The American Heart Association categorized these as controllable risk factors which can be changed through individual behavior or community interventions.

Hypertension causes the heart to work more to circulate the same amount of blood. This may lead to enlargement of the heart and many trigger congestive heart failure. Hypertension can also damage the lining of arteries and weaken blood vessel walls.

Physical inactivity increases the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes which in turn make it easier to have heart attacks. Physical activity conditions the heart, improves HDL cholesterol levels and lowers high blood pressure. It also helps to control diabetes and maintain weight.

Obesity and overweight has a strong correlation with the risk and seriousness of heart attack. Excessive body weight requires the heart to work harder and thus bring about other risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and high LDL levels. It has been found that the waist-to-hip ratio also plays a more important role than the absolute body mass index (BMI). People with abdominal obesity (central fat distribution with abdominal circumference greater than 4 inches for men and 35 inches for women) are found to suffer higher risk of heart disease.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder in which the body cannot properly convert food into energy due to the disruption in the production or use of insulin. Elevated levels of glucose circulating in the bloodstream damage the artery walls, the peripheral nerves and organs. Diabetes can make a person four times more susceptible to heart disease than those without diabetes.

Tobacco use (including cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking) is the main risk factor for heart disease. Smoking can damage the inner lining of blood vessels and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. Smokes in tobacco also carry multiple toxins that can trigger the formation of blood clots in the coronary arteries and initiate spasms that close off the vessels.

Total Cholesterol level (greater than 240mg/dl) is considered high and is directly proportional to the frequency of coronary heart disease. It is desirable to maintain one’s LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) level lower than 60mg/dl, and HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) level greater than 60mg/dl.

The major categories of heart diseaes which account for nearly all cardiac mortality are

1. Congenital Heart Diseases
2. Ishchemic heart diseases
3. Hypertensive heart diseases
4. Valvular heart diseases
5. Myocardial diseases of nonischemic nature.

The main principal mechanism contributing in cardiovascular dysfunction are that heart fails to pump, an obstruction to flow,regurgitant flow, problems in heart conduction and disruption of continuity of circulatory system.

Most heart diseases arise from interaction of environmental factor and genetic susceptibiltiy.

1. Congenital Heart Diseases:
These arise when fetus is in the uterus due to faulty embryogenesis. These can make the child’s life worse. Some of them can be corrected by surgery while other cannot be e.g. if the heart size is enlarged since birth,it cannot be corrected.

2. Ischemic Heart Diseases:
They are generic designation for a group of closely related diseases. These results from an imbalance between the supply and demand of the heart for oxygenated blood. Ischemia also results in reduced delivery of nutrient substances. The diseases include

-Myocardial Infarction
-Angina Pectoris
-Chronic Ischemic heart disease
-Sudden heart death.

Myocardial Infarction: Also known as “heart attact” is the most common disease and leads to death of heart muscles resulting from poor blood supply to its muscles. Antherosclerosis is the major underlying cause. It is the thicking of blood vessel walls due to lipid accumulation. The frequency of heart attact progress with old age when tendency to antherosclerosis is present such as hypertention, Diabetes Mellitus, cigratte smoking etc
Except for some predisposing antherogenic conditions, women are remarkably protected against heart attack during the reproductive age e.g. 12-45 years of age.

Angina Pectoris: It is the pain in the chest on exertion and on rest due to poor blood supply to heart.

Chronic Ischemic heart Diseases: Here patient develops progressive heart failure.

Sudden Cardiac death: Few probable nonischemic causes are
• Congenital arterial abnormalities
• Aortic valve narrowing
• Mitral vavle prolapse
• Hypertrophy of heart
• Infections of heart muscles

3. Hypertensive Heart Disease:
Hypertention means increase blood pressure. It is a response of heart to increase demands induced by systemic hypertention.

4. Valvular Heart Disease:
It results either from valves narrowing, incompetency or failure to close, thereby allowing reverse flow of blood.

5. Nonischemic Myocardial Diseases:
They results from infections of bacteria, viruses, fungi etc.
HEART FAILURE: It is the end point of all these conditions described above! Heart fails to pump blood at a rate commensurate with the body requirements.

Congenital heart defects are actually developmental abnormalities. Environmental factors such as rubella virus or teratogens, multifactorial genetics and maternal factors are also responsible for these diseases in babies.

In this context, some major heart disease since birth are discussed.

1. Tetralogy of Fallot: The four major features of this disease are ventricular septal defects(VSD), obstruction to right ventricular system, an aorta over-riding the VSD and increase size of right ventricle.
The major sign and symptoms are blue color of skin (cyanosis) especially around the mouth and nose, rapid heart beating and heart murmur. Complete surgical repair is possible.

