Coronary heart disease (CHD)
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a common form of heart diseases that occurs when the blood vessels become narrow this affect the circulation of blood and oxygen supply to the heart. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is further classified into three types;
- Coronary artery disease occurs due to plaque in the arteries which supplies blood to the heart.
- Peripheral artery disease occurs due to plaque in the arteries which supplies blood to the arms and legs.
- Carotid artery disease occurs due plaque in the arteries which supplies blood to the brain.
Causes
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is mainly caused due to the buildup of plaque in the arteries to your heart; this is also known as hardening of the arteries.
- A wall of fatty materials or other substance is built-up on the walls of your coronary arteries. These coronary arteries are help to bring blood and oxygen to your heart.
- These plagues cause the arteries to become narrow. As a result, it slowdowns or stops the flow of blood to the heart.
Symptoms
Certain symptoms of Coronary heart disease (CHD) may be noticeable, but in some cases you may have the diseases and not have any symptoms. This is particularly true in the earlier stages of heart diseases. Some of the common or commonly noticed symptoms of Coronary heart disease (CHD) are;
- Fatigue
- Chest pain or discomfort (angina), mainly because the heart does not gets enough blood and/or oxygen. Severity of this pain varies from person to person.
- Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back
- Chest pressure or pain
- Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder
- Shortness of breath
- This pain generally occurs due to certain activities or emotions, and will fade away
- with rest or oral medicines named nitroglycerin.
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling weak, lightheaded, or nauseous
- The person may feel some is squeezing your heart. Such pain can be noticed under your breast bone, neck, stomach, arms, or upper back.
In women they have different symptoms of heart attack from men. Some of common symptoms reported in women are:
- Unusual fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
- Shortness of breath
- General weakness
- Indigestion
Heart Failure
Heart failure is a condition that occurs slowly over time and unable heart to pump enough blood to various parts of the body. A heart failure usually occurs due to a heart injury to the heart muscles, i.e. generally caused due to heart attack, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a heart valve that does not works properly. Damaged or weak heart muscles have to work overtime to keep up the bodies’ demand that may leave a person tired.
Causes
Heart failure is often a long-term or you can say it as a chronic condition, but sometimes it may develop suddenly. This can be cause due to many different heart problems. Sometime it may only affect the right-side or only the left-side of the heart and is known as right-sided heart failure or left-sided heart failure. In most cases, both the sides of heart are involved.
Heart failure occurs when;
- The heart muscles are incapable to pump the blood out of the heart, and this is known as systolic heart failure.
- The heart muscles become stiff and thus do not easily get fill up with blood and this is known as diastolic heart failure.
These problems actually mean that the heart is no longer able to pump enough oxygen and blood out to various parts of the body. Other problems that may cause a heart failure are;
- Heart attack
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart valve disease (it occurs from valves that are narrowed or leaky)
- Severe anemia
- Some types of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Amyloidosis
- Too much iron in the body
- Emphysema
- Sarcoidosis
- Infection that weakens the heart muscle
- Underactive thyroid
- Overactive thyroid
Symptoms
Symptoms of heart failure often begin slowly and usually occur when you they are very active. Over the time, the person may notice breathing difficulty and various other symptoms when you are resting. Various common symptoms of heart failure are;
- Heart attack
- General fatigue, weakness, faintness
- Cough
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen or enlarged liver or abdomen
- Palpitations (Pulse that feels fast/irregular heart beat)
- Need to urinate at night
- High blood pressure
- Difficulty breathing when lying down
- Diabetes
- Shortness of breath
- Damage to a heart valve or a history of a murmur
- Weight gain
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet
- Swollen feet and ankles
- Family history of an enlarged heart
Stroke
Generally a stroke happens when the blood flow to that part of the brain is stopped. A stroke is sometime called as “brain attack”. If under any situation the blood flow to the brain is stopped for longer than a few seconds then the brain will be unable to get enough blood and oxygen. In this situation the brain cells can die and cause permanent damage.
Causes
Mainly there are two major types of stroke; ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic stroke takes place when a blood-vessel that provides blood to the brain is blocked due to blood clot.
A hemorrhagic stroke takes place when a blood-vessel in part of the brain becomes weak and fragile and bursts open, causing blood to seep out into the brain.
Major risk factors associated with stroke are
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Atrial fibrillation
- Family history of stroke
- Old age, especially after the age 55
- Heart disease or poor blood flow in their leg
- Unhealthy lifestyle (obesity, drinking heavily, eating too much fat, excessive intake of salt, addictive smoking, substance abuse, etc.)
- Birth control pill increases the chance of having blood clots.
Symptoms
The symptoms of stroke are generally depends upon which part of your brain is damaged. In some cases the person may even not know that he or she has had a stroke. Its symptoms generally develop suddenly and without any warning. Its symptoms are usually more severe when the stroke first happens, but it may slowly lead to worsen the situation.
A headache may occur, mainly if a stroke is caused due to bleeding in the brain. Headaches begin;
- Suddenly and become severe
- While you are lying flat
- As you wake up from sleep
- When you change the position or when you cough, strain, or bend.
Other symptoms of stroke include
- Change in alertness (including unconsciousness, sleepiness, and coma)
- Hearing problem
- Problem with taste bud gland
- Changes in ability to feel pain, pressure, or different temperatures
- Loss of coordination
- Clumsiness or unskillfulness
- Loss of balance
- loss of memory or Confusion
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty reading and/or writing
- Vertigo problem
- Lack of control over the bladder or bowels
- Weakening of muscle in the face, arm, or leg (usually on one side of the body)
- Numbness on one side of the body
- Frequent swings in mood, personality, or emotional
- Vision problem such as double vision, decreased vision, blurred vision or total loss of vision
- Trouble in speaking or understanding others
- Difficulty in walking