|  | Conditions Treatments | Heart Disease

Heart Disease & Treatment

Heart disease is the term used to describe diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels leading to it. Heart disease is also used when talking about cardiovascular diseases of the heart. Heart disease kills more people worldwide than any other condition, including cancer. Forty percent of deaths in the United States are attributed to heart disease in one form or another. Some forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy diet and lifestyle choices.

  1. Types

    • Coronary artery disease, which causes angina and heart attack, is the most common type of heart disease. Heart failure and arrhythmias, heart defects, infection of the heart and problems with the valves are other common heart diseases.

    Causes

    • The most common cause of cardiovascular heart disease is hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, in which the walls of the arteries become stiffer and thicker and plaque builds up, preventing adequate blood flow. Heart arrhythmias are usually caused by outside influences, other health conditions or other forms of heart disease.

    Symptoms

    • Symptoms of the various forms of heart disease include chest pain or angina; shortness of breath; arm or leg numbness; pain; weakness or coldness; fluttering heartbeat; racing or slow heartbeat; lightheadedness or dizziness; fainting; very pale or bluish skin color; and swelling of the legs, stomach, hands, feet, ankles, or skin around the eyes; fatigue; fever; persistent dry cough; and skin rashes or spots that are unusual.

    Treatment

    • Treatment options for heart disease include taking blood thinners to reduce risk of blood clots and help with arrhythmias and congenital heart defects, along with other medications to treat specific problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol build-up. Surgery is also used to fix problems with the heart and blood vessels.

    Self-Help

    • Help prevent and treat heart disease by following a low fat, low sodium diet; getting regular exercise; quitting smoking; and reducing the amount of alcohol consumed.

Heart Disease - Related Articles