Heart Disease

 

Heart conditions that include diseased vessels, structural problems and blood clots. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to heart attack. Other heart common heart are arrhythmia, heart valve disease and heart failure. You can greatly reduce your risk for heart disease through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medicine.

 

Symptoms

A buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries, or atherosclerosis (ath-ur-o-skluh-ROE-sis) can damage your blood vessels and heart. Plaque buildup causes narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke.

Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. Heart diseases include:

  • Blood vessel disease, such as coronary artery disease
  • Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias)
  • Heart defects you’re born with (congenital heart defects)
  • Heart valve disease
  • Disease of the heart muscle
  • Heart infection

Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices.Symptoms vary widely, ranging from chest pain to palpitations. Sometimes there are no symptoms.

 

Coronary artery disease symptoms may be different for men and women. For instance, men are more likely to have chest pain. Women are more likely to have other signs and symptoms along with chest discomfort, such as shortness of breath, nausea and extreme fatigue.

Signs and symptoms can include:

  • Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort (angina)
  • Shortness of breath
  • 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

You might not be diagnosed with coronary artery disease until you have a heart attack, angina, stroke or heart failure. It’s important to watch for cardiovascular symptoms and discuss concerns with your doctor. Cardiovascular disease can sometimes be found early with regular evaluations.

Causes

Heart disease causes depend on your specific type of heart disease. There are many different types of heart disease. To understand the causes of heart disease, it helps to understand how the heart works.

How the heart works

Your heart is a pump. It’s a muscular organ about the size of your fist, located slightly left of center in your chest. Your heart is divided into the right and the left sides.

  • The right side of the heart includes the right atrium and ventricle. It collects and pumps blood to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries.
  • The lungs give the blood a new supply of oxygen. The lungs also breathe out carbon dioxide, a waste product.
  • Oxygen-rich blood then enters the left side of the heart, including the left atrium and ventricle.
  • The left side of the heart pumps blood through the largest artery in the body (aorta) to supply tissues throughout the body with oxygen and nutrients.

Heart valves

Four heart valves keep your blood moving the right way by opening only one way and only when they need to. To work properly, the valves must be formed properly, must open all the way and must close tightly so there’s no leakage. The four valves are:

  • Tricuspid
  • Mitral
  • Pulmonary
  • Aortic

Heartbeats

A beating heart squeezes (contracts) and relaxes in a continuous cycle.

  • During contraction (systole), your ventricles squeeze tight, forcing blood into the vessels to your lungs and body.
  • During relaxation (diastole), the ventricles are filled with blood coming from the upper chambers (left and right atria).

Electrical system

Your heart’s electrical wiring keeps it beating. Your heartbeat controls the continuous exchange of oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood. This exchange keeps you alive.

  • Electrical signals begin high in the upper right chamber (right atrium) and travel through specialized pathways to the ventricles, delivering the signal for the heart to pump.
  • The system keeps your heart beating in a coordinated and normal rhythm, which keeps blood flowing.

Causes of coronary artery disease

A buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries (atherosclerosis) is the most common cause of coronary artery disease. Unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as a poor diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking, can lead to atherosclerosis.

Causes of heart arrhythmia

Common causes of arrhythmias or conditions that can lead to arrhythmias include:

  • Coronary artery disease
  • Diabetes
  • Drug abuse
  • Excessive use of alcohol or caffeine
  • Heart defects you’re born with (congenital heart defects)

 

  • High blood pressure
  • Smoking
  • Some over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, dietary supplements and herbal remedies
  • Stress
  • Valvular heart disease

In a healthy person with a normal, healthy heart, it’s unlikely for a deadly arrhythmia to develop without some outside trigger, such as an electrical shock or the use of illegal drugs. However, in a heart that’s diseased or deformed, the heart’s electrical signals may not properly start or travel through the heart, making arrhythmias more likely to develop.

Causes of congenital heart defects

Congenital heart defects usually develop while a baby is in the womb. Heart defects can develop as the heart develops, about a month after conception, changing the flow of blood in the heart. Some medical conditions, medications and genes may play a role in causing heart defects.

Heart defects can also develop in adults. As you age, your heart’s structure can change, causing a heart defect.

Causes of cardiomyopathy

The cause of cardiomyopathy, a thickening or enlarging of the heart muscle, may depend on the type:

  • Dilated cardiomyopathy. The cause of this most common type of cardiomyopathy often is unknown. The condition usually causes the left ventricle to widen. Dilated cardiomyopathy may be caused by reduced blood flow to the heart (ischemic heart disease) resulting from damage after a heart attack, infections, toxins and certain drugs, including those used to treat cancer. It may also be inherited from a parent.
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This type usually is passed down through families (inherited). It can also develop over time because of high blood pressure or aging.
  • Restrictive cardiomyopathy. This least common type of cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart muscle to become rigid and less elastic, can occur for no known reason. Or it may be caused by diseases, such as connective tissue disorders or the buildup of abnormal proteins (amyloidosis).

