The heart is a muscle, kind of similar to the other muscles of the body, with one exception that is its function. With the help of the right amount of blood supply, it provides oxygen. This helps the heart to pump blood and distribute it throughout the body. Using the coronary arteries, the heart pumps blood to itself too.
If the coronary arteries become thin and slender in their thickness, it will prevent Sufficient blood to reach the heart itself. This leads to aching in the heart muscles. it will increase if the coronary arteries continue to become thin. this kind of phenomenon is normally experienced by every person during exercise or heavy activities. But in the case of exercise, this kind of situation stays for only a short time. However, if a person is experiencing such discomfort as chest pain, shortness of breath, and pain spreading to the neck and arms, etc. It might be a serious issue that requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms may be an indication of heart diseases.
Multiple types of heart diseases can occur in a person at any point of time in life, starting from birth to death. A few of these are discussed here:
Types of Heart Diseases
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease is the most frequent and popular type of heart ailments that develops within a person at any point of time in life. It is also known as coronary heart disease and ischemic heart disease.
It is a condition when the coronary arteries are damaged due to plaque. These get trapped inside the arteries and make them narrow and hard. It is caused when cholesterol is built up. This is normally called plaque.
This cholesterol prevents the sufficient supply of blood that reduces the amount of oxygen and vital nutrients transferred to the heart.
As time gradually goes by, the heart muscle becomes weak, which increases the fear of heart failure. The government symptoms that a CAD patient experiences may include:
- Chest pain
- Indigestion
- Shortness of breath
- Pressure in the chest, etc.
Congenital heart defects
Congenital heart defects are a disease that happens to a person at the time of birth. These patients are born with a defect in the heart.
CDC reports say that in the US, there are 1,000,000 children and 1.4 million adults who are living their lives with these congenital Heart defects.
There are various types of this disease which may include a case where there is a presence of a hole in the wall of the heart or a situation where valves may leak blood or work abnormally or a situation where one of the heart valves is not present.
In normal cases, people having congenital heart disease may not experience any symptoms. The disease can only be diagnosed at the time of normal medical check-ups. An abnormal blood flow or a heart murmur Are the signs that the doctors look for at the time of diagnosis. Though most people normally, don’t experience symptoms, some may feel discomforts in the body like:
- Irregular heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Difficulty in breathing, etc.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia Is a condition where a person experiences irregular heart rhythm.
There is a group of cells called the sinus node present on the uppermost part of the heart. Its function is to send electrical signals. This helps the heart to beat in a proper rhythm. It makes sure that the heart rate is consistent throughout.
If this electrical system is malfunctioning inside the body, it will lead to irregularities in the heart rate. This disease is called arrhythmia.
There are several types of this disease. Among them, one is Tachycardia, where the patient experiences extremely fast heartbeats at a rate of 100 BPM or even more. The second type is Bradycardia. In this case, the patient experience is extremely slow heartbeats at a rate of 50 BPM or even Lower.
The patient may experience symptoms like:
- Chest pain
- Slow pulse
- Dizziness
- Light-headed and shakiness
- Unsteadiness, etc.
Cardiomyopathy
It is a condition where an individual’s Heart muscles stretch and then turn thin and weak. It is then unable to pump blood throughout the body. The symptoms that people with this disease experience are:
- Shortage of breath
- coughing while laying down
- fatigue
- bloating
- rapid heartbeats
- pressure in the chest
- dizziness, etc.
Factors responsible for Heart Diseases
Diseases do not occur overnight. It takes years to develop such ailments. There are multiple factors responsible for such diseases. Irregular lifestyle, unhealthy food habits, skipping of meals, lack of basic exercises, stress, pollution, etc., are only a few among the list causing such diseases. Even hereditary is a factor here. Studies have shown that if a person in the family had suffered from heart diseases, his successors may suffer from the same ailment in the future too.
Conclusion
There are multiple other types of heart diseases developing inside a person, which makes it one of the major causes of premature death in the world today. However, all these ailments are curable with proper medications, and most importantly, with the right lifestyle. Regular exercise and a well-balanced diet which is low on carbs and fats are the best way to keep the heart condition healthy.