What You Should Know About The Symptoms of Heart Problems

by Larry Johnson

The symptoms of heart diseases can be very varied. However, it is important to be aware of what those symptoms are so that you can get medical help right away. Heart problems, when left untreated, can lead to death. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are some of the leading killers in the world today.

Symptoms of Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are very common today. These start out not as problems in the heart itself but on the blood vessels. When some materials block the blood vessels and makes it hard for the blood to pass through then that can cause the more serious problems. The most usual symptoms of these are chest pain, shortness of breath and numbness of weakness in the parts of the body where the affected blood vessels are located. If you feel any of these symptoms then you should seek medical attention right away. People might not get diagnosed that they have cardiovascular problems until it is too late.

Symptoms of Abnormal Heartbeats

Another common heart ailment is having an abnormal heartbeat. This can be signify a congenital disease, which means that a person has had it since birth. Sometimes this kind of condition is not detected right away and a person can reach adulthood without knowing that he has this kind of disease. Symptoms of this condition would include a fluttering feeling in the chest, very fast heartbeat, pain in the chest, shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting spells. A person who feels these symptoms should see a doctor right away because this condition can be very serious.

Heart Defects

Another type of condition that a person can be born with is having a defective heart. Normally, this condition becomes evident right after the birth of a child because of its physical symptoms. Symptoms include a grayish or bluish color of the skin, swelling on some parts of the body, shortness of breath especially during feeding time. Sometimes, if the heart defect is not too serious, it might not get diagnosed right away until later in life.

Cardiomyopathy

This is the condition where the muscle tissues of the heart thicken. Initially this condition would have no serious symptoms, but as the condition progresses, the person will start to feel the signs. Symptoms would include getting tired easily, shortness of breath, bloating of the abdomen because of fluid, irregular breathing and dizziness.

Heart Infections

Like other parts of the body, the heart is also prone to infections. When it becomes infected, the person will start to feel a whole range of symptoms. Those symptoms could include, fever, shortness of breath, getting tired easily and dry cough that is very persistent.

Like most other diseases, heart problems are a lot easier to treat during the early stages. This is the reason why early detection is very important. The moment you start feeling any of the symptoms, seek medical help right away.

Congenital Heart Disease and Physical Therapy

by Ron Ayalon

Congenital heart diseases refers to the structural (anatomical) or physiological defects in the normal functioning of the heart as a result of birth defects that may be diagnosed soon after birth or may take years to produce full blown cardiac insufficiency. Valvular heart defects form the most common variety of congenital cardiac defect that is associated with high morbidity and mortality in adult years if no management options are employed.

This is because the metabolic demands of the body increase with growth and development that poses more pressure on the heart leading to cardiac failure or circulatory deficits. With overall prevalence of 26.6%, it was suggested that only 12.1% cases can be detected by clinical evaluation. Among the most prevalent congenital cardiac defects, ventricular septal abnormalities comprise 17.3% of all congenital anomalies followed by atrial septal defects (6.0%) and other less common cardiac diseases. The mortality is highest with cyanotic heart diseases.

According to the research statistics reported by Julien I.E Hoffman, over 1 million patients were born with congenital heart defects (during 1940 to 2002). Considering the quality of medical services and surgical/ medical advancements, Hoffman suggested that the total number of survivors with mild heart disease (who may reach well into adulthood) is 750,000 with mild heart disease, 400,000 with moderate heart disease and 180,000 with severe disease (with treatment). Without any management or treatment the survival rate may fall to 400,000 with mild disease, 220,000 with moderate disease, and 30,000 with severe heart disease, suggesting very high mortality.

Congenital heart diseases are also associated with stunted growth and development in children marked by poor weight gain, failure to thrive and frequent hospitalizations while growing up. In addition, these children also develop frequent episodes of shortness of breath, rapid heart rate (also known as tachycardia) and attacks of fatigue associated with decreased exercise endurance.

Physical therapy and mild exercises are helpful in the growth and development of children born with congenital heart disease. It is extremely important not to initiate exercise therapies in these children without seeking the guidance from registered physical therapists who work in coordination with the pediatric cardiologist to deliver best exercise regimens in order to optimize health without overloading the heart. Generally, children and adults can perform moderate static exercises of mild intensity without any complications; however, healthcare providers strongly restrict weight lifting in pediatric aged children and even in adults born with cardiac defects. 

