Heart Disease
Introduction/Overview
Heart disease is not a single disease but a category which covers several different types of heart diseases. Among those lumped together under this umbrella are congenital heart disease, congestive heart disease, coronary heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, ischemic heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, and heart arrhythmias (rhythm problems), among others. Heart disease includes just about anything that affects the heart muscle, heart valves, blood vessels, or the heart beat. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the world.
Symptoms & Diagnosis
Symptoms of heart disease can vary from person to person. You could have shortness of breath, pain in your chest, numbness which runs down your arms and legs, a heartbeat which is too fast or too slow, dizziness, and lips or skin which turn gray. You can also have fatigue, fluttering in the chest, fluid around the heart, a distended abdomen, leg swelling and fainting spells.
There are several tests your doctor can use to determine if you have heart disease. There could be blood texts, an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram, a CT, MRI, or more complex testing such as cardiac catheterization, where a catheter is inserted into an artery and guided to the heart. As it is moved along, X-rays can show blood vessels, valves and anything else that might look like a problem.
Known Causes
There are many heart disease causes. The most prevalent one is hardening of the arteries, which is known as atherosclerosis. This is when fatty plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries and eventually, they become blocked. When blood and oxygen cannot flow through the artery, it can lead to a heart attack and other forms of heart failure. Atherosclerosis is caused by eating a diet high in fats, smoking, being overweight and not exercising. Other heart diseases can be caused by heart defects, diabetes, alcohol, caffeine, medications, drug abuse, viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other diseases.
Treatments/Procedures
Heart disease treatments vary depending on the type of heart disease. Changes in your lifestyle are usually involved as well as medications and/or surgery or other heart procedures. All heart disease patients are asked to eat a diet low in fat and sodium, quit smoking, and limit the amount of alcohol and caffeine they drink. Medications are prescribed for chronic heart disease, such as those which lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Other meds prescribed include ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, diuretics, those that lower cholesterol, blood thinners, and aspirin. Sometimes stents are inserted to keep arteries open. Other common heart procedures include cardioversion, cardiac ablation, inserting pacemakers, and valve repair. Severe heart disease could result in open heart surgery or a heart transplant.
Prevention / Vaccination
Heart disease prevention is not possible in some cases, such as congenital heart disease, which begins with a heart defect from birth. Other types of heart disease can be prevented by not smoking or quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet low in fats and sodium, managing stress, exercising for at least 30 minutes three times a week and losing weight.
Prognosis / Management
Many of the activities for the management of heart disease are the same as for heart disease prevention. Stop smoking, eat healthy and exercise. If you have high blood pressure or cholesterol that cannot be controlled by diet, you will need to take medications. Learning to successfully manage stress can prevent a heart attack. You should also get a flu shot every year and if you have diabetes, keeping blood sugar levels under control is critical. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, it is very important to wear a medic alert bracelet or dog tags, identifying your disease, meds, and who to call in case of emergency.
Alternative Treatments & Products
There are no alternative treatments for most forms of heart disease. However, there are foods and supplements which can help lower your chances of getting heart disease or slow the progression of it. A few of these can help to lower cholesterol and plaque buildup in arteries. These include flaxseed, omega-3 fatty acids, plant sterols and stanols, coenzyme Q-10, and blond psyllium. Activities such as yoga or relaxation exercises can help manage stress.