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One in every four deaths in the USA is due to heart disease, making it the leading cause of death, severe chest pain being a very common symptom. Too often, many people don't recognize some early signs and symptoms and it gets too late by the time they seek treatment. It is important to be aware of all the warning signs of heart disease, as well as the risk factors so that you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Heart disease increases the risk for a heart attack (myocardial infarction- MI) or a sudden cardiac arrest. Both are life-threatening cardiac emergencies. A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery is blocked and blood is unable to reach the ticker. The heart muscle will start to die when this happens, which can cause permanent damage to your ticker, might as well lead to death. It’s advisable that you learn about MI symptoms so that you are prepared and take proper action before a heart attack ever strikes. It isn’t always chest pain that a heart attack...

  Whenever we talk about the symptoms of heart disease, it’s mainly chest pain that we think about. True, chest pain is an obvious sign. However, signs of a heart attack are different in women than men. Lack of activity, an unhealthy lifestyle, eating too much junk food or food high in calories, family history, and stress are the main contributing factors affecting women’s heart health. Heart attack (myocardial infarction- MI) occurs due to a disruption in the blood flow to the ticker. As the symptoms differ between men and women, knowing the female-specific symptoms of MI could help a person seek medical attention sooner, which may save their life. Women often ignore symptoms of a possible heart attack, it can largely be attributed to their lack of knowledge in both about heart disease and in understanding the symptoms. Also, we cannot take away from the fact that women are more likely than men to experience a “silent” heart attack or exhibit unusual symptoms. Learn about som...

It’s essential that you take the plunge to give up smoking in order to ensure your heart’s health, and to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. We frequently hear about how smoking hurts the lungs. Why not, it’s true after all, lungs of smokers take in more than 7,000 chemicals—70 of which are known to cause cancer—from cigarettes. But in no way should we underestimate its effect on the heart and blood vessels. Smoking is the chief cause of heart disease, at the same time is one of the most preventable causes of heart disease. Your arteries become stiff when you smoke, which makes your heart work harder. Smoking also can set off an abnormal heart rhythm and raise blood pressure, which are leading causes of stroke. Smoking lowers HDL or "good" cholesterol (high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor), causes thickening and narrowing of blood vessels, makes blood sticky and more likely to clot, which can block blood flow to the...

  Heart disease, sometimes called coronary heart disease (CHD), refers to any condition affecting the ticker, and is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. Heart disease is not a single type of disease, it encompasses a broad range of conditions and diseases including congenital disease of the heart, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure (CHF), and heart attack. Talking about the causes, there are many- each being a factor in developing cardiovascular disease. The more factors an individual has in their life, the higher their risk of developing heart disease. Some of the factors may include lack of physical activity, being overweight, improper nutrient supply in the body, etc. Depression and the feeling of isolation may as well contribute to the causes of such heart diseases. The following list discusses the main causes of cardiac disease you should be aware of: Smoking - Smoking is one of the biggest causes of heart disease that can damage the...

Heart health is of utmost importance for everybody. In the last decade or so, we’ve learned a great deal about what causes heart attacks and how to prevent them, however, what you think you know about heart disease may harm your health. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, killing more people each year than all types of cancer combined with most deaths resulting from heart attack in people with coronary artery disease. Anyone can get affected by heart disease regardless of age, even people who eat right. There are many myths surrounding heart disease. It is important to follow medical news closely, otherwise you are bound to have misconceptions about heart disease and its various risk factors. With the right information and action, you can prevent heart failure (HF) or help to improve the health of your ticker even after diagnosis. The fact that heart conditions are dangerous is undisputed, but it’s even more dangerous if one starts to put their trust in false...

Your heart is the most important organ that manages to pump blood all the way to your toes, when healthy. Your heart can become weakened and gradually fail to pump blood efficiently. This is what doctors call “heart failure.” A very noticeable characteristic of heart failure is swelling, also known as heart failure edema that involves swollen feet and ankles, and may as well cause swelling of your hands. Reasons behind swelling caused by congestive heart failure: When you have heart failure, it means your ticker is not pumping blood as well as it should. With the reduction in your heart’s pumping power, your organs cease to work as well (due to being deprived of the oxygen and nutrients they need). For example, your kidneys stop eliminating water and salt efficiently, leading to build up of fluid in places like the feet, ankles, arms, belly, and lungs. It’s this excessive fluid retention that puts most individuals with heart failure in the hospital. Even if you can’t see it, weigh...

Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women, however, it’s preventable and controllable, a healthy diet being one of the best weapons in the fight against heart disease. The major cardiovascular disease risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and stress. A diet replete with nutrient-rich foods – those high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients, but lower in calories- can affect the modifiable risk factors of heart disease including cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight. Scientists discovered that a diet rich in fiber, particularly from whole-grain foods increased the chance of survival among those who had suffered from heart ailments in the past, reducing their mortality risk by as much as 25 percent. Grains, legumes and vegetables are some of the excellent sources of fiber. Different types of fiber and their benefits: Soluble Fiber - Good sources of soluble fiber include beans, peas, rice b...

  Pacemaker implants are increasingly common, recommended by a physician to individuals with irregular, slow, or fast heartbeats. In the United States alone, pacemaker implants have risen 56 percent in the last few years, but many people with cardiovascular issues fail to identify the symptoms at first. A variety of conditions can lead to your physician recommending you have a pacemaker implanted, such as you may be living with an irregular heartbeat caused by Atrial Fibrillation for a period of time until your symptoms worsen. Pacemakers stimulate the heart to beat at a normal rate and pump more effectively. Mostly, pacemakers are used to speed up slow heart rates, but sometimes, they are used to slow down fast heart rates. If the heart beats very fast, its chambers never fill up with enough blood, and if the heart beats too slowly, the heart fails to circulate adequate blood to meet the needs of the body. This is where pacemakers can play a huge role by normalizing slow, fast,...

Heart is one of the most important organs in the body, still the job it does most often go overlooked. Our hearts pump oxygenated blood through our bodies, providing every single cell with the nutrients required to keep our entire system in order. When our heart is healthy, we tend to not think much about it. In spite of the significant role the heart plays in our overall health, most of us do not recognize the signs of heart problems when they develop. Heart disease is the leading killer in the United States, which is a term that describes a group of different medical conditions that affect the structure and function of the heart. The heart, over a period of time, naturally loses some of its ability to keep up with the demand, and plaque can accumulate along the artery walls, a condition known as coronary artery disease (CAD). Adopting healthy lifestyle measures can help you from developing heart disease by helping to keep the risk factors that increase chances of developing heart d...

You should learn about maze procedure recovery which can help you decide if the surgery is right for you, which in turn, will help you prepare for a successful recovery. Recovery for a maze procedure depends on how your surgery was done, for instance, recovery period will be longer for an open-heart procedure compared to a less invasive procedure (which may be done through small cuts in the chest). The maze procedure is a surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib) that is used to control the irregular heartbeat and restore the normal rhythm of the heart. Doctors typically recommend the maze procedure when medicines has not worked to relieve your symptoms from AFib, you have symptoms of AFib and are having another heart surgery, you are having another heart surgery and adding the maze procedure doesn’t pose any danger or isn’t risky, you cannot have catheter ablation (the most common treatment for AFib), or you prefer surgery to anything else, and lastly, you’ve already had cat...

A heart attack is a serious event and can take a toll on both the physical and mental health of someone who has experienced it. While many people return to their normal activities within a week, others may take months to recover. Moreover, up to one-third of heart attack survivors will experience depression during recovery. It’s normal for a person to not feel like themselves after such a major event, which absolutely makes sense in view of the inherent uncertainty and fear about their future. A certain amount of sadness and fatigue is normal which will gradually go away as patients re-establish a regular life routine. But if it doesn’t, inform your doctor right away so that you both together can chart out a path to efficiently deal with and overcome the emotional impact of a heart attack. Addressing depression after a serious cardiac event like heart attack is critical, since depression is associated with worst outcomes and an increased risk of death for heart patients. It is m...