Caution should be maintained to avoid lifting weight of more than 25 pounds in children and more than 50 pounds in adults. Physical therapist and pediatric cardiologist must assess every child individually and advice customized exercises and treatments according to the severity of illness and overall physical health. Treadmill test, bicycling and echocardiography are mainly used as assessment tools as the risk of sudden death increases if vigorous activity is attempted in children born with aortic stenosis, cyanotic heart diseases and coarctation of the aorta.

Hardcore or traditional gym exercises increase cardiac output that may overload the heart and may increase the risk of complications or sudden cardiac death. On the contrary, exercises performed under the guidance of physical therapists serve multiple benefits. Exercise or physical activities are needed in order to build stamina and maintain exercise endurance especially in school going children who engage in physical activities with peers. Physical therapy improves the pace of mental and physical development that allows children to develop healthy social relationships with peers, muscle and motor coordination and mental concordance. 

Physical therapy and periodic assessments are also needed in order to know the physical capacity of child and to track worsening of cardiac defect with age (in order to avoid accidents or unwanted incidents at schools) by restricting excessive physical activity. In some children, healthcare providers delay surgery until the child crosses some developmental milestones; however, it is very important that until then child stays in best possible physical shape to lessen the risk of surgical complications.

According to the scientific peer-reviewed journal- American Family Physician there are 5 stages of physical activity recommendations of Physical Activity in Children with CHD, ranging from no restriction to extreme limitation of physical activity (wheel chair bound).

Without any physical therapy, the progression into the severe disability is fairly high. It is the duty of parents to promote healthy physical activity but make sure to prevent contact sports or vigorous activities that may affect cardiac functioning.

Pulmonary Heart Disease

 by Alexis Kenne

pulmonary heart disease

Pulmonary heart disease - is a very serious form of heart disease. If there is a change in the structure of the right ventricle located in the heart, due to respiratory problems. Pulmonary heart disease affects nearly 1 million people a year. Many things can increase your risk for developing pulmonary heart disease such as smoking, obesity or poor sleeping habits. Pulmonary heart disease (cor pulmonale) occurs when pulmonary arterial pressure is elevated secondary to dysfunction of the lungs and its vasculature and produces right heart failure.

Pulmonary heart disease is historically known as a chronic condition that has in most instances proved to be incurable and results in a very low survival rate. Today though, there are some new treatment options available that seem to have generally improved the prognosis for pulmonary heart disease. Pulmonary heart disease you are talking about is pulmonary edema. It can occur without any reason or cause, but the most common reason is heart problem, which lasted for a long time and was left untreated. Pulmonary heart disease includes pulmonary valve stenosis and pulmonary valve regurgitation. Both these lesions are rare although pulmonary regurgitation is more common than pulmonary stenosis.

Pulmonary heart disease in clinical practice is often seen as Heart Zang disease with chronic changes in lungs, chest cavity, pulmonary artery, which causes an obstruction of lung circulation. Those changes result in high pressure in pulmonary artery and enlargement of the right half of heart combined with failure of the right half of heart. Pulmonary heart disease occurs when the blood flow into the lungs is slowed or blocked because of lung problems. This circumstance increases the pressure on the lungs and the heart requires working harder to oppose this added pressure, which in the end can become pulmonary heart disease.

Pulmonary heart disease is a change in structure and function of the right ventricle of the heart as a result of a respiratory disorder. Exactly that is a complication of lung disorders where the blood flow into the lungs is slowed or blocked causing increased lung pressure. Pulmonary heart disease includes pulmonary valve stenosis and pulmonary valve regurgitation. Both these lesions are rare although pulmonary regurgitation is more common than pulmonary stenosis.

Coronary heart disease occurs when plaque develops within the arteries that pump blood into the heart. The disease progresses over time, and symptoms are often non - existent until the condition manifests itself in the form of a heart attack. Cor pulmonale may lead to congestive heart failure (CHF), with worsening of respiration due to pulmonary edema, swelling of the legs due to peripheral edema and painful congestive hepatomegaly. This situation requires diuretics (to decrease strain on the heart), sometimes nitrates (to improve blood flow) and occasionally inotropes (to improve heart contractility). Coronary heart disease is the most frequent type of heart disease of all, and is also the leading reason of heart attacks. Coronary heart disease is a term that refers to damage to the heart that happens because its blood supply is decreased, and what happens here is that fatty deposits build up on the linings of the blood vessels that provide the heart muscles with blood, resulting in them narrowing.

