One of the common heart disease is nonetheless, coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease results from a restricted suupply of blood to the heart muscle. When arteries become clogged, or narrowed, by deposits of hardened fat, cholesterol, and other substances called plague, blood does not flow through them easily. The most common type of heart attack is caused by a clockage of one of the coronary ateries by a blood clot that cuts off the blood supply to the region of the heart served by that artery. This damages or kills the deprived tiisue, and the injury is called a myocardial infarction. Angina is not a disease in its own right but is the name for pain that occurs when the muscular wall of the heart becomes temporarily short of oxygen.
Myocardial infarction is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States, Each year, 1.5 million Americans have a heart attack and one-third of these people die. Some factors that predispose people to heart attacks cannot be modified: family history of heart disease, growing older, and being male. But there are other risks that can be reduced or elimiated: cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diet high in saturated fats, and lack of exercise. By not smoking, eating a healthful diet, exercising regularly, and treating their high blood pressure,many people can avoid having heart attacks.
Symptoms of a heart attack vary, but the most common is a persistent, crushing chest pain that may spread to the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulder blades and last as long as twelve hours. Sometimes a heart attack causes just a mild pain that can be mistaken for indigestion, but ingestion can ususlly be relieved by antacids.
Some people have a feeling of impending doom, fatigue, nausea, vomitting, shortness of breath, coolness in the arms, anxiety, and restlessness. There are also "silent heart attacks", which cause no symptoms at all. To comfirm the diagnosis of a heart attack, doctors listen to the heart; check for abnormalities using an electrocardiogram, an instrument that records electrical activity in the heart; measure an enzyme in the blood; and in some cases order further tests.
Treatment is aimed at preserving the heart tissue, restoring blood flow in the coronary arteries, relieving pain, and making sure that the heart is pumping properly. Early diagnosis of a suspected heart attack is important, because immediate treatment can prevent further damage and save lives. For example, clot-dissolving drugs given within the first two hours can reduce the size of the damaged area.
Increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, shortness of breath, cough, fluid buildup in the body leading to swelling of the feet and ankles or abdomen, weakness, nad fatigue are some of the signs of heart failure. These vary, depending on the severity of the failure and the part of the heart affected. A variety of drugs can be prescribed to widen blood vessels, prevent the buildup of fluids, and strengthen heart contractions. In heart failure, the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. This may be due to heart muscle being weakened by conditions such as high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, or a mechanical failure in the valves. Heart failure does not mean that the heart stops pumping-that's called cardiac arrest-but rather that the heart is not working efficiently.
The agony of finding out that you may be suffering from some form of heart disease is usually traumatic. Your doctor has just received the laboratory test results for the battery of tests that you have completed during your recent checkup. From what the results indicate, if you do not stop eating all those fatty foods that you love so much, you are going to require bypass surgery very soon. Do not worry that your quality of life will get worse since there are modern treatment plans that get you on to the road of recovery as long as certain lifestyle changes are made.
Living With Heart Disease
The first consideration when living with heart disease is the type of heart problem you are suffering from. Is your doctor tracking your cholesterol levels? Or, is it something a lot more serious? The severity of your heart condition will shed a great deal of light on the kind of lifestyle you can have when living with heart diseases and how it actually affects you.
If the type of heart problem is currently a very mild form, you should be able to keep a lid on it with medication. But for many people in a state of denial, they will refuse to or do not like taking their medication since they would be admitting to the fact that they are living with the disease.
So if you have heart medication to take for your condition and you are too stubborn to take it, understand the consequences of this action. Is it better to take a couple of pills on a daily basis or would you prefer to have to go to the extent of requiring heart surgery? Surely no one wants to undergo heart surgery. So think carefully before rejecting medication. It is a lot easier to deal with than other more complicated treatment methods.
Getting adequate amount of exercise on a regular basis is another facet of living with heart problem. If the heart problem in your case is of the more serious kind, you may not want to overtax yourself. If you sit still all day long you have a higher risk of getting blood clots. So get off your butt and get some exercise. Start with brisk walking over short distances and gradually build up.
There are some more difficult aspects to living with heart disease. One of them is giving up delicious fatty food and desserts. But then again it all boils down to whether or not you would like to prolong your life. There are trade offs in all situations. Nowadays there are so many more options though. Just a few years ago we could not obtain half the low fat option foods that are available today. Not only are they delicious, they are also healthier options.
Your doctor will be able to provide you with information about heart diseases and the Internet has many reputable websites. Some of the heart health websites host forums where you can communicate with other people suffering from the same disease.
Living with heart disease is really just about taking your prescribed medication, ensuring that you eat in a healthy manner and remaining active. With research you will find all the information you ever need to know to manage your condition better.
The Progress Of Heart Disease Research
Due to the debilitating effects of various forms of heart disease, medical technologists around the world are working towards developing more effective treatment methods through heart disease research.The search for knowledge about what heart disease really is and the pursuit of solutions to use to prevent and treat heart disease is extremely vital. There are many companies and organizations that either conduct heart disease research, or support the cause for heart disease research.
Heart Disease Research Organizations
The Research Center for Stroke and Heart Disease is a non-profit organization established to raise awareness of and find solutions for prevention of stroke and heart disease. Its reach is worldwide and it concerns itself with all types of heart disease and stroke. The Research Center for Stroke and Heart Disease designs, implements and evaluates projects that educate people with regards to the risk factors for these illnesses and motivates them to practice good habits in the quest for reducing them.
The Research Center for Stroke and Heart Disease operates from Buffalo General Hospital. There are several full-time and part-time staff members and they make use of contractors who have a background in communications, health care management and computer programming for heart disease research. During the past ten years of their existence the Research Center for Stroke and Heart Disease has built a very good reputation.
Another heart disease research organization is the British Heart Foundation. This organization is considered to be the British nation's heart charity. The British Heart Foundation focuses in particular on three very important issues. They invest in pioneering heart disease research, support and care for heart patients and they provide essential information to assist people to reduce their risk of premature death from heart or circulatory related disease.
Harvard Medical School should also be mentioned. It is a center that concentrates its efforts on heart disease research. Harvard Medical School has been in the heart disease research arena for several decades. They have a vast amount to offer in terms of information and education regarding heart disease: what it is, what its causes are, up-to-date research findings and many statistics.
Research into heart diseases is the only solution that will help to clarify heart related diseases throughout the world today. There is always hope that sometime, preferably in the near future, research will show the way to completely avoid heart related diseases for everyone.
Both Crystal & Cindy Heller are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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