Heart Disease:

Heart Disease could mean many different types of heart conditions. The most common would be CAD or Coronary Artery Disease which affects blood flow to heart. Some symptoms of heart disease include arrhythmia, heart attacks, and heart failure.

Risks For Heart Disease

High cholesterol, smoking, and high blood pressure are the main risk factors when it comes to heart disease. Almost half of the U.S. has at least one of these risk factors. Other examples would be diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and strong alcohol use. Diabetes Mellitus falls in this category, therefore, increasing risk of heart disease.

Conditions Related To Heart Disease

In relation to heart disease, there are a lot of examples that qualify to be in the same category, including:

Acute Coronary Syndrome – Clinical presentations ranging from unstable angina through myocardial infarctions not characterized by alterations in Q waves.

Angina – Pain, “discomfort,” or pressure localized in the chest that is caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the heart muscle.

Arrhythmias – An abnormality in the heart’s rhythm, or heartbeat pattern.

Cardiomyopathy – A chronic disease of the heart muscle, in which the muscle is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened.

Marfan Syndrome – An inherited disorder of the connective tissue that causes abnormalities of the patient’s eyes, cardiovascular system, and musculoskeletal system

Peripheral Arterial Disease – Any disorder involving the arteries outside of, or peripheral to, the heart.

Pulmonary Hypertension – A rare lung disorder characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the lower chamber on the right side of the heart to the lungs where it picks up oxygen.

Rheumatic Heart Disease – A disease associated with the presence of hemolytic streptococci in the body. It is called rheumatic fever because two common symptoms are fever and pain in the joints similar to that of rheumatism.

Valvular Heart Disease – Several disorders and diseases of the heart valves, which are the tissue flaps that regulate the flow of blood through the chambers of the heart.

Signs Of A Heart Attack

Some signs of a heart attack include the following:

Shortness of Breath

Nausea

Chest pain/Discomfort

Lightheadedness

Cold Sweats

Back or jaw pain

Preventing Heart Disease

Controlling your blood pressure and preventing it from rising is very important. Try to keep your cholesterol levels under control, therefore meaning keep your cholesterol low and make lifestyle changes or take medicine to lower your cholesterol.

Exercise regularly to strengthen your heart and improve overall blood circulation. Try to maintain a healthy weight and start eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Stay away from saturated fats, high sodium foods, and added sugars.

Don’t smoke tobacco. Smoking raises blood pressure and puts you at risk for heart attack or stroke.

Manage your stress positively like exercising, listening to music, meditating, etc. Some negative ways of relieving stress include heavy drinking, overeating, or smoking.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

For anyone recovering from a heart attack, cardiac rehabilitation goes a long way to preventing another one in the future as well as help in recovery from your heart attack.

There are many benefits to cardiac rehabilitation, some of which include increasing your energy and strength needed to get through daily trials and activities, preventing future illness caused by heart disease, and relieving stress. Eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and anything high in vitamins can also help in addition to prevent heart disease. A lot of places help with cardiac rehabilitation including hospitals and rehab centers. You can even choose to do it at the comfort of your home.