Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) / Heart Disease
Heart Attack! Heart
Attack! Heart Attack! Now
a day’s it is a very common and big problem of people. 90% people are suffering
of this disease. Let’s discuss about this-
Cardiovascular
disease (CVD)
is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. Cardiovascular
disease includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial
infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). According to the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the
United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia. One in every four deaths
in the U.S. occurs as a result of heart disease.
Types
There
are many types of heart disease that affect different parts of the organ and
occur in different ways are given below:
Congenital
heart disease –
heart structure malformations existing at birth.
Arrhythmia - Arrhythmia is an irregular
heartbeat. Arrhythmias occur when the electrical impulses in the heart that
coordinate the heartbeat do not work properly. These make the heart beat in a
way it should not, whether that be too fast, too slowly, or too erratically.
Coronary
artery disease - Coronary
arteries supply blood to the heart muscle and coronary artery disease occurs
when there is a buildup of cholesterol plaque inside the artery walls. Over
time, this buildup of plaque may partially block the artery and decrease blood
flow through it.
Dilated
cardiomyopathy - The heart chambers become dilated as a result of
heart muscle weakness and cannot pump blood properly. The most common reason is
that not enough oxygen reaches the heart muscle, due to coronary artery
disease. This usually affects the left ventricle.
Myocardial
infarction - This
is also known as a heart attack, cardiac infarction, and coronary thrombosis. A
heart attack occurs when a plaque ruptures and forms a clot in the artery
causing a complete blockage. That part of the heart muscle that is denied blood
supply starts to die.
Heart
failure - a
clinical syndrome caused by the inability of the heart to supply sufficient
blood to the tissues to meet their metabolic requirements. The left or right
side of the heart might be affected.
Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy - This is a genetic disorder in which the wall of
the left ventricle thickens, making it harder for blood to be pumped out of the
heart. This is the leading cause of sudden death in athletes. A parent with
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has a 50 percent chance
of passing the disorder on to their children.
Mitral
regurgitation -
Also known as mitral valve regurgitation, mitral insufficiency, or mitral
incompetence, this occurs when the mitral valve in the heart does not close
tightly enough. This allows blood to flow back into the heart when it should
leave. As a result, blood cannot move through the heart or the body
efficiently.
Mitral
valve prolapsed -
The valve between the left atrium and left ventricle does not fully close, it
bulges upwards, or back into the atrium. In most
people, the condition is not life-threatening, and no treatment is required.
Some people, especially if the condition is marked by mitral regurgitation, may
require treatment.
Pulmonary
stenosis
- It becomes hard for the heart to pump blood from the right ventricle into the
pulmonary artery because the pulmonary valve is too tight. The right ventricle
has to work harder to overcome the obstruction. An infant with severe stenosis can turn blue. Older children will generally have
no symptoms.
Myocarditis – inflammation of the myocardium,
the muscular part of the heart, caused most often by viral infection and less
often by bacterial infections, certain medications, toxins, and autoimmune
disorders. It is characterized in part by infiltration of the heart by
lymphocyte and monocyte types of white blood cells.
Endocarditis - Endocarditis is an infection that affects the inner
membrane that separates the chambers and valves of the heart (endocardium).
Valvular heart disease - The heart has four valves — the
aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid valves — that open and close to direct
blood flow through your heart. Valves may be damaged by a variety of conditions
leading to narrowing (stenosis), leaking
(regurgitation or insufficiency) or improper closing (prolapse).
Hypertensive
heart disease –
diseases of the heart secondary to high blood pressure or hypertension.
Peripheral
arterial disease
– disease of blood vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs.
Cerebrovascular disease – disease of blood vessels that
supply blood to the brain (includes stroke).
Causes
Heart
disease is caused by damage to all or part of the heart, damage to the coronary
arteries, or a poor supply of nutrients and oxygen to the organ. Some types of
heart disease, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
are genetic. These, alongside congenital heart defects, can occur before a
person is born. There are a number of lifestyle choices that can increase the
risk of heart disease. These include:
high blood pressure and cholesterol
smoking
overweight and obesity
diabetes
family history
a diet of junk food
age
a history of preeclampsia during
pregnancy
staying in a stationary position for
extended periods of time, such as sitting at work
Having
any of these risk factors greatly increases the risk of heart disease. Some,
such as age, are unavoidable. For example, once a woman reaches 55 years of
age, heart disease becomes more likely.
Sign and Symptoms
The
classic symptoms of angina, or pain from the heart, are described as a crushing
pain or heaviness in the center of the chest with radiation of the pain to the
arm (usually the left) or jaw. There can be associated shortness of breath
sweating and nausea.
The
symptoms tend to be brought on by activity and get better with rest.
Some
people may have indigestion and nausea while others may have upper abdominal,
shoulder, or back pain.
Unstable
angina is the term used to describe symptoms that occur at rest, waken the
patient from sleep, and do not respond quickly to nitroglycerin or rest.
Risk factors
Risk
factors for developing heart disease include:
Age.
Aging increases
your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and weakened or thickened heart
muscle.
Sex. Men are generally at greater risk
of heart disease. However, women's risk 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 constricts 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.
Certain
chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy for cancer. Some chemotherapy drugs and
radiation therapies may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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 formation of plaques 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 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
hygiene. Not regularly washing your hands
and not establishing other habits that can help prevent viral or bacterial
infections can put you at risk of heart infections, especially if you already
have an underlying heart condition. Poor dental health also may contribute to
heart disease.
Diagnosis
The
diagnosis of cardiovascular disease begins by taking the patient's history. The
health-care professional needs to understand the patient's symptoms and this
may be difficult. Often, health-care professionals ask about chest pain, but
the patient may deny having pain because they perceive their symptoms as
pressure or heaviness. Words also may have different meanings for different
people. So it difficult to catch the correct symptoms. So that this disease
diagnosed by Electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG), Stress tests, Echocardiography etc.
Treatment
The
goal of treating cardiovascular disease is to maximize the patient's quantity
and quality of life. Prevention is the key to avoid cardiovascular disease and
optimize treatment. Once plaque formation has begun, it is possible to limit
its progression by maintaining a healthy lifestyle with routine exercise, diet,
and by aiming for lifetime control of high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
and diabetes.
Prevention
Some
types of heart disease, such as those that are present from birth, cannot be
prevented.
Other
types, however, can be prevented by taking the following measures:
Eat a balanced diet. Stick to low-fat, high-fiber
foods and be sure to consume five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables each
day. Increase your intake of whole grains and reduce the amount of salt and
sugar in the diet. Make sure the fats in the diet are mostly unsaturated.
Exercise regularly. This will strengthen the heart
and circulatory system, reduce cholesterol, and maintain blood pressure.
Maintain a healthy
body weight for your
height. Click here to calculate your
current and target body mass index (BMI).
If you smoke, quit. Smoking is a major risk factor
for heart and cardiovascular conditions.
Reduce the intake of
alcohol. Do not
drink more than 14 units per week.
Control
conditions that affect heart health as a complication, such as high blood
pressure or diabetes.
While
these steps do not completely eliminate the risk of heart disease, they can
help improve overall health and greatly reduce the chances of heart
complications.