2. Tricuspid Atresia: Complete occlusion of tricuspid valves orifices is known as tricuspid atresia. The right ventricle does not develop. Cyanosis and mortality is high in the first few weeks or months of life

3. Atrioventricular Septal Defects: Here all four chambers of heart communicate either partially or totally. Baby presented is reluctant to feed, sweaty and breathing fastly. Surgical repair is possible.

4. Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA): The ductus arteriosus remains open here after birth which normally gets obliterated after birth. Baby shows the signs of weight lost, fatigue, respiratory infections and fast breathing. It can be corrected by administration of prostaglandin in baby.

5. Atrial Septal Defect: It is the hole in the atrial septum. Blood flows through the hole from left atrium to right. These defects are the most common heart defects seen in children.
If left untreated, it may cause problem in adulthood as well. In babies symptoms are not present mostly and is diagnosed on physical examination and heart murmur.
Treatment of choice is either open heart surgery or placement of amplatzer septal occluder.

6. Coarctation of Aorta: This is the narrowing of aorta which is the major blood vessel carrying oxygenated blood from heart to the whole part of the body. It occurs when segment of the aorta is short. Newborns are often well until the ductus arteriosus closes and after it the symptoms appear abruptly and are usually severe.
It is diagnosed when the doctor fails to feel the pulse in the groin or legs of the baby. It can be corrected by continuous infusion of prostaglandin in infants. Surgical resection is also possible in case of older children.

7. Truncus Arteriosus: A baby with this defect has just one great vessel leaving the heart, instead of separate pulmonary artery and aorta. Baby is cyanotic and may acquire congested heart failure. Surgical repair is done to save the infant’s life.

With advancing age, the amount of heart fat increases, especially over the anterior surface of the right ventricle and in the atrium. There is also reduction in the size of the left ventricular cavity due to aging and is accentuated by increase blood pressure. This reduction in size can lead to obstruction to blood which leaves through the left ventricle of the heart normally.

Many changes are noted in the valves of heart with aging. These are accumulation of calcium salts in the valves. Since, we know there are four valves of heart namely tricuspid, bicuspid, mitral and aortic. They normally maintain the flow of blood into one direction. Calcification effects mostly mitral and arotic valves and therefore, leads toward narrowing of these valves. Unidirectional flow of blood cannot be maintained and heart then suffers. In addition to this, valves also become thickened with an advancing age as a result of fibrous tissues deposition. This casues mitral valve to buckle back towards the left atrium during ventricular systole and stimulates the mitral prolapse. Moreover, many older people develop some small filiform processes on arotic and mitral valves. These are called limbal excrescences.

Older people myocardium also has fewer myocytes, increased amount of collagenized connective tissues and in some people deposition of amyloid is also present. In muscle cells, the lipofuscin which is a pigment get deposited. In already small sized heart, there extensive amount of accumulation is called brown atrophy.
The coronary arteries, the major blood supplying arteries of the heart become tortous on advancing age due to loss of elasticity as well as due to antherosclerosis formation. Aorta also get dilated.

Thus, when individual become old, there are remarkable changes appear in the heart along with other changes either in the appearance or body. Although the morphologic changes described above are common in older person and they may mimic diseases but most of the time, they appear as clinical cardiac dysfunction in only minority of persons.

The symptoms of chest discomfort e.g. constricting, squeezing , choking or knifelike feelings for an interval of 15seconds-15 minutes while doing any physical activity, emotional excitement, any other exertion or even at rest points towards Angina.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFEMC0xLoAw

The heart disease which is most common throughout the world is Heart Attack (myocardial infarction). It is the leading cause of death. The signs and symptoms patient may experience are sweating weak and rapid pulse, swelling on the body and pulmonary congestion.

Right sided heart failure prominent features are edema(swelling) of legs when standing and in the back at sacrum region when recumbent. Spleen of a patient may get enlarged. There is accumulation of fluid in the abdomen. Fluid may also get accumulated around the lungs in pleural spaces giving the feeling of breathlessness.

Left Sided heart failure signs and symptoms include difficulty in breathing on exertion also when patient lays down (orthopnea). Thus, the orthopneic patient must sleep while sitting upright or using three or more pillows. There is a sign of swelling on the body plus the symptoms of irritability, loss of attention and restlessness.

In case of infectious diseases of heart like Infective Endocarditis patient suffers from fever which is the most consistent sign. Other may experience nonspecific fatigue, loss of weight and flulike symptoms. On auscultation with the help of stethoscope murmurs are present.

