Heart Disease Symptoms

What Is Heart Disease?

Bring up heart disease, and most people think of a heart attack. But there are many conditions that can hamper the heart's ability to do its job. These include coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and heart failure. You'll want to know what they do to the body and how to recognize the warning signs.

What Is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack suddenly interrupts the heart's blood supply. This happens when there is a blockage in the coronary arteries, which carry blood to the heart muscle. When blood flow is blocked, heart muscle can be damaged very quickly and die. Prompt emergency treatment is a must and saves lives.

Heart Attack Symptoms

A heart attack is an emergency even when symptoms are mild. Warning signs include:

• 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

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Women don't always feel chest pain with a heart attack. Compared to men, they are more likely to have heartburn, loss of appetite, tiredness or weakness, coughing, and heart flutters. Do not ignore these symptoms. Delaying treatment can mean more heart damage.

Signs of Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease happens when sticky plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. This narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. Many people don't know they have it until a heart attack strikes. But there are warning signs, such as recurring chest pain caused by the restricted blood flow. This pain is known as angina.

Inside a Heart Attack

The plaque that builds up in your arteries is hard on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside. Sometimes the hard outer shell cracks. When this happens, a blood clot forms around the plaque. If the clot completely blocks the artery, it cuts off the blood supply to a portion of the heart. Without immediate treatment, that part of the heart muscle could be damaged or destroyed.

Take Immediate Action

If you think you may be having a heart attack, even if you're not sure, call 911 right away. Do not wait to see if you feel better. And don't drive yourself to the hospital. When you call 911, the EMS staff can start emergency care as soon as they reach you.

Sudden Cardiac Death

Sudden cardiac death is not the same as a heart attack. It happens when the heart's electrical system goes haywire, making it beat irregularly and dangerously fast. The heart's pumping chambers may quiver instead of pumping blood out to the body. Without CPR and restoration of a regular heart rhythm, it can kill in minutes.

Arrythmia: Erratic Heart Beat

Regular electrical impulses make your heart beat. Sometimes those impulses become erratic. The heart may race, slow down, or quiver. Arrhythmias are often harmless variations in rhythm that pass quickly. But some types make your heart less effective at pumping blood, and that can take a serious toll on the body. Let your doctor know if you've noticed your heart beating abnormally.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disease that involves changes in the heart muscle. It can make it harder for the heart to pump effectively, which can lead to a long-term condition called heart failure. Cardiomyopathy is sometimes linked to other conditions, such as high blood pressure or heart valve disease.

Heart Failure

Heart failure doesn't mean your heart stops working. It means the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Over time, the heart gets bigger to hold more blood, it pumps faster to increase the amount of blood moving out of it, and the blood vessels narrow. The  heart muscle may also weaken, curbing the blood supply even more. Most cases of heart failure are the result of coronary artery disease and heart attacks.

Congenital Heart Defect

A congenital heart defect is one that you're born with. The problem could be a leaky heart valve, problems in the walls that separate the heart chambers, or other heart trouble. Some defects are not found until a person becomes an adult. Not all need treatment, but some require medicine or surgery. People with congenital heart defects may more likely to develop complications such as arrhythmias, heart failure, and heart valve infection, but there are ways to lower this risk.

Electrocardiogram (EKG)

An EKG (or ECG) records the heart's electrical activity. It's a painless test that uses electrodes that go on your skin for a few minutes. The results give your doctor information about your heart rhythm and any damage to the heart muscle. An EKG can help diagnose a heart attack and check on problems such as an enlarged heart. Your doctor can also track your EKGs over time, comparing them to see how your heart is doing.

Stress Test

The stress test measures how your heart responds when it has to work hard. You'll walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike and the workout will keep getting more challenging. Your doctor will monitor your EKG, heart rate, and blood pressure. The results will help show if your heart muscle gets enough blood.

Holter Monitor

A Holter monitor is a portable heart rhythm recorder. If your doctor thinks you may have a heart rhythm problem, she may ask you to wear one for one or two days. It  records your heart's continuous electrical activity day and night, compared with an EKG, which is a snapshot in time. The doctor will probably also ask you to write down your activities and to note any symptoms and when they happen.

Chest X-ray

A chest X-ray is a picture of your heart, lungs, and chest bones that's made by using a very small amount of radiation. Doctors can use chest X-rays to look for heart and lung abnormalities.
In this image, the bulge seen on the right side is an enlarged left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses sound waves (ultrasound) to make moving images of the heart. The test can check the chambers and valves of your heart and how well your heart muscle and heart valves work. It's useful when doctors diagnose and evaluate several types of heart disease, as well as gauging the effectiveness of treatments.

Cardiac CT

Cardiac computerized tomography (known as cardiac CT) takes detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels. A computer stacks the images to create a 3-D picture of heart. Doctors can use cardiac CT to look for plaque or calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, heart valve problems, and other types of heart disease.

Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization helps diagnose and treat some heart conditions. The doctor guides a narrow tube, called a catheter, through a blood vessel in your arm or leg until it reaches the coronary arteries. They inject dye into each coronary artery to make them easy to see with an X-ray. This shows any blockages and how severe they are. Doctors can do treatments such as angioplasty or inserting stents during this procedure.

Living With Heart Disease

Most forms of heart disease are chronic. In the beginning, symptoms may be too mild to affect everyday life. And in many cases, long-term treatment can keep symptoms under control. But if the heart begins to fail, people may develop shortness of breath, fatigue, or swelling in their ankles, feet, legs, and abdomen. You can manage heart failure with medication, lifestyle changes, surgery, and in some cases, a heart transplant.

