What is Heart Disease?

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. One person dies every 36 seconds from heart disease, and about 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year. 

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As fast food restaurants increase and physical activity decreases, the health of Americans have been on a steady decline. Diabetes and obesity have been causing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, which could lead to heart attacks. Other factors such as drug abuse, excessive use of alcohol or caffeine, smoking, stress and side effects from over the counter medicine could also contribute to heart disease.

High blood pressure is caused by fatty plaque build up in your arteries, which can block or narrow your blood vessels. Due to the lack of blood circulation, this could severely damage blood vessels and eventually the heart, which could lead to a heart attack, chest pain, and stroke. It is important to also understand that symptoms can be extremely different from women to men. 

Symptoms of heart disease in blood vessels:

Symptoms of heart disease in blood vessels:

• Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure, chest discomfort (angina)
• Shortness of breath
• Pain, numbness, weakness, coldness in legs or arms
• Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen, back

Women are more likely to experience the following symptoms:

• Chest discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Extreme fatigue

Other than external factors, heart disease could also be caused by genetic defects such as heartbeat irregularities (arrhythmia) and heart disease (cardiomyopathy).

Symptoms of Heartbeat irregularities (arrhythmia):

• Fluttering in chest
• Racing heartbeat (tachycardia)
• Slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
• Chest pain/discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Fainting (syncope)/near fainting

Symptoms of Heart Disease (cardiomyopathy):

• Breathlessness with activity or at rest
• Swelling of legs, ankles, feet
• Fatigue
• Irregular heartbeats (rapid, pounding, fluttering)
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting

In order to prevent heart disease, lifestyle changes can be made to prevent plaque from building up in blood vessels:

• Don’t smoke
• Maintain a healthy diet that is low in salt and saturated fat
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Manage stress

Sources: 

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118
• https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm
• https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm