Heart Disease

Guide to Heart Disease

What is Heart Disease?
Mention heart disease, and most people picture a heart attack. But the term covers several conditions that can hurt your ticker and keep it from doing its job. These include coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, and heart failure. Learn the warning signs of each and how to react. 

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Clogged Arteries

A buildup of sticky plaque (fat and cholesterol) can narrow your heart's arteries, making it harder for blood to pass through.

Many people don't even know there's a problem until an artery is clogged and they have a heart attack. But there are warning signs of coronary artery disease, like frequent chest pain called angina.

Inside a Heart Attack
Plaque is hard on the outside and mushy on the inside. Sometimes that hard outer shell cracks. When this happens, a blood clot forms. If it completely blocks your artery, it cuts off the blood supply to part of your heart.

Blood carries oxygen, and a shortage of that can quickly damage the organ and possibly kill you. The attack is sudden, and it's important to get medical help right away.

What Does a Heart Attack Feel Like?
You might have:
- Pain or pressure in the chest
- Discomfort spreading to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
- Nausea, indigestion, or heartburn
- Weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
- Fast or irregular heartbeats
It's an emergency even when your symptoms are mild.
Symptoms in Women
Women don't always feel chest pain. Compared to men, they're more likely to have heartburn or heart flutters, lose their appetite, cough, or feel tired or weak. Don't ignore these symptoms. The longer you wait to get treatment, the more damage can be done.
Act Fast
If you think you're having a heart attack, call 911 right away, even if you're not sure. Don't wait to see if you feel better. And don't drive yourself to the hospital. The EMS team will come to you and start work right away. A fast response can save your life.
Irregular Heart Beat: Arrhythmia
Your heart beats because of electrical impulses, and they can get off rhythm. Arrhythmias can make your heart race, slow down, or quiver. They're often harmless and pass quickly, but some types can affect your blood flow and take a serious toll on your body. Tell your doctor if you notice anything unusual.
Heart Muscle Disease: Cardiomyopathy
Abnormal heart muscle, or cardiomyopathy, makes it hard to pump and carry blood to the rest of your body. Over time, health problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes cause this serious condition, which can lead to heart failure.
Heart Failure
This doesn't mean your heart stops working. It means the organ can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. So over time, it gets bigger and pumps faster. This weakens the muscle and lowers the amount of blood flowing out even more, which adds to the problem.

Most cases of heart failure are the result of coronary artery disease and heart attacks.

Sudden Cardiac Death
This isn't the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac death happens when the heart's electrical system goes haywire, making it beat irregularly and dangerously fast. Instead of pumping out blood to your body, your chambers quiver. CPR can help bring back your regular heart beat, but without it, you can die within minutes. So don't wait to see if your symptoms go away. Call 911 as soon as possible.
Chest X-rays
These pictures of your heart, lungs, and chest bones are made with a small amount of radiation. Doctors use them to spot signs of trouble.

In this image, the bulge on the right is an enlarged left ventricle, the main pumping chamber.

Living With Heart Disease
Most types are long lasting. At first, symptoms can be hard to spot and may not disturb your daily life. But left alone and ignored, they get worse. If your heart starts to fail, you might be short of breath or feel tired. Keep an eye out for swelling in your belly, ankles, feet, or legs.

In many cases, long-term treatment can help keep things under control. You can fight heart failure with medication, lifestyle changes, surgery, or a transplant.

Medicines
A number of prescription drugs can help you. Some lower blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels. Others control irregular rhythms or prevent clots. If you already have some damage, others medications can help your heart pump blood.
Angioplasty
This procedure opens a blocked artery and improves blood flow. Your doctor guides a thin catheter with a balloon on the end into your artery. When the balloon reaches the blockage, the doctor fills it with air. This inflates your artery and allows blood to move freely. He may also put in a small mesh tube called a stent to keep it open.
Bypass Surgery
Your doctor might suggest this operation if you have one or more arteries that are too narrow or blocked. He first removes a blood vessel from an area of your body, such as your chest, belly, legs, or arms, and then attaches it to a healthy artery in your heart. Your blood is guided around the problem area, "bypassing" it.

Who Gets Heart Disease?
Men are more likely to have a heart attack than women, and at an earlier age. But heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of both sexes. People with a family history of it also have a higher risk. 

 
Things You Can Control
These daily habits can lower your chances of heart disease:

- Exercise regularly (30 minutes most days).
- Stay at a healthy weight.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Limit how much alcohol you drink (one drink a day for women, two a day for men).
- Don't smoke.
If you have diabetes, it's important to manage your blood sugar levels. And if you have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, do everything you can to get them in check.

Sources
WEBMD
This information does not provide medical advice.

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