Heart disease, as the name implies, is an affliction of heart and its associated systems. Around 13 million people suffer from coronary heart disease, with 479,000 people dying from it each year. Congenital heart disease affects 8-10 out of 1,000 children every year in America.
Heart disease has branched into different types, each disease having its own causal factors, symptoms, treatment procedures, and prevention measures. However, still there are certain similarities in the symptoms and diagnoses among the numerous types of heart diseases.
Different types of heart diseases include coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, heart valve disease, heart muscle disease, aorta disease, pericardial disease, heart failure, and many, many more.
Some common symptoms of heart disease include chest discomfort, pain in different parts of the body, shortness of breath, nausea, coldness, vomiting, unexplained severe headaches, sweating, anxiousness, heartburn, swelling in limbs and tissues, and many more.
Sometimes, there might not be any symptoms of heart disease. Hence, it is called a silent killer also.
Usually, diagnosis is possible through tests which are conducted especially for this purpose. Some tests include electrocardiography tests, which measures the electrical activity when the person is at rest; laboratory tests, which includes blood testing; nuclear imaging; ultrasound; radiological imaging; invasive tests, which involves the insertion of catheters into the heart’s blood vessels for closer examination; and many more.
Heart disease prevention lies in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping a good diet. One should be particularly careful if high cholesterol, diabetes, and other problems run in the family. Some heart diseases are triggered by these factors.
Apart from this, medications are also available to keep blood pressure, diabetes, and other undesirable things in control. For those suffering from severe heart disease, surgery remains the ultimate remedy.
Heart disease is a dangerous disease which can slowly strengthen its hold on people without their being even aware of it. One has to be particularly careful and recognize its symptoms, besides taking good care to prevent from being a victim.
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Coronary Heart Disease
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The most common form of death among Americans is coronary heart disease. About 13 million people get it every year. A leading cause of death among men and women, it should be properly diagnosed and treated at its early stages. Coronary heart disease is otherwise...
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Heart Disease Symptoms
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How important is it for us to be aware of the symptoms of heart disease? Is it necessary to know about it at all? Statistics reveal that millions of people in America are affected by heart disease. Millions die each year due to this. To...
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Congenital Heart Disease
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Congenital heart disease affects children, infants, and even fetuses, which are still developing inside the uterus. Today, as statistics state, 8 out of every 1,000 children are affected with this disease. A disease with few known causes, congenital heart disease is dangerous. Doctors have failed...
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Heart Attacks
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A heart attack is the result of blockages in the coronary arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. These blockages pause or cease blood flow into the heart, leading to pain in and the eventual death of the heart muscle. Since the heart...
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Preventing Heart Attacks
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Prevention is better than cure. This adage holds true especially for heart disease. It is better to give attention to your cardiac health after your teenage years. Identifying risk factors and striving to keep them low is an important first step in preventing heart attacks....
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Alcoholic Liver Disease
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Alcoholic liver disease occurs due to an acute or chronic inflammation of the liver due to alcohol abuse. This disease usually occurs after a prolonged use of alcohol. In the United States 10% of men and 3% of women suffer from problems related to alcoholic...
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Crohns Disease Symptoms
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Liver Disease Symptoms
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Liver disease may not show any symptoms at first, as symptoms can be vague. This includes weakness and loss of energy. Other symptoms include jaundice that is a disease of the gall bladder. Jaundice is one of the main symptoms of liver disease. Jaundice can...
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Crohn’s Disease Causes
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Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, indicating that an infection is present in the digestive system, at any location ranging from the top of the esophagus to the rectum. Crohn’s disease is considered to be chronic, meaning that it will exist for a patient’s...
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Crohns Disease
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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are those that cause inflammation in the intestines. One of these is Crohn’s disease, which usually affects the lower part of the small intestine, called the ileum. While Crohn’s disease is characterized by ulcerations of the intestines, it can affect any...