Heart is the most important organ in the body and pumps blood to all other parts of the body. Heart diseases are caused due to the blockage of the arteries narrowed by the accumulation of fats and cholesterol. This way the heart does not get its required amount of oxygen and blood that leads to pain and heart stroke.
Heart diseases may arise due to a number of reasons. If the heart does not perform its functions properly, the functions of the entire body are affected. When people talk about heart diseases, they only think in terms of heart, the muscle.
On the contrary, there are numerous heart diseases that range from:
Narrowing of the arteries
Coronary disease
Heart failure
Abnormal heart rhythms
Heart muscle disease
Angina
Congestive heart failure etc
However, it should be noted that any of these heart diseases is equally dangerous and can prove fatal if it is not treated properly within the required time frame. There are a variety of reasons for these heart diseases and there might be an individual cause for each of these diseases.
Causes of Heart Diseases
Most of the heart diseases result from the build up of fatty materials within the walls of the arteries, as well as the lack of oxygen supply to the heart. The blood becomes thicker and thus, leads to slow circulation
The clots start forming in the blood further complicating the matter and leading to slow heart beat
Heart diseases are also a result of too much hectic lifestyle and poor eating habits
Eating too many fatty and fried foods may also lead to high cholesterol and finally heart disease
Too much stress and tension
Symptoms of Heart Diseases
Unusual breathlessness when doing any physical activity or getting breathless all of a sudden.
Angina or chest pain or tightness around the chest
Fatigue after doing some activity even a simple one
Severe pain that comes on without warning accompanied by sweating, fainting and shortness of breath
Feeling of choking
A bluish tint on fingers or nails indicating lack of oxygen in the body
Heart Disease Risk Factors
There are certain risk factors for heart diseases, some of them can be controlled, and some cannot be controlled. The uncontrolled risk factors are:
Male sex
Older age
Heart problem in family history
Working in a demanding position
There are certain conditions that can be controlled to avoid heart diseases:
Smoking
High cholesterol
Tension
Physical activity
Obesity
Treatment for Heart Diseases
Medicines
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is given to widen blood vessels to improve the flow of blood to the heart and normalize heartbeat.
Antiarrhythmia drugs are used to treat abnormal heart rhythms resulting from irregular electrical activity of the heart. They help to stabilize the beating of the heart.
Aspirin is also given to decrease the pain as well as to inhibit the blood clots and ensure the quick flow of blood. Being an anticoagulant or a blood thinning medicine, it helps in the regular flow of blood. Along with aspirin, Thrombolytics, or clot buster drugs are injected into the veins to break up the blood clots that cause heart attack.
Surgery
Sometimes, due to intensity of the problem when the medicines do not work, surgery is the only option left.
Angioplasty is the non-surgical procedure to open blocked arteries. The bypass surgery is performed by replacing the blocked arteries with the substitute arteries taken from some other part of the body.
Another kind of surgery to treat heart diseases is heart valve surgery in which an incision down the center of the breastbone is made and the abnormal valve is replaced.
There may be different reasons for heart problems and diseases in different people. However, lifestyle and diet play an important role in heart diseases. Medicines and surgery are treatment options but only when advised by a doctor.
Source : http://www.always-health.com/heartdisease_heart_diseases.html
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