Effects of Heart Disease

Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of disorders that affect the heart and its blood vessels. While there are many different conditions, each type of heart disease shares one trait: It ultimately hinders this organ's life-giving pumping ability. When heart function diminishes due to disease, the effects can include symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath and chest pains, as well as fatigue and swelling. Without proper medical attention, heart disease can eventually cause a potentially fatal heart attack. The good news is that effective treatments and lifestyle modifications are enabling many individuals to successfully manage heart disease.

Significance

• Heart disease is the top cause of death for U.S. women and men. The American Heart Association estimates that an American suffers a heart attack or other coronary event every 25 seconds. The association also projects that 785,000 Americans will suffer their first coronary attack in 2009, while 470,000 people will endure a recurrent one.

Heart Function

• Our hearts work constantly. To keep blood circulating throughout the body, a heart will expand and contract 100,000 times in a day. By the time people reach their 70th birthday, their hearts have beaten 2.5 billion times. Because of its crucial importance, diseases that affect the heart pose a dramatic risk to an individual's overall health.

Types of Heart Disease

• The term heart disease can refer to a number of abnormal conditions. The most common include:
  * Coronary artery disease--the No. 1 cause of heart attacks
  * Abnormal heart rhythms--involves changes in the heart's beating pattern
  * Heart failure--a condition in which the heart's pumping ability is compromised

Risk Factors

• Some well-established risk factors for heart disease like increasing age, male gender and family history cannot be changed. But other risk factors that can be modified. The following steps can lessen the odds of developing heart disease:
  * Stop Smoking
  * Control cholesterol and blood pressure
  * Maintain a healthy body weight
  * Stay physically active
  * Patients with diabetes should carefully manage blood-sugar levels
  * Reduce stress
  * Avoid drinking too much alcohol

Warning Signs

• Shortness of breath, persistent coughing or wheezing, fatigue, chest pain, nausea, confusion, swelling in the feet, ankles, legs or abdomen, and an increased heart rate are warning signs of heart disease. Individuals experiencing these symptoms should promptly seek medical attention.

Managing Heart Disease

• A number of effective medications are used to treat heart disease. It is important that patients stick to the prescribed regimen even if they don't feel ill.

  In addition to following their doctor's recommendations, many patients with heart disease successfully manage the condition by making a commitment to heart-healthy nutrition and daily physical activity. Eliminating tobacco and controlling diabetes are also essential for managing heart disease