Types Of Heart Disease
Five Most Common Types of Heart Disease
When we talk about heart disease, they are actually talking
about several different types of diseases that affect the
heart. For example, a baby born with a faulty mitral valve
has one type of heart disease. A sixty two year-old man whose
arteries are clogged by years of fatty plaque buildup is also
another type of heart disease. While both diseases affect
the same organ, the heart, but each of the heart disease will
require unique treatments for different causes and symptoms.
Now, let¡¯s look at the five most common types of heart disease.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis refers to a buildup of cholesterol and fatty
substances that clog our arteries over the years and eventually
prevent blood and oxygen from reaching the heart. When certain
part of the heart cannot get blood, part of the heart muscle
dies. This is known as a heart attack. Of course, a large
enough heart attack can kill instantly, but several small
attacks can damage the muscle and make the heart work ineffectively,
which eventually leads to a condition known as congestive
heart failure. Atherosclerosis is implicated in over fifty
percent of deaths in the United States.
Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic heart disease is a type of heart disease which
results from complications of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever
can be resulted from an untreated strep infection, it is used
to be very common among children before the use of antibiotics.
Rheumatic fever attacks the connective tissues in the body
and may damage the heart valves so that their function of
opening or closing properly fails. Rheumatic heart disease
ranges from relatively minor damage which requires little
treatment to severe damage which may require that the valve
in question be surgically repaired or replaced.
Congenital Heart Disease
A congenital condition refers to a condition that you are
born with. Congenital heart disease sometimes means that the
heart itself is malformed or that the valves are not working
properly. Once again, congenital heart disease varies in severity.
The worst cases are usually discovered when a baby has difficulty
in breathing, becomes exhausted easily, and overall fails
to thrive.
Myocarditis
Myocarditis is known as an inflammation of the heart muscle.
It is usually a result of complications from another infection.
The potential symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, and shortness
of breath. There is no cure for myocarditis short of transplant.
So, the focus is on treating the symptoms.
Arrhythmias
An arrhythmia is a type of heart disease that happens when
the heart fails to maintain a regular rhythm. Some types of
arrhythmias include bradycardia, which refers to an abnormally
slow heart rate and tachycardia which refers to an abnormally
fast heart rate. One fatal type of arrhythmia is fibrillation,
which happens when the heart "flutters" and cannot
pump blood effectively.
There are simply too many types of heart disease. If you
are worried about heart disease, then you should make an appointment
to see your doctor and discuss your concerns.
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