Heart Disease

What Causes Heart Disease?

Heart disease can be defined as “any disorder that affects the heart. The term “heart disease” may be used incorrectly (as a synonym for coronary artery disease). Heart disease is synonymous with cardiac disease but not with cardiovascular disease which is any disease of the heart or blood vessels”. The heart is a muscular organ that requires blood to supply oxygen and nutrients for it to function; the coronary arteries are the vessels that supply the blood.

Common Types of Heart Disease

• Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type and leading cause of heart attacks. The coronary arteries narrow (atherosclerosis) as cholesterol builds up inside the artery. If the arteries become too narrow and hard, blood supply to the heart muscle may be slowed down causing pain, or angina.

Causes 

Coronary artery disease (CAD) – research shows that CAD starts when certain factors such as smoking and high blood pressure damage the inner layers of the coronary arteries resulting in atherosclerosis ; other factors include high intake of certain fats and cholesterol in the blood and high amounts of sugar in the blood due to insulin resistance or diabetes, obesity and inactivity.

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up on the insides of your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body. The Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. The flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body is reduced. This can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, or even death.

Signs and Symptoms
Atherosclerosis is known as the silent killer because many don’t see any indication of disease until they have a stroke or heart attack. If your family blood line has a history of stroke, heart attack or kidney failure, you’re in a high risk category. This means that there is not a complete list of symptoms, however shortness of breathe, chest pains, dizziness or fainting are all warning signs.

Atherosclerosis, also called “Hardened Arteries” is caused by fat deposits inside the arteries. Cholesterol, especially LDL Cholesterol, builds up over time until the artery is blocked, causing heart attack, stroke, kidney Disease or other serious illnesses. Several factors as well can contribute to Atherosclerosis, including family history, a thyroid Problem, low fiber/high fat diet, Diabetes, lack of exercise, smoking, and excessive coffee drinking.

•  As mentioned before Angina is pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart does not get enough blood. The pain commonly materializes as a squeezing or pressing pressure in the chest and may also occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina is not a heart attack, but having angina may lead to one.

Causes Heart Attack
can occur due to a condition called microvascular disease (when very small branches of arteries throughout the body become damaged), believed to be more common in women than men. A lesser cause is severe tightening of a coronary artery which may be due to drugs such as cocaine, emotional stress or pain, exposure to extreme cold and smoking.

• Heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs when an artery is severely or completely blocked. When a plaque ruptures, blood clot forms completely obstructing the artery and stops blood flow to part of the heart muscle, which eventually dies.

• Heart failure occurs when the heart is not able to pump blood through the body as well as it should. This means that other organs which normally get blood from the heart, do not get enough blood.

Causes 

Heart Failure – CAD, heart attack, high blood pressure, abnormal heart valves, diabetes, and severe lung disease are some of the factors that increase your risk of a heart failure. Smoking, obesity, eating foods high in fat and cholesterol and physical inactivity can also contribute to heart failure.

• Heart arrhythmias are changes in the beat of the heart which are harmless in most cases. Arrhythmias are more common in older people.

Causes 

Arrhythmias – conditions that can lead to arrhythmias are CAD, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, excess alcohol or caffeine, drug abuse, stress, congenital heart defects (resulting from medical conditions, medications and genes) and prescribed or over-the-counter medications.

Auscultation

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