We usually hear about increase heart size~ the term cardiac hypertrophy or dilated myocardiopathy in medical language. In this disease the symptoms of breathlessness , easy fatigability, lethargy , poor capacity to do any physical work appear.

Some other signs of heart diseases like arrhythmias symptoms are either very fast or very slow heart beat.

These are some of the useful tools for monitoring one’s normal heart function and to alert the people if they are experiencing any such symptom , they should go for their check up!

Prevention of cardiac diseases can be done by changing one’s lifestyle from idle life to active life. Regular exercise, walk for 30 minutes, diet utilizing less salt and cholesterol, complete avoidance of smoking and alcohol and by maintaining ideal weight according to the height, one can be saved from the heart diseases.

In order to avoid second heart attack , one should use aspirin or other such drugs that inhibit formation of thrombi and cholesterol lowering drugs.

Person suffering from any heart disease , if going under any procedure e.g. dental , surgical or other invasive procedures can be prevented from heart infections by prophylactic use of antibiotics.

Each caramel chew is only twenty calories, so don’t worry about tipping the scales by munching on these each day. There are over .75 grams of plant stanol esters which has been medically proven to lower cholesterol if you take it on a regular basis. What are you waiting for? Try Benecol today!

Coronary Artery illness:

The commonest illness amongst these is the Angina pain. It is basically an uncomfortable feeling in your chest. The symptoms associated with these could be feeling of heaviness in the chest, pressure shooting up, pain in the chest, feeling of burning and acidity in the chest. Normally, people mistake this angina pain for a gas related problem or indigestion problem. This normally occurs in the chest area, it could also extend to one’s shoulders, upper part of the body including one’s neck, throat or jaw.

Other symptomatic conditions could be:

• Finding it difficult to breathe
• Feeling of giddiness
• Feeling to vomit
• Excessive perspiration
• Heart beating faster than usual
• High pulse rate

Heart Attack (MI)

This is also symptomatic. These symptoms are somewhat similar to that of an angina pain. It could be :

• Difficulty in breathing
• Giddiness or drowsiness
• Nausea feeling
• Sweating profusely
• High pulse rate
• Extreme fatigue

People suffering from Diabetes are at a greater risk of a silent heart attack or a myocardial infarction. If your feel you are experiencing all the symptoms of a heart attack, rush to your cardiologist immediately or any doctor in the nearby vicinity. This would help in reducing further damage to your heart.

Normally, when a person experiences a heart attack, the symptoms exist for about half an hour. In case one does not find relief in oral medications, then it is advised that you rush to your cardiologist immediately. The initial symptoms could be a feeling of discomfort which becomes a throbbing and unbearable pain.

Arrhythmias:

Symptoms would include:

• Palpitations, heart beats faster
• Hammering heart
• Feeling of giddiness
• Nausea
• Not able to breathe properly
• Strange feeling of tiredness

Atrial Fibrillation

This is also somewhat like Arrhythmia. People would experience symptoms like:

• Palpitation
• Tiredness
• Drowsiness
• Inability to breathe

Some people do not experience any symptoms absolutely. These attacks could also be briefer and and not for a very long time.

Heart Valve Disease:

Symptoms include:

• Not able to breathe properly or feeling of breathlessness
• Nausea
• Feeling of vomiting
• Drowsiness
• Chest pain
• Bloated feeling in the abdomen in case of heart failure
• Puffiness of ankles, arms and legs
• Bloated feeling in the stomach, around the belly

There could also be other symptoms like a quick gain in the weight of a person. Anyways, it has been proved that it is always better to be lighter because the excess weight gained in one’s body is the main cause behind a heart attack. The heart is not able to bear the excess weight.

Now how do we find out whether garlic consumption really lowers the level of cholesterol in our body?

People with a high level of cholesterol experience reduction in their cholesterol levels to about 20 %. Various studies have proved that consumption of garlic definitely results in a less cholesterol level. Let us see a few examples.

About 200 people were tested. Out of them, the group which consumed garlic powder of about 800 mgs for about 4 months showed results of lesser cholesterol levels. There was a dip of about 12 % in the cholesterol levels and 17 % dip in their triglycerides. The other group which did not consume cholesterol experienced a different result.

It has been definitely proved that there would be a dip of about 10 to 20 % of cholesterol levels when this superb spice is consumed. There is difference in the reduction of cholesterol levels when consumed either in powdered form or in a raw form. There are variations in cholesterol levels when consumed in various forms. It was established that consumption of raw garlic would show variations in the cholesterol levels as compared to garlic tablet. The concentration of allicin in raw garlic depends from one garlic pod to another garlic pod. In contrast to this, the dried powdered form of garlic has a specific concentration of allicin. It does not change from lot to lot.

