart and its valves.
Exercise tests or stress tests – During these tests, doctors check the heart while you are walking on a treadmill or riding on a stationary bike.
Cardiac catheterization – This is a specific test that helps to determine blockages in the heart arteries.
Heart CT Scan – This test uses X-rays to produce detailed images of the body (including your heart and chest).
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan – This test uses a magnetic field to make detailed images of the heart.

Treatment

The treatment that doctors prescribe for patients with heart disease is usually different because it depends on the type and severity of the heart disease and other factors. Check below some treatment options that doctors usually recommend for people with heart disease:

Medications
Surgery
Different heart procedures
Lifestyle changes (including a diet low in salt and saturated fat, more physical exercise, and quitting smoking)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the warning symptoms of heart disease?

These include:

Palpitations
Fatigue
Poor blood supply
Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet
Wheezing
Cough
Breathing problems
Chest pain

If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, do not hesitate to see a doctor.

What are the potential complications of heart disease?

Heart valve disease
Cardiac arrest
Cardiogenic shock
Irregular heart rhythm
Stroke
Cardiomyopathy
Heart failure
Myocardial infarction

Seek emergency care right away if you suspect you have experienced any of the previous complications. Otherwise, it may lead to death.

What are the best medicines used to treat heart disease?

Healthcare providers usually prescribe the following medicines to treat patients with heart disease. For example:

Anticoagulants (also called blood thinners)
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
Beta-blockers
Antiplatelet agents (such as Aspirin and Clopidogrel)
Cholesterol-reducing medicines (such as statins)

If you have additional questions, ask your healthcare professional.