Heart Disease
Many people refer to heart disease as though it were a specific illness. The fact is, many different diseases fall under the term ‘heart disease’. The only common factor between these diseases is that they happen to involve the heart. The heart diseases that fall under this umbrella can be very serious, and are frequently fatal. Here are some of the diseases that are included in the term ‘heart disease’ so that you can become more familiar with them.
1. Coronary Heart Disease – Nearly half a million Americans die from this every year. This is when plaque builds up inside the arteries, obstructing proper circulation to the cardiac muscle. This will cause chest pain and then usually heart attacks in the sufferer. Compared to other nations, the number of cases involving coronaries is shockingly high. In the United Kingdom, citizens suffer from coronaries almost a fourth of the amount in the United States. This may directly correlate to the number of overweight and obese individuals in both countries.
2. Cardiomyopathy – This is actually an umbrella term itself and encompasses a number of diseases. Falling under this term are alcoholic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, and hypertensive cardiomyopathy. Those that have been diagnosed with one of the diseases that fall under cardiomyopathy are at risk of weakness of the heart, irregular heartbeat, and sudden cardiac death.
3. Cardiovascular Disease – This is yet another term that encompasses a number of diseases. These diseases that are considered cardiovascular mainly affect the veins and arteries, and all other parts of the blood vessel system. It is believed that the main causes are diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
4. Ischaemic Heart Disease – This condition is characterized by a lack of blood flowing to the heart itself. The causes are similar to the other heart diseases, they include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, but chances are also increased due to old age and smoking. This can cause chest pain and heart failure if not treated. Treatments for this condition are antianginal drugs, exercise, and a healthy diet. Also the intake of cholesterol should be lowered and smokers should quit immediately.
5. Congestive Cardiac Failure – Cardiac failure occurs when the heart is unable to either fill with blood or pump it throughout the body. Many of the other diseases listed are attributed as causes to cardiac failure. The symptoms that come along with this illness include shortness of breath, swelling, and coughing. The symptoms that somebody with cardiac failure experiences will differ depending on whether the left or right ventricle has been affected. The majority of heart failures are due to Ischaemic heart issues, with smoking being a far second.
Heart disease could mean any one of these things and many of them come with completely different causes and symptoms. It is important to know the difference so that each situation can be handled accordingly.