Author: Sangati Jogwar

The heart is such an important organ that several factors affect the heart.

Clear awareness is required to know what are common heart problems

Did You Know?

Cardio Vascular Diseases are more common health issues in Indian families, according to a recent study CVDs account for one-third of all deaths in the country.
Approximately 200 million people will suffer from heart-related diseases in India By 2025 year 

Moreover, the network of the system of the heart runs so vastly that any defect or damage to either of the parts of the system naturally affects the working of the heart or its efficiency and hence comes under heart issues.

What Are Common Heart Problems? 

Heart-related health problems are many types, we will discuss a few common heart health issues here,

1. Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is also known as coronary heart disease or heart disease and is the topmost killer in the United States, affecting around 13 million Americans.

In India alone, four people die due to this heart disease every minute and the people dying are young in the age group of 30 and 50.

These facts are alarming.

How does it occur?

• Atherosclerosis is a condition where arteries become rigid and narrow, restricting blood flow to the heart.
• Plaque buildup starts in young life and increases with age, causing inflammation of blood vessel walls.
• Plaque releases healing chemicals to heal blood vessel walls, but other elements like lipoproteins, calcium, and inflammatory cells stick to them.
• Exercise or stress can deteriorate heart health, leading to blood clots blocking blood supply, leading to heart attacks.
• Blockage of blood vessels in the brain can result in ischemic stroke and haemorrhage stroke.

Common Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease

• Chest pain or angina is the most common symptom of coronary artery disease.
• Angina symptoms include burning, aching, heaviness, fullness, numbness, pressure, painful feeling or squeezing in the heart.
• Other symptoms include palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, dizziness or weakness.
   

Treatments for Coronary Artery Disease

• Lifestyle changes
• Following a healthy diet
• Therapeutic lifestyle changes or TLC that include weight management, physical activity, and a healthy diet
• DASH (Dietary approach to stop hypertension) diet that focuses on wholegrain, fruits, and vegetables and eating foods that have less amount of sodium, fats, and cholesterol.
• Quit smoking
• Managing stress
• Medications to reduce load on the heart and also to prevent or prolong angioplasty
• Surgeries such as angioplasty (percutaneous coronary intervention )and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
• Cardiac Rehabilitation
   

2. Cardiomegaly (Enlarged Heart)

• Cardiomegaly is a condition in which the heart is enlarged. It can be caused due to coronary heart disease or high blood pressure.
• An enlarged heart cannot pump the blood effectively causing congestive heart failure.
• With proper treatment there are chances of improvement over time however, such patients need to keep on taking medications for life.
• The heart can keep on pumping the blood up to a particular level of enlargement of its size.
• Once the heart enlarges beyond a point, the ability of the heart to pump blood declines and leads to a condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy a type of cardiomegaly.
• In dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart is enlarged from both the right and left sides.
• In other types of cardiomegaly mostly the muscular left ventricle of the heart becomes abnormally thick due to hypertension or an inherited condition leading to conditions known as hypertrophy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy respectively.

Apart from high blood pressure, other causes are:

• Abnormal heart valve
• Pregnancy with enlargement of the heart during delivery
• HIV infection
• Kidney disease
• Cocaine or alcohol abuse
• Inherited and genetic conditions

Did You Know?

When in some cases enlargement of the heart occurs without any cause the condition is known as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
 

Symptoms of Cardiomegaly

Generally, there are no symptoms. Some of the very common symptoms include:

• Weight gain
• Swelling in the leg
• The increased girth of the abdomen
• Fatigue
• Skipped heartbeats

Treatment for Cardiomegaly

• Fluid control
• Controlling blood pressure
• Strengthening the heart
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy
• Heart pump
• Heart transplant
• Heart valve repair

3. Heart Attacks and Related Diseases

A heart attack is a common problem that affects millions of people in the world. Also known as myocardial infarction it damages the heart muscle permanently.

How does it occur?

• Heart muscle is in constant need of an oxygen-rich supply of blood for nourishment.
• This nourishment is provided by the coronary arteries to the heart.
• Due to some diseases, the coronary arteries can become narrow and the flow of blood is restricted or is not adequate.
• The extra deposits of proteins, calcium, inflammatory cells as well as fatty matter when building inside the arteries form a particular type of mushy and soft plaque inside and hard deposits on the outside.
• This leads to the cracking of plaque or platelets causing the formation of blood clots that can block the artery leaving the heart muscle deprived of oxygen.
• This leads to the death of heart muscle leading to permanent damage and consequently heart attack.

Did You Know ?

Heart muscle takes around eight weeks for healing after the heart attack; however, it forms a scar that lacks the ability to contract.