Causes of heart infection

A heart infection, such as endocarditis, is caused when germs reach your heart muscle. The most common causes of heart infection include:

  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Parasites

Causes of valvular heart disease

Many things can cause diseases of your heart valves. You may be born with valvular disease, or the valves may be damaged by conditions such as:

  • Rheumatic fever
  • Infections (infectious endocarditis)
  • Connective tissue disorders
 

Risk factors

Risk factors for developing heart disease include:

  • Age. Growing older increases your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and a weakened or thickened heart muscle.
  • Sex. Men are generally at greater risk of heart disease. The risk for women increases after menopause.
  • Family history. A family history of heart disease increases your risk of coronary artery disease, especially if a parent developed it at an early age (before age 55 for a male relative, such as your brother or father, and 65 for a female relative, such as your mother or sister).
  • Smoking. Nicotine tightens your blood vessels, and carbon monoxide can damage their inner lining, making them more susceptible to atherosclerosis. Heart attacks are more common in smokers than in nonsmokers.
  • Poor diet. A diet that’s high in fat, salt, sugar and cholesterol can contribute to the development of heart disease.
  • High blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries, narrowing the vessels through which blood flows.
  • High blood cholesterol levels. High levels of cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of plaque formation and atherosclerosis.
  • Diabetes. Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease. Both conditions share similar risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure.
  • Obesity. Excess weight typically worsens other heart disease risk factors.
  • Physical inactivity. Lack of exercise also is associated with many forms of heart disease and some of its other risk factors as well.
  • Stress. Unrelieved stress may damage your arteries and worsen other risk factors for heart disease.
  • Poor dental health. It’s important to brush and floss your teeth and gums often, and have regular dental checkups. If your teeth and gums aren’t healthy, germs can enter your bloodstream and travel to your heart, causing endocarditis.
Treatment

The type of treatment you receive depends on the type of heart disease you have. In general, treatment for heart disease usually includes:

  • Lifestyle changes. You can lower your risk of heart disease by eating a low-fat and low-sodium diet, getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol intake.
  • Medications. If lifestyle changes alone aren’t enough, your doctor may prescribe medications to control your heart disease. The type of medication you receive will depend on the type of heart disease.
  • Medical procedures or surgery. If medications aren’t enough, it’s possible your doctor will recommend specific procedures or surgery. The type of procedure or surgery will depend on the type of heart disease and the extent of the damage to your heart.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Heart disease can be improved — or even prevented — by making certain lifestyle changes. The following changes can help anyone who wants to improve heart health:

  • Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Quitting is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and its complications.
  • Control your blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a blood pressure measurement at least every two years. He or she may recommend more frequent measurements if your blood pressure is higher than normal or you have a history of heart disease. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, as measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
  • Check your cholesterol. Ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test when you’re in your 20s and then at least every five years. You may need to start testing earlier if high cholesterol is in your family. If your test results aren’t within desirable ranges, your doctor may recommend more-frequent measurements.

Most people should aim for a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level below 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 3.4 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). If you have other risk factors for heart disease, you should aim for an LDL level below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L). If you’re at very high risk of heart disease — if you’ve already had a heart attack or have diabetes, for example — aim for an LDL level below 70 mg/dL (1.8 mmol/L).

  • Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Exercise. Physical activity helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure — all risk factors for heart disease. If you have a heart arrhythmia or heart defect, there may be some restrictions on the activities you can do, so talk to your doctor. With your doctor’s OK, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.
  • Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Check out our recipes page for fresh ideas of healthy meals you can start serving today
  • Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. A body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 and a waist circumference of 35 inches (88.9 centimeters) or less is the goal for preventing and treating heart disease. For those struggling with weight management, one can make use of over the counter, all natural weight loss supplements including Exipure, Biofit and Java Burn. These supplements work well to assist with weight loss which lessens the likelihood of heart disease
  • Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
  • Get treatment for depression. Being depressed can increase your risk of heart disease significantly. Talk to your doctor if you feel hopeless or uninterested in your life.
  • Practice good hygiene. Regularly wash your hands and brush and floss your teeth to keep yourself well.
Medication
Treatments vary widely and can include lifestyle changes, medication, surgery, stents, pacemakers and ablation.
 
MOST COMMON TYPES
Coronary artery disease
Treatments include lifestyle changes, medication, angioplasty and surgery.
 
High blood pressure
Eating a healthier diet with less salt, exercising regularly and taking medication can help lower blood pressure.
 
Cardiac arrest
This medical emergency needs immediate CPR or use of a defibrillator. Hospital care includes drugs, an implantable device or other procedures.
 
Congestive heart failure
Treatments can include eating less salt, limiting fluid intake and taking prescription medication. In some cases a defibrillator or pacemaker may be implanted.
 
 
 
 
 
Arrhythmia
If required, treatment includes anti-arrhythmic drugs, medical procedures, implantable devices and surgery.
 
Peripheral artery disease
Tobacco cessation, exercise and a healthy diet are often successful treatments. When these changes aren’t enough, medication or surgery can help.
 
Stroke
Early treatment with medication like tPA (clot buster) can minimise brain damage. Other treatments focus on limiting complications and preventing additional strokes.
 
Congenital heart disease
Treatments include medication to lower blood pressure and control heart rate, heart devices, catheter procedures and surgery.