Heart disease: Types, Symptoms, and Causes

Posted By Suborna Fermi Posted on May 22, 2023

Heart disease is one of the main reasons for death worldwide. As we know many factors including high blood pressure, being overweight, smoking and many other unhealthy habits contribute to developing a heart disease. However, the good thing is, we can prevent our chances of getting a heart disease.

What is heart disease?

Heart disease refers to the conditions that affect our cardiovascular health, such as arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, heart failure and others. Heart disease can affect people with all ages and gender.

What are the types of heart disease?

Several conditions can affect the heart and arteries, some of the conditions may include:

• Coronary heart disease: Coronary artery disease is commonly known as coronary heart disease, and is one of the most common heart disorders. This condition takes place when the arteries that supply oxygen to the heart get blocked with plaque. This plaque is a result of the combination of cholesterol and other substances. And as a result of the blockage, the heart gets less oxygen which increases the risk of arrhythmias and heart attacks.
• Arrhythmia: Irregular heartbeat is called arrhythmia, which takes place when the electrical pulses do not work correspondingly with heartbeat. And this can cause the heart to beat either rapidly or slowly. There are multiple types of arrhythmias, and they can be severely life threatening to some people.
• Heart failure: Generally, heart failure indicates that the heart is not working as it should. Heart failure can be a consequence of untreated high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and coronary heart disease. This is a serious condition, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
• Congenital heart defects: Congenital heart defects refers when a person is born with a heart related problem. Atypical heart valves, septal defects, and atresia are the known type of congenital heart defects. This type of heart disease does not show any symptoms, it can only be detected during a health checkup.
• Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is a genetic heart condition, where the heart muscles harden up and cannot properly pump blood.

What are the symptoms of heart disease?

The symptoms depend on the type of heart disease you have, and also some of the heart diseases do not show any symptoms. A child with congenital heart defects may have bluish staining of the skin and be unable to engage in physical activities. However, here are a few symptoms which generally indicate a heart problem:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breathing
• Breathing issues
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Edema

On the other hand, symptoms of heart attack may include:

• Chest Pain
• Shallow breathing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Nausea
• Heart palpitation
• Stomach pain
• Excessive sweating
• Arm, jaw and back pain
• Feeling of being choked
• Swollen legs

A heart attack may result in cardiac arrest, where the heart stops completely and the body no longer functions anymore. If you see anyone with cardiac arrest, seek emergency help immediately.

What are the causes of heart disease?

There are multiple causes which depend on the type of heart disease you have. However, here are a few reasons which can contribute to heart disease:

• Damage in a part of the heart
• A problem with the rhythm of the heart
• A problem with blood vessels that lead to the heart
• A low oxygen supply to the heart

Apart from that there are multiple lifestyle and genetic factors that can contribute to heart disease. Family history of heart disease, increasing age, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, anxiety, depression and other factors can develop a heart disease.

Heart disease is very common, yet extremely serious. Untreated heart disease can even lead to death. Apart from the heart diseases that are caused by genetics, you can prevent certain types of heart diseases.