This reduces the pumping ability of the heart after the attack.

Symptoms of Heart Attack

• Heaviness, pain, pressure or discomfort in the arm, below the breastbone or chest
• Discomfort that moves to the arm, throat, jaw or back
• Choking feeling, indigestion or fullness
• Vomiting, dizziness, sweating, nausea
• Irregular heartbeats or rapid
• Anxiety, shortness of breath, extreme weakness

Note: The symptoms of heart attack can last for 30 minutes or even more and are usually not relieved even after rest or putting nitroglycerin below the tongue.

Note: Silent heart attack without any symptoms occurs in patients with diabetes.

Treatment

• Antiplatelet medications prevent blood clot formation in the arteries
• Anticoagulant medications for preventing blood clot growth
• Coronary angiography for opening blocked coronary arteries
• Supplemental oxygen for increasing the supply of oxygen to the muscles of the heart
• Medications that dissolve clots and open up blocked arteries
• Medications that prevent abnormal heart rhythms
• Cardiac surgery

4. Abnormal Heart Rhythm or Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is a disease in which the patient suffers from an irregular heartbeat.

However, an irregular heartbeat is not similar to an irregular heart rate; rather these two rarely occur together.

Normally the heart rate is around 50 to 100 beats/minute. A person can get Arrhythmia condition despite having a normal heart rate.

Causes of Arrhythmia

• Different factors can cause this heart disease such as: Heart muscle changes
• Coronary artery disease
• Imbalance of electrolytes such as potassium or sodium in the blood
• Heart attack injury
• Healing from heart surgery

Arrhythmias can occur suddenly even without any cause.

Types of Arrhythmias

Arrhythmias are of different types including:

Premature ventricular contractions

• This is the most common of all the arrhythmias and can affect even people without any heart issues.
• In this condition, the heart tends to skip a heartbeat.
• It is usually caused due to excess use of caffeine or nicotine products, and stress over-exercising.
• This condition is harmless and rarely needs treatment.

Premature Atrial contractions

• In this condition, the heart beats at an extra rate.
• It is harmless and does not need any treatment.

Atrial Fibrillation

• In this condition, the atria in the upper heart chambers contract abnormally causing an irregular heartbeat.

Atrial Flutter

• This condition is caused due to rapid circuits present within the atrium.
• This type of arrhythmia affects people who mostly have heart disease or who have undergone heart surgery.
• Ultimately, it is converted into atrial fibrillation.

Treatment/ Care for Arrhythmias

• Taking medications
• Regularly monitoring pulse using an artificial pacemaker
• Avoiding substances such as tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, cold and cough medications, psychotropic drugs, appetite suppressants, beta-blockers, street drugs such as cocaine, speed or marijuana, and antiarrhythmics
• Other prevention and treatment measures include avoiding smoking, losing weight, engaging in physical activity, controlling cholesterol, reduce high blood pressure

5. Heart Valve Disease

When the efficiency of the heart valve deteriorates, heart valve disease occurs.

The heart valves are present at the exit of each of the four chambers of the heart and regulate the one-way flow of blood all through the heart.

These valves ensure that the blood flows freely all through the four heart chambers in the forward direction without leaking backwards.

Valvular Insufficiency

• This disease is also known as a leaky valve, regurgitation or incompetence.
• It occurs when the valve of the heart does not close firmly.
• This leads to leakage of the blood in a backward direction.
• Due to this, the heart has to work harder to make up for the loss of blood flow in the forward direction.
• This affects the valve and conditions known as tricuspid regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, pulmonary regurgitation or aortic regurgitation depending upon the type of valve that is affected.

Valvular Stenosis

• Sometimes the heart valve becomes stiff or its leaflets are fused owing to which the heart valve does not open fully.
• Due to this, the flow of the blood through that particular valve is restricted and the heart has to work harder to pass on the required amount of blood.
• This leads to heart failure or the development of stenosis known as tricuspid stenosis, mitral stenosis, pulmonic stenosis, or aortic stenosis.

Treatments for Heart Valve Disease

• Repairing valves through balloon valvuloplasty or replacing valves
• Following healthy diet
• Preventing heart infection known as infective endocarditis by following healthy dental hygiene
• Using heart failure medications to drain excess of fluid
• Lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure

{ Also Read: What are the first aid tips for heart attack? }

Latest Treatments

Researchers and health experts are always trying to come up with better treatments that are less invasive, painless, and more effective. Two such tests have been successfully tried.

1. Corus CAD test

Also known as the CardioDx test, during this procedure 23 different genes are checked to confirm the presence of heart disease in your body.

