5 Common Types of Heart Disease
#1 Congenital Heart Disease
A common misconception is that heart disease is linked only with outside factors, such as diet and exercise. Along with this belief is that heart disease needs time to build up in order to become a pressing concern. Of course, this is false, as congenital heart disease happens to be one of the most common.
The word, congenital, can be substituted with hereditary. Of course, this means that this particular type of heart disease is passed through the family, making it unpreventable and possibly inevitable. You should take note if early heart disease occurs regularly in your family, as you may be at risk. You should take note especially if your immediate family, such as your parents or siblings, have experienced it at a younger age.
While congenital heart disease can be triggered by many factors, some of them may be preventable. If heart disease clusters in your family, it may be due to lifestyle choices, such as poor diet, low physical activity, and smoking. These factors are known contributors to heart disease and can create the sequence of congenital heart disease.
# 2 Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart fails to pump enough blood through all the organs within the body. This is caused by heart disease as well as constricted arteries. Congestive heart failure causes the heart to work inefficiently and the lack of blood to other organs can be the catalyst to further complications. Symptoms of this condition include edema and swelling, shortness of breath, and kidney problems. The kidney problems may attribute to mysterious weight gain. You are placed at a higher risk if you have high blood pressure or consume too much alcohol.
Patients may be examined for congestive heart failure if they have experienced heart disease in the past, are alcoholic, have a family history of heart problems, or exhibit one of the previously listed symptoms. There are many examinations that will aid your physician in diagnosing this particular heart crisis. Once this condition is confirmed, treatment should begin immediately, and changes to diet and physical activity should be made. This includes removing salt completely from the diet. Any further treatment should be advised by a professional.
#3 Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease occurs more frequently, and is the leading cause of heart attacks. Fatty deposits building up on blood vessel linings, which narrows the passage, causing the heart’s blood supply to decrease. When the blood supply to the heart muscles decreases, it damages the heart and causes pain identified as angina.
A few factors are noted as direct causes of coronary heart disease. High cholesterol is the most prominent as it can increase fat concentration in your blood, which can create the building up of fatty deposits. Another factor is cigarette and tobacco smoke. Those who smoke are twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease when compared to those who don’t smoke. Evidence from studies prove that five years after one quits smoking, the risk of developing heart disease is nearly identical to those who have never smoked in their lives.
#4 Pulmonary Heart Disease
Pulmonary heart disease is a combination of heart and lung complications. With this type of heart disease, blood flow into the lungs is slowed, or even blocked, resulting in pressure on the lungs. Symptoms typically linked with this heart disease include shortness of breath, syncope, dyspnoea, and chest pain.
Unfortunately, this type of heart disease is often misdiagnosed, and by the time the error is realized, it has already progressed to later stages. Previously, it had been deemed untreatable and also had a poor survival rate. Now, there are several new accessible treatments that have greatly improved the prognosis of this disease.
#5 Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic heart disease derives from strep throat infections. Strep throat infections often begin as minor throat infections, however worsen because they were not treated in time. While it is important to be aware of your throat’s condition, there is no real reason for alarm as rheumatic heart disease caused by strep throat is rare. In fact, the number of rheumatic heart disease cases has decreased since the 1960s.
If rheumatic fever, caused by strep throat, is contracted and leads to rheumatic heart disease, treatment is much simpler when compared to those of other types of heart disease. It includes taking coristeroid anti-inflammatory medication to reverse cardiac problems the fever may cause. While you are on medication, it does not fully eliminate the need for more intensive treatment, such as surgery. Despite this, it does signify the probability for a simple and effective treatment.
