Heart
Understanding and Managing Heart Disease
Information, Resources, and Support for Those with Heart Disease
The primary function of the heart is to pump blood through the body. Any number of conditions may be termed heart disease if they limit the hearts’ ability to pump freshly oxygenated blood efficiently and effectively through the body. Some forms of heart damage, known as congenital heart disease, occur before birth when the structure of the heart is damaged, weakening its ability to pump oxygen-rich blood. In other cases an infection can weaken the heart’s muscle or damage its valves. High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol can damage the heart by causing it to work harder to pump blood through narrowed vessels. The arteries of the heart can become clogged, resulting in less fresh blood to nourish the heart as it does its work. The important thing to understand about each heart condition is how much it has limited the hearts’ ability to pump fresh blood through the body and what can be done to strengthen and protect the heart.
Understanding how the heart works helps you better understand your treatment program to improve your hearts’ function and your quality of life.
Incidence of Heart Disease
In 2001, there were 700,142 deaths from heart diseases. Just over half of these deaths were in women. Heart disease has only recently been surpassed by cancer as the leading cause of death in the United States. While treatment for both cancer and heart disease is improving, more advances have occurred in the treatment of heart disease with resulting decreased numbers of deaths.
Causes of Heart Disease
There are many causes of heart disease, including clogged arteries, weakened heart muscle, defective heart valves, birth defects, irregular rhythms of the heart (the heart’s electrical system has a problem), not enough oxygen, infections and immune disorders, toxins from alcohol use or chemotherapy…Each of these conditions results in a decrease in the heart’s ability to do its job well and the effect on the body depends on how badly the heart is hurt. Causes for a particular type of heart disease are included in Diseases and Conditions.
Signs and Symptoms of Heart Disease
The symptoms of heart disease depend on the cause, severity, and type of heart disease. Common signs and symptoms of heart disease (not just of heart attack) include the following:
• Chest pain
• Abdominal distress (including nausea)
• Bluish color to the skin
• Enlarged neck veins
• Fainting
• Palpitations (unusually strong heart beats)
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling in the legs
• Weakness and fatigue
• Coughing
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
Signs and symptoms related to a particular type of heart disease are included in Diseases and Conditions.
Prevention & Risk Factors for Heart Disease
There are three steps you can take to reduce your risk for heart disease:
The first step is understanding and managing any personal risk factors for heart disease, such as risk from family history of heart disease, risk from being obese, risk from smoking or abusing alcohol… Take our Heart Disease Risk Assessment to see what risks you may have.
The next step involves a lifestyle that includes:
The final step involves vigorous management of any existing diseases, especially:
Diagnosing Heart Disease
Heart disease is diagnosed based on individual medical history (signs and symptoms, infectious illness…) and an individual medical exam by a health care provider. A number of medical tests can be used to help diagnose heart disease based on the findings of the history and exam. Common tests include blood and urine tests, cardiac catheterization, EKG, chest X-ray, treadmill stress test, or an echocardiogram.
Treating Heart Disease
Treatment for heart disease is individualized based on the medical history and exam as well as test findings. Medication is a common form of treatment of heart disease. Some medications work to lower the amount of blood the heart has to push around (for example, diuretics that cause frequent urination), while some medications work by strengthening the muscle of the heart itself (for example, Digitalis). Some medications work to help the heart relax and rebuild (for example, Captopril) while others help prevent blood clots from forming (for example, Coumadin).
For more information on medications, go to the Drug Reference Center and the Drug Interaction Checker
Treatment of heart disease can also involve surgery or other procedures including by-pass (open heart surgery), angioplasty (to open clogged arteries), even heart transplantation for the most severely damaged hearts.
Cardiac rehabilitation is also an important part of many treatment programs. Cardiac rehabilitation is a managed, therapeutic form of exercise that helps improve the heart’s function (and the individual’s ability to better pursue daily activities).
Sources:
Diseases and Conditions.
The Merck Manual of Medical Information, 1997. Pocket Books. NY.
Professional Guide to DISEASES, 7th Edition. Springhouse. PA.
Published by Relegent, February, 2005
