Heart Disease » Heart Failure

5 Common Types of Heart Disease

Heart Disease — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:16:41 +0000

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. While it has many variations, this article will discuss the five most common types that are most likely to happen. This article will hopefully raise your awareness and knowledge of this infliction.

#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.

Heart Disease and Associated Problems

Heart Disease — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:12:26 +0000

Being told you have heart disease is both traumatic and heart-wrenching. With the right knowledge, however, you can both deal with this sickness and combat any further damage done to your body.
Heart disease is an broadly used term to describe several conditions, all of which are potentially fatal, but can be treated. It’s onset is due to a series of lifestyle choices, and is preventable through risk factor monitoring and modification.
If ignored, heart disease can cause heart attacks (myocardial infarctions), congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), and ischemia (reduced blood flow).
CORONARY
The most commonly found form is coronary artery disease. Coronary arteries supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients. This disease is caused by the narrowing or clogging of the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis), preventing the heart from received much needed nutrients.
Coronary artery disease and the reduced blood flow that follows can lead to other heart problems, such as chest pain (angina) and heart attacks (myocardial infarctions).
The risk of contracting coronary heart disease can be reduced by controlling and moderating the known risk factors in your life. If coronary artery disease goes untreated, and unhealthy lifestyle choices are continued, the result is coronary heart disease.
CHOLESTEROL
Excessive cholesterol in the blood stream may cause the body to deposit it into the arteries, causing blockages and narrowing. Often, this is the beginning of heart disease. There are many types of cholesterol, however, the one you should be wary of is low density lipoproteins (LDLs). This type of cholesterol is particularly life threatening as it has the capability to cause major blockages in the arteries, which could cause a heart attack.
LDLs are produced in the liver and in cells lining the blood vessels. Production of LDLs rise with the risks of heart disease, such as smoking, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. Conversely, the levels of LDLs fall when patients cease smoking, lose weight, and manage cholesterol and diabetes more efficiently.
The ideal cholesterol levels are less than 5.5. If cholesterol levels are 6.5 mmol/L or more, the risk of heart disease quadruples.

To combat high cholesterol, the risk factors involved should be regulated. This means maintaining a healthy blood pressure, monitoring cholesterol levels, controlling diabetes, eliminating smoking and drinking, minimizing stress, encouraging physical activity, and losing weight. Regular exercise has been proven to have positive effects on blood vessel and cholesterol levels.

Following are dietary aids to lowering cholesterol:
1. Reducing cheese consumption, or substituting for low fat variants
2. Drinking reduced fat milk

3. Use polyunsaturated margarine instead of butter
4. Use lean cuts of meat, and removing all visible fatty tissues
5. Eat skinless chicken, fish, and beans

6. Minimize consumption of pies, pastries, fish and chips, and commercial cakes. Many of these have unwanted hidden fats.
7. Use polyunsaturated fat in home made cakes, and cook chips with polyunsaturated or monosaturated oils.
8. Work to lose weight if obese
STROKE
Strokes occur when there is an inadequate blood, and consequently oxygen, supply to the brain. This could be caused by a blockage in the blood vessels or a blood vessel burst. Because of this, it is important that one makes the necessary steps to prevent this debilitating condition.
Other cardiovascular conditions are chest pain (angina), high blood pressure, and rheumatic heart disease. Smoking and uncontrolled high blood pressure and also risk factors for stroke. People with diabetes are also two to four times more likely to die of heart disease and experience stroke.
Risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. These can be altered to changes in lifestyle. Despite this, there are certain risk factors that cannot be changed, such as family history, age and race.
PREVENTION
You can make changes that can reduce your risk for cardiovascular problems. Heart disease requires much monitoring, and it is encouraged that you continue to life a full and healthy lifestyle, even if you should suffer a heart attack.
Exercise continues to be important as the risk of heart disease doubles in people who remain inactive as opposed to those who don’t. Those who exercise regularly have half the chance of developing heart disease when compared to those with sedentary lifestyles.
If you are smoker, take steps necessary to quit. Studies show that five years after quitting, many former smokers have the same risk for heart disease as those who have never smoked.