According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease caused one out of five deaths in the U.S. in 2022.
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So, What Is Heart Disease?
The term “heart disease” can be used to describe various conditions that affect the heart, including:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD)
- Arrhythmias (Irregular heartbeat)
- Diseases affecting the heart valve or heart muscle
What Are The Types Of Heart Disease?
Heart disease (also known as cardiovascular disease) is a broad term used to refer to various conditions of the heart, including:
- Arrhythmias
- Valve disease (When the chambers of the heart become tight or leak)
- Coronary artery disease (When the blood vessels leading to the heart become damaged or blocked)
- Heart failure
- Peripheral artery disease (When the smaller blood vessels in your arms, legs, or abdominal organs become narrow or blocked)
- Aortic disease (Issues with the large blood vessels taking blood to the body)
- Congenital heart defects (When the heart doesn’t grow properly during gestation)
- Pericardial disease (Issues with the lining of the heart)
- Cerebrovascular disease (Problems with the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the brain)
- Deep vein thrombosis (Blockages in the veins that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body)
What Causes Heart Disease?
While genetics are a factor in developing heart disease, the biggest cause of heart disease is lifestyle factors, such as unhealthy diet, inactivity, smoking, and failure to receive preventative healthcare.
What Are The Early Warning Signs Of Heart Disease?
The following symptoms may indicate heart disease:
- Chest pain or discomfort, such as tightness or pressure
- Breathlessness
- Neck, jaw, throat, or upper abdominal pain
- Pain, numbness, weakness, or coldness in the arms or legs
- Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
- Feeling faint
- Fainting
- A “fluttering” feeling in the chest (arrhythmia symptom)
- The heart beating too slow or too fast (arrhythmia symptom)
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet
Important note: The most common symptom of a heart attack for anyone is chest discomfort or pain, but women are more likely to experience “atypical symptoms,” such as nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath, according to a 2022 article in Harvard Health.
Who Is At Risk For Heart Disease?
Some heart disease risk factors are genetic and beyond our control, but most risk factors can be avoided with a healthy lifestyle.
The following uncontrollable risk factors can contribute to heart disease:
- Age: The older you get, the more risk there is for damaged, narrowing, and weakened arteries.
- Sex assigned at birth: Men tend to have a greater risk for heart disease overall, but women’s chances of heart disease go up after menopause.
- Family history: This is an even higher risk if you have a family member diagnosed with heart disease at a young age (under 55 for a male relative, under 65 for a female relative).
The majority of the risk factors for heart disease are within your control, such as:
- Smoking: Smokers are two times more likely to experience a heart attack compared to non-smokers.
- High cholesterol and high triglycerides: These numbers being high increases the chance of atherosclerosis (a buildup of plaque in your arteries), which is linked to heart attacks and strokes.
- High blood pressure: This can make arteries thicker and harder, affecting proper blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body.
- Diabetes: Over time, high glucose levels in the blood can damage the blood vessels and nerves that make the heart function. This is why people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease.
- Obesity: This is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.
- Unhealthy diet: Diets high in saturated fat, trans fat, salt, cholesterol, and sugar are linked to increased instances of heart disease.
- Inactivity: Lack of proper exercise increases the risk of heart disease as well as the risk of other risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity.
- Stress: Excessive stress can damage arteries and increase your risk of high blood pressure.
- Bad dental health: Bad oral hygiene can lead to gum infections. Infections in the gums can cause germs to get into the bloodstream, which can cause endocarditis (an infection inside the heart).
Risk Factors Specific To Women
The following are risk factors for women:
- Elevated testosterone levels before menopause
- Elevated blood pressure during menopause
- Autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Anxiety and depression are a higher risk factor for women than men
Risk Factors Specific To Men
A few conditions specific to men can be an early indicator that heart disease may be in their future, such as:
- Erectile dysfunction (Middle-aged men who struggle to maintain an erection have been found to have an 80% risk of developing heart issues within ten years)
- Stress can trigger high blood pressure (A top heart disease risk factor for men)
- Low testosterone levels
How Is Heart Disease Diagnosed?
Diagnostic testing for heart disease can include several of the following:
- Blood tests
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Echocardiogram
- Stress test
- Cardiac catheterization
- Heart CT scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the heart
How Is Heart Disease Treated?
According to the Mayo Clinic, treatment for heart disease can include one or more of the following:
- Lifestyle adjustments
- Medication(s)
- Angioplasty
- Stenting
- Coronary bypass surgery
- Cardiac rehabilitation
What Are The Complications Of Untreated Heart Disease?
According to the Mayo Clinic, complications of heart disease can include:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Aneurysm
- Peripheral artery disease
- Heart failure
- Cardiac arrest
- Cardiac death
- Death
Can Heart Disease Be Prevented?
According to Dr. Leslie Cho, who reported to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 90% of heart disease is preventable with a better diet, regular exercise, and not smoking.
What Lifestyle Changes Can Help Manage Heart Disease?
- Quit smoking
- Eat a heart-healthy diet
- Avoid trans-fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar
- Get regular exercise
- Manage stress
- Work with your doctor to keep your weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar in a healthy range
- Maintain good dental health
- Get a preventative heart scan
What Is A Preventative Scan?
A preventative medical scan is a diagnostic scan to assess your health before problems arise. In this case, the preventative health scan would investigate your heart health by seeing how much plaque (or calcium) is present in your arteries. Check out Preventative Diagnostic Center for a preventative medical scan near you.
Heart disease is a serious but preventable and treatable condition. You can live a longer life by getting informed and getting the preventative medical care you need.
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Sources:
Barouch, L. (n.d.). Heart Disease: Differences in Men and Women.
Cardiovascular Disease. (2022).
Corliss, J. (2022). The heart disease gender gap.
Heart disease. (2024).
Heart disease. (2024).
Heart Disease Facts. (2024).
Heart Disease Prevention. (2024).
90 Percent of Heart Disease is Preventable through Healthier Diet, Regular Exercise, and Not Smoking. (2021).
Special Heart Risks for Men. (n.d.).
Your Heart and Diabetes. (2024).
