Heart Disease
Dr. April Davall
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
http://www.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.
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