Heart Conditions and Diseases are Pervasive

By Barry Sparks

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Heart disease accounts for 1 in every 4 deaths.

Here’s what you need to know about the symptoms and treatments for a variety of heart conditions and diseases.

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. The blockage is usually a buildup of plaque in the arteries that feed the heart. Sometimes, a plaque can rupture and form a clot that blocks blood flow. The interrupted blood flow can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle.

Common heart attack signs and symptoms include:

• Pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw, or back

• Nausea, indigestion, heartburn, or abdominal pain

• Shortness of breath

• Cold sweat

• Fatigue

• Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu, or normal aging.

It’s critical to call 911 or emergency medical help if you think you might be having a heart attack.

You will receive medication during and after your heart attack to improve your heart condition. Physicians may need to perform a procedure to unblock your arteries. These procedures may include cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty, stent placement, and bypass surgery.

Silent heart attack is a heart attack that has few, if any, symptoms. You might not have shortness of breath or chest pain, which is typically associated with a heart attack. A silent heart attack, like any heart attack, involves blockage of blood flow to the heart and possible damage to the heart muscle.

Having a silent heart attack puts you at a greater risk of having another heart attack. There are no tests to determine your potential for having a silent heart attack. The only way to tell if you’ve had a silent heart attack is to have imaging tests, such as an electrocardiogram or echocardiogram.

Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused when your heart doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. It may feel like pressure or squeezing in your chest. The discomfort also can occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may feel like indigestion.

Angina is a symptom of an underlying heart problem, usually coronary heart disease. There are different kinds of angina. The triggers for angina and treatment vary depending on what type of angina you have.

All chest pain should be checked by a physician. Not all chest pain, however, is a sign of heart disease.

Treatment of angina includes lifestyle changes, medicines, cardiac procedures, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Coronary heart disease is the most common heart disease in the United States. It is caused by plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Over time, coronary heart disease can weaken the heart muscle.

Overweight, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, and smoking tobacco are risk factors for coronary heart disease. A family history of heart disease, particularly if there’s a family history of members having heart disease at age 50 or younger, increases your risk for coronary heart disease.

If you have coronary heart disease, there are ways you can help lower your risk for heart attack or worsening heart disease.

Your physician may recommend lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthier diet, increasing physical exercise, reaching a healthy weight, and quitting smoking. He may also put you on medications to control your blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Atrial fibrillation, often called AFib, is the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way. This causes the blood not to flow as well as it should. AFib may happen in brief episodes, or it may be a permanent condition.

Some people who have AFib don’t know they have it because they don’t have any symptoms. Others may experience one of more of the following symptoms: irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

Treatment for AFib can include medicines to control the heart’s rhythm and rate, blood-thinning medicine, surgery, and healthy lifestyle changes.

Cardiomyopathy refers to diseases of the heart muscle. In most cases, cardiomyopathy causes the heart muscle to become enlarged, thick, or rigid. In rare cases, diseased heart muscle tissue is replaced with scar tissue.

As cardiomyopathy worsens, the heart becomes weaker. The heart becomes less able to pump blood throughout the body and incapable of maintaining a normal electrical rhythm. The result can be heart failure or irregular heartbeats.

Cardiomyopathy can affect all ages, although certain groups are more likely to have certain types of cardiomyopathy.

Treatments include lifestyle changes, medications, surgery, implanted devices to correct arrhythmias, and other nonsurgical procedures.

Atherosclerosis is a hardening and narrowing of the arteries. When your arteries become blocked, it affects the blood flow. It’s the most usual cause of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease.

You can slow or stop atherosclerosis by minimizing your risk factors. That means a healthy diet, exercise, and no smoking. Medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure also could lower your risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Your physician may use more invasive techniques to open blockages from atherosclerosis or go around them. These include angiography, stenting, and bypass surgery. These procedures can have complications and are usually performed on patients with major symptoms or complications.