Signs vary greatly, depending on the extent to which the lung is involved. Simple, uncomplicated embolism produces such cardiopulmonary signs as dyspnea, tachypnea, persistent cough, pleuritic pain and hemoptysis. Sign up and add some content to the process. This link describes the obvious advantages of opening participation to interested parties.

Treatment is also aimed at the underlying condition that is producing cor pulmonale. Common treatments include antibiotics for respiratory infection; anticoagulants to reduce the risk of thromboembolism; and digitalis, oxygen, and phlebotomy to reduce red blood cell count. Treatment includes bed rest, medications such as digitalis, control of excess salt and water retention, and elimination of the underlying cause. See also congestive heart failure. Treatment is not always successful.

Symptoms and causes of TOF

by Miguel Carlos

• The most common cause of Blue Baby Syndrome; and 
• The most common cyanotic heart defect.

The condition was named after Etienne-Louis Arthur Fallot, a French physician. TOF is more common in men than in women.

Tetralogy of Fallot Signs & Symptoms

Infants with TOF usually develop cyanosis during their first year of life. This includes:

• The lips, mucous membranes and the skin inside the mouth as well as the nose feature a noticeable dusky blue color.
• Infants with severe obstruction of the "right ventricle outflow" turning blue at night.
• If pulmonary stenosis is mild or if the ventricular septal defect is so small or even both, children with TOF never turn blue.
• Children whose cyanosis is subtle, the disease may go undetected for years. 

Symptoms of TOF are:

• A slower growth and development, especially if there is severe pulmonary stenosis. Even puberty can get delayed if left untreated.
• Child gets tired easily and starts panting at the slightest exertion. After playing for a very short time, the child will sit or lie down.
• When the child starts walking, he or she may assume a squatting position just to catch his or her breath before he resumes physical activity. This is since squatting can increase the pressure in the aorta as well as left ventricle transiently. If this is done, less blood flow will move to the left ventricle and more from the pulmonary artery towards the lungs. 
• During the first two to three years of life, the child may show episodes of extreme blue coloring. This is also referred to as "tet spells" or "hypercyanosis". During this stage:
• The child may feel a difficulty in breathing; he or she may turn blue; and he or she may become faint or extremely irritable. 
• These spells are usually experienced by 20% to 70% of children with TOF.
• These spells usually happen during crying, feeding, straining or during waking in the morning.
• These spells can last for a few minutes an even a few hours.

Tetralogy of Fallot Causes

TOF is perceived to be a result of genetic or environmental factors. There are times when it is a combination of these two factors. The condition is also associated with the DiGeorge syndrome and with chromosome 22 deletions. This also includes: NKX2-5, JAG1, ZFPM2 and VEGF.

(Tetralogy of Fallot is a combination of four congenital abnormalities. The four defects are a ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary stenosis, a misplaced aorta and a thickened right ventricular wall (right ventricular hypertrophy). They usually result in an insufficient amount of oxygenated blood reaching the body.--Mayo Clinic Medical)

How a Congenital Heart Defect Develops

 by Josephine Osborn

How big is your heart?

The size of one's heart is roughly the size of one's fist. Whether as an infant or as one grows into adulthood, the size proportion is roughly the same. The heart is an essential organ of the body that one must take care of. Exercise, a clean lifestyle, a healthy diet and weight will go a long way in keeping your heart fit. There are instances though when one is born with a heart abnormality or, in medical parlance, a congenital heart defect.

What is a Congenital Heart Defect?

A congenital heart defect is an abnormality in the heart's structure that is present at birth. It may cause the blood flow to slow down, go in the wrong direction, go to the wrong place, or it may block the flow completely. Sometimes, they are referred to as cyanotic heart disease or congenital cardiovascular malformations.

Common Congenital Heart Defects

Heart defects are the most common of abnormalities at birth. About 35,000 infants are born with it each year in the United States. They may be simple defects with no symptoms to complex ones with life-threatening symptoms In fact, they are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths. 

Simple congenital heart diseases include Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Patent Ductus Arteriosus and narrowed valves. On the other hand, the most common complex heart defect is tetralogy of Fallot. It is a condition wherein not enough blood is able to reach the lungs to get oxygen, and oxygen-poor blood flows to the body. 

