Heart disease: A Leading Cause of Death in the US
Heart disease is a leading explanation of many deaths within the US, consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within the US, 1 in every four deaths results from a heart condition. That’s about 610,000 people that die from the illness annually.
While heart conditions are often deadly, they are also preventable in most people. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits early can lead you to live longer with a healthier heart.
What Are the Various Sorts of Heart Disease?
Heart disease encompasses a good range of cardiovascular problems. Various conditions and diseases fall under the umbrella of a heart condition. Sorts of heart conditions include:
- Arrhythmia. An arrhythmia may be a cardiac rhythm abnormality.
- Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis may be a hardening of the arteries.
- Cardiomyopathy. Arrhythmia causes the heart to grow weak or makes the heart’s muscles harden.
- Congenital heart defects. Congenital heart defects are rare heart conditions that are present at birth.
- Coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD results from a buildup of plaque within the heart’s arteries. It’s sometimes called an ischemic heart condition.
- Heart infections. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites could also cause heart infections.
The term disorder could also be wont to ask heart conditions affecting blood vessels.
What Are the Symptoms of Heart Disease?
Different types of heart conditions may end in the spread of various symptoms.
Arrhythmias
Arrhythmias are abnormal heart rhythms. The symptoms you experience might depend upon the arrhythmia you’ve got — heartbeats that are too fast or slow. Symptoms of an arrhythmia include:
- lightheadedness
- fluttering heart or racing heartbeat
- slow pulse
- fainting spells
- dizziness
- chest pain
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis reduces blood supply to your extremities. In addition to pain and shortness of breath, symptoms of atherosclerosis include:
- coldness, especially within the limbs
- numbness, especially within the limbs
- weakness in your legs and arms
- unusual or unexplained pain
Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects are heart illnesses that develop while a fetus is growing. Some heart defects are never diagnosed. Other heart defects could also be found once they cause symptoms, such as:
- blue-tinged skin
- swelling of the extremities
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- fatigue and low energy
- irregular cardiac rhythm
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
CAD is plaque buildup within the arteries that move oxygen-rich blood through the guts and lungs. Symptoms of CAD include:
- chest pain or discomfort
- the feeling of pressure or squeezing within the chest
- shortness of breath
- nausea
- feelings of indigestion or gas
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy may be a disease that causes the muscles of the heart to grow larger and switch to rigid, thick, or weak. Symptoms of this condition include:
- fatigue
- bloating
- swollen legs, especially ankles and feet
- shortness of breath
- pounding or rapid pulse
Heart Infections
The term heart infection could also describe conditions like myocarditis or endocarditis. Symptoms of a heart infection include:
- fever
- chills
- skin rash
- chest pain
- chest congestion or coughing
What Are the Symptoms of a Heart Condition in the Female Gender?
Women often experience different symptoms and signs of heart conditions than men, specifically CAD and other cardiovascular diseases.
A 2003 study checked out the symptoms most frequently seen in women who’d experienced an attack. The highest symptoms didn’t include “classic” attack symptoms like pain and tingling. Instead, the study reported that ladies were likelier to mention they experienced anxiety, sleep disturbances, and weird or unexplained fatigue.
Moreover, 80% of the ladies in the study reported experiencing these symptoms for at least one month before their attack.
A woman’s heart condition can also be confused with other states, like depression, menopause, and anxiety.
Common heart condition symptoms in women include:
- dizziness
- paleness
- shortness of breath or shallow breathing
- lightheadedness
- fainting or passing out
- anxiety
- nausea
- vomiting
- jaw pain
- neck pain
- back pain
- indigestion or gaslike pain within the chest and stomach
- cold sweats
What Causes Heart Disease?
Heart disease may be a collection of diseases and conditions that cause cardiovascular problems. Each sort of heart condition is caused by something unique to that condition. Atherosclerosis and CAD result from plaque buildup within the arteries. Other causes of heart conditions are described below.
Arrhythmia Causes
Causes of an abnormal cardiac rhythm include:
- diabetes
- CAD
- heart defects, including congenital heart defects
- medications, supplements, and herbal remedies
- high vital signs (hypertension)
- excessive alcohol or caffeine use
- substance use disorders
- stress and anxiety
- existing heart damage or disease
Congenital Heart Defect Causes
This heart condition occurs while a baby remains developing within the womb. Some heart defects could also be severe and diagnosed and treated early. Some can also go undiagnosed for several years.
Your heart’s structure also can change as you age. A congenital heart defect will create a heart defect which will cause complications and problems.
Cardiomyopathy Causes
Several sorts of cardiomyopathy exist. Each type is the result of a different condition.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy. It’s unclear what causes this most trusted source of cardiomyopathy, resulting in a weakened heart. It will result from previous damage to the heart, like the type caused by drugs, infections, and attacks. It’s going even to be an inherited condition or the result of uncontrolled vital signs.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This sort of heart condition results in thicker cardiac muscle. It’s usually inherited.
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy. It’s often unclear what results in this sort of cardiomyopathy, resulting in rigid heart walls. Possible causes may include connective tissue buildup and a kind of abnormal protein buildup referred to as amyloidosis.
Heart Infection Causes
Bacteria, parasites, and viruses are the foremost common causes of heart infections. Uncontrolled infections within the body also can harm the heart if they’re not properly treated.
What Are the Risk Factors for Heart Disease?
There are various risk factors for a heart condition. Some are controllable, and et al. aren’t. The CDC says that around 47% of trusted sources of USA citizens have at least one risk factor for a heart condition. A number of these risk factors include:
- high vital signs
- high cholesterol and low levels of HDL (HDL), the “good” cholesterol
- smoking
- obesity
- physical inactivity
Smoking, for instance, may be a controllable risk factor. People that smoke double their risk of developing a heart condition, consistent with the (NIDDK).
Risk factors you can’t control include:
- family history
- ethnicity
- sex
- age
How is a Heart Condition Diagnosed?
Your doctor may order several tests and evaluations to form a heart condition diagnosis. Many of these tests are often performed before you show signs of a heart condition. Others could also be wont to search for possible causes of symptoms once they develop.
Physical Exams and Blood Tests
Genetics can play a task in some heart diseases. The first action for a doctor to take is to perform a physical exam and take account of the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. Then they’ll want to understand your family and private medical record. If you’ve got an in-depth loved one with a heart condition, share this information with your doctor.
Blood tests are frequently ordered. Blood tests are often taken to help your doctor see your cholesterol levels and appearance for signs of inflammation.