The most recommended form of consuming garlic is in the tablet form. This is prepared by cooling and drying the garlic. This tries to hold the essential ingredients in the garlic. Each tablet ensured about 500 mgs of smell control garlic.

Since garlic has a peculiar odor attached to it, people find it difficult to consume this tablet. Hence, many reputed laboratories are in the process of cooling and drying the garlic and making it into a tablet form, thereby all reducing the odor associated with it.

U.S researchers have established that about 66 % of the Americans experience high cholesterol. It is not so high that cardiologist has to prescribe a tablet. Neither it is too low that it can be ignored. But it definitely has to be looked into.

Let us try and understand the levels of cholesterol and the cause for concern.
In case your total level of cholesterol is below 200 mg/ml then you do not have to worry. If it has shot up slightly between 200 and 239mgs/ml, then your cholesterol level is slightly on the higher side and it is cause to worry.

Your doctor would normally prescribe a tablet filled with garlic supplements so as to lessen your cholesterol levels.

There are also various other medicines available on the shelves of medical stores, which boasts of reducing your cholesterol levels

The disturbing fact is it is true and possible. Individuals whose parents have a problem of clogged arteries and cholesterol deposits are more likely to have them also. Besides heredity, the Race and ethnic influence are other factors. For instance, African Americans are more at risk of hypertension and consequently they are at greater risk of developing heart disease and even stroke.

Individuals whose family history reveals suffering from diabetes, gout or high cholesterol levels are also at greater risk of heart disease.
Studies on the genetic impact with regard to diseases like heart, stroke and hypertension is still on and these are being conducted over a large mass. The impact at an individual level is still unknown.
An individual with a heart defect since birth is more prone to have a child with a similar defect than the public in general. Study is still on about isolating the genes that cause these problems.
This does not imply that you are helpless and can do nothing about heredity induced diseases. Stop worrying about what you cannot change and start modifying your daily routine to include a lot of exercise, a diet which is balanced and quit tobacco oriented products. Knowledge about what is beneficial to you and adhering to a disciplined diet and exercise regimen will go a long way to minimize the effects of any disease and can even prevent them. In the meanwhile you can check the family’s previous medical records and try to glean information. The records will give you valuable insights into the health conditions of your grandparents, aunts, nephews. With this, you will be able to understand:

• Reasons of their death.
• The age at which they contracted the disease and their medical condition at that time. Critical parameters influencing their condition.
• Their cultural and ethnic surroundings and milieu.
  It is important to speak to your family physician and share the information you have gathered. He will use it as a base to:
• Check the exposure to disease.
• Advise modifications in the daily routine to enable prevention of the disease.
• Recommend examination and other investigation tests to ascertain the presence of the disease.

When you are faced with such an event, and you are witness to some of the symptoms mentioned below, you need to call for the doctor. Hence having that number within easy access is most important to start with.

Look out for the following indications:

• A bloated feeling near the abdomen and absolute lack of interest to consume food accompanied by a desire to vomit.
• Extreme tiredness and a feeling of lethargy. No keenness to go about the daily chores.
• An existing upper tract infection of the respiratory canal becoming worse.
• Rapid heart beat at over 100 per minute.
• Intermittent and inconsistent heartbeat
• Pain in the chest and an uncomfortable feeling when active and which lessens when the person rests.
• Experiences breathlessness either during activity or even during resting periods.
• Irregular sleeping hours and a feeling of sleep deficit. Lethargy and the constant feeling of needing to sleep. Reluctance to get up despite not getting sleep.
• Urge to urinate not as frequent as before.
• A feeling of acute restlessness accompanied by a confused mind. Not able to explain clearly what is the problem to near and dear ones.
• Apprehensive about maintaining balance and a feeling of giddiness. The perception of instability remains for a period of time and is not intermittent.
• Very poor appetite over a period of time and no improvement.

When Should My Loved One Go to the Emergency Department?
You need to immediately call for the ambulance if the person complains of,

• A fresh bout of chest pain that is sudden and is accompanied by breathlessness, excessive sweating or a general feeling of weakness and desire to vomit.
• Rapid heart rate (more than 100-130 beats per minute) and accompanied by breathlessness.
• Breathlessness that does not get better with rest.
• A sudden inability to move the leg or arm.
• Acute pain and ache in the head.
• Dizziness and fainting leading to unconscious state.

Hope the above article has given clear instruction on how to diagnose and what steps to take to protect someone with heart problems.