Causes

Environment and genes are contributory factors to developing a heart defect. More often than not though, the real cause is not identified. Drinking alcohol, smoking and use of cocaine during pregnancy can lead to heart defects. Other possible causes are medication, viral infections and chronic illnesses such as diabetes, phenylketonuria (PKU) and deficiency in the B vitamin folic acid. Heredity or genetic defects can also be predisposing factors. 

Prevention

Pregnancy is critical in the first trimester. The heart, like some other body organs, starts to develop shortly after conception. Chances of abnormal development or complications causing heart defects may happen.

Caution is advised when taking drug medication during pregnancy. Many drugs contain chemicals or substances that could potentially harm the fetus. Caution has been issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against usage of antidepressants among pregnant women. According to the FDA, studies showed that women who took Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy were about 1.5 to two times as likely to have a baby with a heart defect as women who received other antidepressants. The issue of pre-natal drug medication, like the Paxil birth defect, is one that should not to be cast aside by any pregnant woman.

Symptoms Of Congestive Heart Failure

by Dee Braun

Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart is not pumping blood as efficiently as it should and is not getting the required amount of blood to the organs in the body. Soon after the efficiency of the heart goes down the organs do not receive the right amount of oxygen and nutrients, and symptoms occur.

Symptoms of congestive heart failure include: Edema, irregular or rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trouble concentrating, wheeze, nausea, coughing with phlegm that is white or tinged with blood, appetite loss or fluid retention that results in fast weight gain

Symptoms are not always apparent while resting but will almost always show up during some type of exercise. Exercise tends to cause an individual to become fatigued and dizzy. The blood pressure goes down and the body attempts to make up for the lost blood volume by setting off hormone and nerve signals that are meant to increase blood volume by retaining water.

The heart also has a tendency to start beating at a rapid pace while it's muscles become thick and the ventricles stretch out to allow more blood flow. This does not fix anything because it is still not beating effectively enough to get the required amount of blood to the organs and tissues.

Congestive heart failure can either come on suddenly or gradually get worse over time. It is normally caused by some other medical condition or damage that was caused to the heart. Some things that can lead to heart failure include: infections in the heart, damage caused by heart attacks or surgery, congenital heart defects, constant high blood pressure, coronary artery disease or faulty heart valves.

Many times, heart failure sticks around for life and needs to be managed by a thorough treatment plan from your doctor. It is treatable with a combination of medication and sometimes surgery.

If an underlying condition has led to the heart failure the key is to treat the underlying condition first. If it is treated effectively then the heart failure sometimes can correct itself. This can only happen if the heart did not receive any permanent damage.

There are ways to naturally help this condition:

Exercise: Just 30 minutes of exercise twice a week can reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in heart failure patients, according to study findings presented at the March 2009 annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. With more exercise, the benefit is even greater. Walking at a rate of 2 miles per hour for 30 minutes a few times a week will make a difference.

Supplements: There are quite a number of herbs and supplements that could have a beneficial effect on heart disease. I have listed some below. You may click on each one for more information but ultimately the use of supplements has to be done with the full knowledge and approval of your health care provider.

* Fish Oils or eating cold water fish reduces the risk for heart rhythm disturbances and may reduce the risk of heart palpitations, atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia.

* Vitamin D deficiency is associated with heart dysfunction, sudden cardiac death, and death due to heart failure. An association between vitamin D deficiency and heart trouble is physiologically plausible since vitamin D is known to affect contractility of the heart.

* Arginine may prolong exercise capacity in those with congestive heart failure. Arginine supplements are available over the counter.

* Carnitine is potentially helpful since the heart uses carnitine for energy production

* CoQ10 may be beneficial in heart failure. See CoQ10-60mg supplement for more information.

* Hawthorn is vasodilatory, increases coronary flow, acts as an inotrope (stimulates heart contraction), decreases peripheral resistance, and has ACE-inhibitor-like effect. Daily dosage Hawthorn berry herb 3 to 5g or 160 to 900 mg extract for a few weeks. Appears to be useful in mild heart failure.

* Folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 can help prevent reoccurrence of blocked arteries in patients who have undergone coronary angioplasty.

* Psyllium fiber may help reduce cholesterol levels.

* Magnesium mineral may help

* Ribose may be beneficial to individuals with congestive heart failure.

* Astragalus has been studied in heart failure

I would also highly recommend reading the information HERE on the use of supplements and nutrition to combat heart failure - the information presented there could help save your life.