This test is expected to reduce the need for carrying out several tests for diagnosing a particular type of heart disease.

It is especially recommended for patients having chest pain but are not diabetic.
 

2. Hemoglobin A1c

This blood test is usually recommended for diabetes. However, health experts have not started recommending it to determine the presence of heart disease in prediabetic or diabetic patients.

Since diabetes can damage the arteries, lowering A1c below 7 per cent can greatly help to prolong the onset of coronary artery disease.
 

CIMT or Plaque Scan

• Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Testing is almost similar to a carotid ultrasound and makes use of sound waves for detecting blockages in the carotid artery, which is the main artery supplying blood to the brain.
• The thickness of the internal lining of the coronary artery is measured using a plaque scan the complex software.
• The treatment is very new and is yet to be made available for diagnosis but hopefully, will be introduced in the coming days.
• Early detection of coronary artery plaque problems by this test can help to lower the chances of heart disease.

Consult your physician or cardiologist for any heart related  health issues and take care of your heart properly

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The heart pushes millions of gallons of blood to different parts of your body throughout your lifetime.

The blood carries hormones, oxygen, and other compounds to essential cells with a steady flow. So when your heart stops, the vital functions of your body fail.

Given the heart’s workload, you must take good care of your heart to maintain a healthy life.

Nonetheless, some mistakes affect how your heart works.

What Is a Heart-Healthy Life?

A heart-healthy life means understanding your risks, making healthy choices, and taking steps to avoid mistakes that cause heart disease.

Preventive care reduces your risk of cardiovascular illnesses that could cause a heart attack.

Also, a healthy lifestyle enhances a more manageable management plan even if you are at a higher risk due to genetics or chronic kidney disease.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) cause 1 in every 3 deaths worldwide.

To reduce this, cardiologists from prestigious heart hospitals strongly advocate changing your lifestyle toward a healthier heart.

You can only maintain a healthy heart if you take deliberate action to inform yourself and take the necessary precautions to avoid an unhealthy lifestyle.

When the heart does not get proper care, you can develop serious problems in different parts of it.

Thus, you are better off starting and maintaining a healthy life before age catches up with you.

8 Heart Health Mistakes Made by Men Age 45 and Up

Middle age is associated with many of life’s ups and downs that could see you easily neglect good health.

Also, your heart requires constant care to maintain proper function as you age.

Mistakes could cause you a lot of heart-related health issues, which is why you should avoid the errors below.

1. Lack of Preventive Maintenance

High cholesterol and high blood pressure start to appear in middle age.

Nonetheless, studies have shown that men are less likely to go for annual checkups and tend to ignore pain.

Also, middle-aged men do not easily report symptoms like fatigue, chest pain, and breathlessness.

If the symptoms indicate a heart attack, you will miss the opportunity for early management.

The only ideal solution is to consult your doctor for early diagnosis and treatment.

Also, if you ignore regular tests, you miss the early signs that could help you prevent or manage heart disease.

2. Failure To Address Erectile Dysfunction

If you constantly find it difficult to get or maintain an erection, the problem probably lies more in your heart functioning than your mental state.

Erectile dysfunction happens when you can’t get enough blood flow to your penis.

Sometimes the problem lies in the blood vessels, which could indicate that the blood vessels to your heart are also damaged.

Erectile dysfunction could also happen when plaque builds up in your artery walls, thus restricting blood flow to the penis, heart, and brain.

In such a case, erectile dysfunction begins several years before any other signs of a heart attack.

3. Poor Mental Health

Poor psychological health puts a strain on your heart and causes cardiovascular illnesses.

For instance, if you don’t manage stress, you risk problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Whereas you cannot avoid the duress that life brings, you can take measures to reduce the impact.

Unfortunately, most men ignore mental needs and eventually develop heart strain.

Proper mental health does not have to be an exhausting task.

You can start with good relationships with people close to you, such as family and friends.

Don’t be engrossed in work and miss the crucial moments that minimize stress.

Create a regular exercise schedule or use relaxation techniques like meditation.

4. Unhealthy Diet

The nitrates, preservatives, and salt that preserve processed foods can damage your heart.

In addition, highly processed, high-fat, and high-sugar foods put unnecessary pressure on your body.

Your body strains to filter substances when you consume unhealthy foods.

As a result, high cholesterol clogs your arteries and increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.

High sugar increases your risk of high blood pressure and obesity and, in turn, raises the chances of stroke and heart disease.

You find excessive sugar in drinks such as sweetened fruit drinks, sports drinks, and soda.

For example, a soda contains sugar equal to 10 teaspoons, which increases your chance of obesity and overwhelms your heart.

