Human body is a complex machine. There are many organs in the body and the most important organ is the heart. This helps the person to breathe and live. Heart disease is a commonly used term for a number of different diseases affecting the heart. These may range from coronary, ischemic and inflammatory heart diseases which are diseases of the heart itself; to hypertensive heart disease (caused by high blood pressure) and cardiovascular heart diseases (a general term used for a number of diseases that affect the heart itself and/or the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries). Certain heart diseases may also arise due to hereditary factors or due to congenital defects of the heart.
Apart from diseases attributable to the heart itself, there are risk factors which increase the chances of a person developing cardiovascular ailments. Some of these risk factors, like heredity or aging, are beyond a person's control. However other factors like being overweight, leading a sedentary life, having high blood pressure and smoking can certainly be controlled.
Some of the conditions associated with heart diseases are arteriosclerosis (also called hardening of the arteries); atherosclerosis (where arteries get narrow due to build-up - called plaque - of cholesterol and fat) and; angina (where there is pain in the heart due to inadequate blood supply). In extreme cases heart diseases may also lead to an often fatal heart attack (when a blood clot or other blockage cuts blood flow to a part of the heart) or a stroke, when part of the brain does not get adequate blood supply due to a burst blood vessel or a clot.
Medical science has found many high-tech, and often expensive, methods for treating heart diseases. These are mostly invasive techniques. However, the common adage that 'prevention is better than cure' holds true for heart diseases too, particularly for atherosclerotic cardiac disease which is the greatest killer. Some of these preventive measures are diet and life-style changes to control high blood pressure (which makes the heart work harder); control diabetes (which increases chances of getting heart disease); cholesterol and triglycerides (which clog arteries) and to maintain a healthy weight.
Symptoms of a serious heart condition or even a heart attack may vary. However, common warning signals can be pain or discomfort in the chest or other areas of the upper body including arms, back, neck, stomach and jaw; shortness of breath; feeling of faintness; cold sweat; nausea etc. The symptoms may vary. Hence, when in doubt, it is advisable to call for emergency assistance, preferably within a span of five minutes.
About the author:
Dr. April Davall is SEO of mecholesterol.com, her goal is to give you good and helpful information about heart disease and cholesterol. You can learn and print out almost anything about heart disease and cholesterol, all is free.
tags:Congenital Heart Defects,Heart Diseases
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