An estimated 4.8 million Americans have congestive heart failure (CHF)... Half of the patients diagnosed with CHF will be dead within 5 years. Each year, there are an estimated 400,000 new cases.

CHF is the... most common diagnosis in hospital patients age 65 years and older. In that age group, one fifth of all hospitalizations have a primary or secondary diagnosis of heart failure.

Congestive heart failure is a serious medical condition that you should not try and cure with herbal remedies alone. You can talk to your doctor about incorporating some herbs into your treatment plan and see what they say, but you really need to make sure that you follow their advice to a 'T'. You only get one heart and a heart transplant is probably not something that you want to go through anytime soon.

Drinking Juice to Reduce Cholesterol and Prevent Heart Disease

Aaron Smith

Heart disease effects many of us in the UK, more so than in many other countries, but there is a strong possibility that this could be changed simply by changing our attitude towards food and consuming more juice.

The term 'heart disease' includes several conditions such from Congenital heart defects seen at birth to atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) that develop later. It is a complex issue with several inter-related factors. Hardening of the arteries and angina are a result of the inner walls of the bodies arteries narrowing due to a build up of plaque (fat, LDL cholesterol and other substances). Plaque build up is increased in people who have high levels LDL (bad) cholesterol and low
levels HDL (good) cholesterol. Oxidation of excess LDL cholesterol results in an increase of plaque. The HDL cholesterol helps to prevent the LDL cholesterol from increasing the plaque, moving it instead to the liver. Plaque build up alone may be enough to cause pain (angina) or heart attack.
However, if the plaque is ruptured or torn it can block the artery causing a coronary thrombosis (heart attack). Atherosclerosis can also be caused by inappropriate platelet activation causing the platelets in the blood to clot. Grape Juice inhibits Atherosclerosis Many of us will have seen news items claiming red wine helps to keep our hearts healthy. This is due to a substance in the grapes that used to make the wine known as polyphenols. However, recent tests have shown that although less polyphenols are present in grape juice than red wine, grape juice is better at inhibiting atherosclerosis

Purple Grape juice has also been found to help patients with coronary artery disease due to significantly improving the function of the cells (endothelial) lining the hardened arteries as well inhibiting inappropriate platelet activation

Purple grape juice's action as a potent platelet inhibitor is important as Platelets are involved in the development of Atherosclerosis

Other research has shown grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts reducing Atherosclerosis by up to 50% in animals.

Although that study was for grape seed extract alone, other studies have shown that the combination of grape seed extract and grape skin, as you would find in the juice, is more effective

.Fruit Juices Reduce Cholesterol. Pomegranate juice also offers wide protection against cardiovascular diseases

and has been shown to reduce cholesterol build up in plaque

and reduce the development of atherosclerosis

In laboratory tests orange juice has been found to lower cholesterol and significantly inhibit atherosclerosis

A 750ml serving of orange juice daily has been shown to decreased the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio by 16% in tests on people

Tests on smokers has shown that carrot and orange juice combined significantly susceptibility of LDL to oxidation

(the process that increases plaque). As little as 330 mL of tomato juice

has also been shown to significantly reduce LDL oxidation

Adding garlic to vegetable juices takes some getting used to, but garlic has also been shown to decrease bad LDL cholesterol while increase HDL cholesterol

as well as reducing LDL oxidation

Plant sterols and stanols found in high quantities in veg like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower

have been found to reduce LDL cholesterol

One report says around 2g per day of plant sterol ester can decrease LDL cholesterol levels from 9% to 20%

Ginger has also been shown to significantly reduce LDL cholesterol and abnormal cell tissues (Aortic atherosclerotic lesion)

in the arteries around the heart.

With so much evidence proving the benefits of fruit and vegetable juices why on earth would we not want to include them in our diet?

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18 Circulation. 2001 Feb 27;103(8):1177-9. AHA Science Advisory. Stanol/sterol ester-containing foods and blood cholesterol levels. A statement for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association. Lichtenstein AH, Deckelbaum RJ.

19 J Nutr. 2000 May;130(5):1124-31. Ginger extract consumption reduces plasma cholesterol, inhibits LDL oxidation and attenuates development of atherosclerosis in atherosclerotic, apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Fuhrman B, Rosenblat M, Hayek T, Coleman R, Aviram M. Lipid Research Laboratory, Technion Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences and Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.