5. Lack of and Improper Exercise Techniques

Cardiovascular and weight training keep your heart in good shape.

Weight training exercises your heart and other muscles, improves blood flow to your brain, and lowers blood pressure.

A 30-minute exercise session daily can improve your heart health.

While you work out, do the exercises right—first warm-up before starting the session to prepare your body and heart for HIIT.

Also, do not rush things when you start a new exercise program.

Instead, start the new program slowly and let your body adjust and recover between sessions.

6. Excessive Cigarette and Alcohol Consumption

Smoking harms your lungs, bladder, and body’s filtration system.

Toxins from cigarette smoke get into your blood system and get to your heart as the blood circulates throughout the body.

Also, smoking damages blood vessels, reduces blood oxygen levels, and causes faster heartbeats.

All these factors make your heart condition worse.

Moderate amounts of alcohol could help slightly increase the levels of good HDL cholesterol.

On the other hand, excessive alcohol intake predisposes you to stroke, hypertension, and heart failure.

Experts recommend that men have two to three alcoholic drinks per day.

Finally, too much alcohol is a source of excess calories and causes weight gain, harming your heart.

7. Diabetes

Diabetes has a significant impact on your blood sugar and arteries.

If you fail to check your diabetic status, sugars will build up in your blood.

A general principle is that the longer you live with untreated diabetes, the more blood sugar adds up.

As a result, you risk problems like vision loss, stroke, and heart disease.

Also, excess sugar damages arteries in all parts of your body.

Diabetic management is only possible if you check with your doctor to get diagnosed.

Nonetheless, many middle-aged men do not know their diabetic status and do not manage their heart condition early.

If you are part of the many people who have postponed getting a diagnosis for your symptoms, visit your doctor to have your status checked.

8. Poor Quality Sleep

Your body repairs itself when you get adequate sleep of seven hours.

Studies show that sleep issues such as fragmented sleep and sleep deprivation hurt your heart health.

If you strain to fall or stay asleep, you are at a higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

The stage of your sleep that benefits the heart most is NREM sleep , which is why interrupted sleep affects your heart health.

Also, your blood pressure falls during normal sleep. However, the pressure doesn’t dip in poor sleep, hence a higher risk of hypertension.

ACLS Algorithms

Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) algorithms assess, manage, and treat your symptoms of a cardiovascular emergency. ACLS algorithms aim to stabilize your condition and restore normal vital signs.

Based on the severity of your state, you will require a few or many algorithm procedures. Below are some ACLS algorithms used for heart emergencies.

Cardiac Arrest Algorithm

The cardiac arrest algorithm is the most crucial and openly used ACLS algorithm.

The procedure applies if you suffer respiratory arrest, even if you are unconscious or unresponsive.

In such a case, respiration is absent or inadequate to maintain oxygenation.

Acute Coronary Syndrome Algorithm (ACS algorithm)

ACS algorithm assesses and manages complications associated with a sudden reduction in blood flow to your heart.

A typical case is a myocardial infarction when your doctor assesses the severity of your condition.

After observation, the doctor decides whether the ideal therapy for you is a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or fibrinolytic therapy.

Tachycardia Algorithm

Tachycardia occurs when your heart beats more than 100 times per minute.

Metabolic dysfunction, stress shock, fever, and medications cause an exaggerated heart rate.

The tachycardia ACLS algorithm requires that your doctor perform cardioversion if your condition is unstable.

Bradycardia Algorithm

In contrast to the tachycardia algorithm, bradycardia refers to a low heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute.

The bradycardia algorithm treats situations that call for immediate medical intervention.

You will require emergency services if you suffer second or third heart block type bradycardia.

Pulseless Arrest Algorithm

As the name suggests, the ACLS algorithm is applied to you if you do not have any pulse. Often, your pulse will fail if you have ventricular fibrillation, a condition that becomes fatal if not treated in a short time. Your doctor uses rapid defibrillation to get you back to normal.

Stroke Algorithm 

You get a stroke when the blood supply to your brain is interrupted, and you suffer an acute neurological impairment. You could either get a hemorrhagic stroke or ischemic stroke, the more common type.

The ACLS algorithm does not treat hemorrhagic stroke and only works for ischemic stroke.

Suspected Opioid Overdose Algorithm

The ACLS algorithm deals with excess opioids in your system. Opioids depress your central nervous system, which means an overdose slows down and eventually shuts down your central nervous system.

If you consume an excess amount of opiates, your doctor uses the suspected opioid overdose algorithm to restore your body systems.

Conclusion

Heart disease is preventable and manageable if you take the proper precautions and avoid costly mistakes. Because most heart illnesses start during middle age, you should take active steps to stay healthy.

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