Know Your Risk for Heart Diseases

Heart disease encompasses several conditions that cause problems in the heart. Complications resulting from heart disease can be fatal and are one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Healthy lifestyle changes can help avoid or manage several forms of heart disease. Understanding heart disease risk factors can help one take appropriate measures to prevent it. Additionally, knowing heart disease symptoms can help early detection, preventing severe complications.

Read on to learn more about what increases the risk of heart disease, how to identify its symptoms, how it is diagnosed, and more.

What is Heart Disease?

Heart disease is a broad term associated with various conditions that cause issues with the heart or blood vessels. The following conditions are typically classified as heart diseases:

1. Coronary artery disease
2. Irregular heartbeats
3. Congenital heart problems
4. Heart infections
5. Heart failure

What are the Symptoms of Heart Disease?

The heart disease symptoms depend upon the type of the disease. Some common symptoms of heart disease, such as coronary artery disease, irregular heartbeat and congenital heart problems, include:

1. Weakness in arms and legs
2. Coldness
3. Numbness
4. Light-headedness
5. Dizziness
6. Fainting spells
7. Shortness of breath
8. Swollen lower legs, arms or feet
9. Weak or irregular pulse
10. Shortness of breath

Early heart failure symptoms can be mild and nonspecific, but if left unaddressed, can progress to more serious complications. Early detection of this condition is essential to prevent it from progressing. Some early congestive heart failure symptoms include:

1. Fatigue
2. Swelling in ankles, feet and legs
3. Weight gain
4. Frequent need to urinate, especially at night

What Increases the Risk of Heart Disease?

The various factors which can elevate the risk of heart disease are:

1. Age: The risk of arteries narrowing and damaging increases with age. Ageing can also make the heart muscle weak and thick, increasing the risk of heart disease.
2. Sex:Men are at a more serious risk of heart disease.
3. Family History: A family history of heart disease increases one’s risk of developing it. The risk is higher if one has a male parent who developed heart disease before the age of 55 or a female parent who developed it before the age of 65.
4. Smoking: Smoking is one of the most prominent risk factors for heart disease. Cigarettes contain substances that damage the arteries. Hence, the heart attack risk for smokers is higher than for non-smokers.
5. Diet: A diet high in fat, sugar, cholesterol, and salt increases the risk of heart disease. Additionally, consuming processed food daily also increases heart disease risk.
6. High Blood Pressure: High blood pressure, when uncontrolled, can make the arteries thick and stiff, thereby interrupting blood flow to the heart. Hence, unchecked blood pressure is a prominent risk factor for heart disease.
7. Cholesterol: High cholesterol can cause plaque accumulation in the arteries, raising the risk of coronary artery disease.
8. Obesity: Obesity can typically worsen other heart disease risk factors.
9. Diabetes: Having uncontrolled high blood sugar can increase the risk of heart disease.
10. Lack of Physical Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle worsens the risk of many types of heart disease.
11. Stress: Untreated stress can damage the arteries and increase the risk of heart disease.
12. Poor Dental Hygiene: Poor dental hygiene can lead to germs entering the bloodstream and reaching the heart, causing heart infections.

How is Heart Disease Diagnosed?

Heart disease is usually diagnosed using physical exams, blood tests, and non-invasive tests.

1. Physical Exam: In the physical exam, the doctor usually looks at and evaluates physical symptoms to diagnose heart disease.
2. Blood Tests: Doctors can use blood tests to look for signs of infection or determine cholesterol levels.
3. Non-invasive Tests: Non-invasive tests include MRI, CT-scan, ECG, echocardiogram, etc. MRI, CT scan and echocardiogram seek to recreate heart images in various levels of detail. An EKG is used to check the beating of the heart.

How to Prevent Heart Disease?

Implementing heart-healthy lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of heart disease. Some tips for for the same are:

1. Avoiding smoking
2. Eating a diet low in salt and saturated fat
3. Maintaining a healthy weight
4. Managing stress
5. Controlling high blood pressure and diabetes
6. Getting 7 to 9 hours of sound sleep daily

Heart disease has several risk factors. However, many of these risk factors can be lowered through healthy diet and lifestyle changes, lowering the overall risk of heart disease. The early symptoms of heart disease are often easy to miss. Upon noticing any symptoms of heart disease given here, it is always a good idea to consult a doctor and get tested at Dr Lal PathLabs.

FAQs

1. Is there a cure for heart disease?

Heart disease cannot be cured or reversed. However, it can be managed through medication, surgery and lifestyle changes.

2. What are the complications of heart disease?

1. Stroke
2. Heart failure
3. Heart attack
4. Sudden cardiac arrest