Medicines

There are many prescription drugs doctors use to treat heart disease. Some lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels. Others control abnormal heart rhythms or prevent clots. For people who already have some heart damage, there are medications to help their heart pump blood.

Angioplasty

Angioplasty is a procedure that opens a blocked heart artery and improves blood flow to the heart. The doctor guides a thin catheter with a balloon on the end into the artery. When the balloon reaches the blockage, it is expanded, opening up the artery for better blood flow. The doctor may also insert a small mesh tube, called a stent, to  keep the artery open after angioplasty.

Bypass Surgery

Bypass surgery gives blood a new pathway when the coronary arteries are too narrow or blocked. The doctor first moves a blood vessel from one area of the body -- such as the chest, legs, or arms -- and attaches it to the blocked artery so it bypasses the blocked part.

Who's at Risk for Heart Disease?

Men are more likely to have a heart attack than women, and at an earlier age. But heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women alike. People with a family history of heart trouble also have a greater risk of heart trouble.

Risk Factors You Control

You are more likely to get heart disease if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes (especially if your blood sugar levels are not well controlled). Being overweight, obese, or physically inactive also make heart disease more likely. So does smoking. Talk with your doctor about your risks and make a plan to protect your heart.

Life After a Heart Attack

You can regain your health after a heart attack. Don't smoke, become more active, keep up with your medications, and follow the diet your doctor recommends. One of the best ways to learn how to make these changes is to take part in a cardiac rehab program. Ask your doctor for a referral.

Heart Disease Prevention

You can take action daily to guard your heart. This includes a healthy diet, at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week, not smoking, and controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. If you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than one drink a day for women, two drinks a day for men. Ask your friends and family to make these changes with you. It's good for them, too!

Diet and Your Heart

What you eat makes a difference. Go for plenty of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits.  Plant oils, walnuts, other nuts, and seeds are good for your cholesterol levels. Eat fish at least a couple of times each week for a good source of heart-healthy protein. If you have heart disease, you may want to work with a nutritionist as well as your doctor to make these changes.
 THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.








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Revealed! Why mornings are deadliest for heart attack deaths

A  scientist has claimed that evidence from people suffering from heart disease supports the existence of the molecular link first discovered in laboratory mice between the body’s natural circadian rhythms and cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death.

He said that it pinpoints a previously unrecognised factor in the electrical storm that makes the heart’s main pumping chambers suddenly begin to beat erratically in a way that stops the flow of blood to the brain and body.

Termed ventricular fibrillation, the condition causes sudden cardiac death (SCD), in which the victim instantly becomes unconscious and dies unless CPR or a defibrillator is available to shock the heart back into its steady beat.

The peak risk hours when SCD strikes range from 6 am to 10 am, with a smaller peak in the late afternoon. Scientists long suspected a link between SCD and the 24-hour body clock, located in the brain.

It governs 24-hour cycles of sleep and wakefulness called circadian rhythms that coordinate a range of body functions with the outside environment.

His group discovered a protein called KLF15 that helps regulate the heart’s electrical activity, and occurs in the body in levels that change like clockwork throughout the day. KLF15 helps form channels that allow substances to enter and exit heart cells in ways critical to maintaining a normal, steady heartbeat.

They first discovered that patients with heart failure have lower levels of KLF15. Then, they established in laboratory mice that KLF15 is the molecular link between SCD and the circadian rhythm. And mice with low levels of the protein have the same heart problems as people with SCD.

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Sudden death

Sudden death

This phenomenon of a healthy heart ceasing to beat, often at a time when it is stretched to its limits, is hardly an affliction limited to sports, though it does tend to affect fit people more often than those who are unfit, possible because fitter people are more likely to push their heart to the limit. This may cause an existing heart condition to suddenly turn fatal.

There are certain warning signs which if taken seriously can prevent a heart condition from becoming fatal. Any sudden fainting episode should be taken seriously. If such an episode happens while exercising, it is even more significant. If the heart seems to skip a beat once in a while, that is a warning, as is a family history of any person below 30 years dying in similar circumstances. Deafness is associated with the same gene as sudden death, so that is another red flag.

Common causes of SCD(sudden cardiac death) include malfunctioning of the heart’s electrical circuit ( which provides it the stimulus to keep beating, or if the heart muscle which may, due to some inherent deficiencies- some of them congenital- not be able to translate that impulse into action. In simpler words, it is a condition triggered by a disruption in normal beating of the heart called arrhythmia. This condition is believed to claim some 4,000 younger lives around the world every year.

The lack of awareness also means that a potential patient is rarely ever picked up until t is too late.

Medical discourse on heart is disproportionately loaded in favor of coronary artery disease ( CAD), SCD &  its causes like long/short QT syndrome. Though not very rare, problems kike Brugada syndrome, dilated cardiomyopathy & Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, are hardly ever talked about.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart becomes weak & enlarged & hence cannot pump blood properly. This is often caused by common a viral infection which means that working out while suffering from fly can result in far greater complications than resting for a few more days.

Another condition usually associated with athletes, called athletic heart syndrome, can predispose a person to sudden cardiac arrest. It can occur in any individual doing more than 5 hours of aerobic exercise per week or can even occur in people who do extensive weight training. The heart is enlarged & resting pulse rate is lower. In extreme cases, the amount of enlargement can actually reduce the heart’s pumping capacity. Even in moderate cases, the condition may bias the outcome of an ECG & thus prevent an existing heart condition from being picked up.

Screening with an ECG & an echo cardiography most often remains the only way of identifying patients. Anybody with a family history should undergo screening. Defibrillators should be made available in prominent public places & people should be trained in resuscitation.