Some people complain of feeling pain in the chest from time to time accompanied by shortness of breath, while others complain of a state of numbness and weakness or a feeling of coldness in the legs and arms, or a rapid heartbeat, dizziness and imbalance, all of which are symptoms that some may see as a result of general weakness and instability. Paying attention to nutrition and so on, but you should pay close attention to these symptoms and quickly visit the doctor when you feel one or more of them, because all these symptoms may indicate heart disease.
What is heart disease?
Heart disease is a description of a group of diseases that affect the heart and affect its performance. These diseases may affect the heart muscle, the membrane surrounding it, its valves, or the main arteries and veins to and from the heart.
Heart diseases include:
- Diseases of the blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease.
- Heart rhythm problems, such as an irregular heartbeat.
- Congenital heart defects.
- Heart valve disease
- Cardiomyopathy.
- Bacterial or viral heart infection.
What are the types and symptoms of heart disease?
Symptoms of heart disease differ according to the types we mentioned earlier, and these symptoms can be explained as follows:
First: Symptoms of cardiovascular disease (blood vessels):
Cardiovascular diseases cause narrowing or blockage of blood vessels, as they prevent blood from reaching the heart, brain, or other parts of the body, and therefore it is not possible to get enough blood, and its most important symptoms are:
- Pain in chest.
- Shortness of breath.
- Numbness, weakness, or a feeling of coldness in the legs and arms.
Second: Symptoms of heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia):
A heart rhythm problem is too fast, too slow, or an irregular heartbeat. Signs and symptoms of an arrhythmia can include:
- Pain in chest.
- Flutter in the chest.
- Shortness of breath.
- Fast heartbeat
- Slow heartbeat.
- Vertigo.
- Loss of consciousness or approaching loss of consciousness.
Third: Symptoms of congenital heart defects:
Congenital heart defects are abnormalities people are born with that are discovered after birth, and symptoms can include:
- Skin color pale to gray or blue.
- Swelling of the legs and abdomen or bulging areas around the eyes.
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- Feeling tired or low energy.
- Arrhythmia.
Fourth: Symptoms of heart valve disease:
The heart contains four valves: the aortic valve, the mitral valve, the pulmonary valve, and the tricuspid valve. These valves open and close to direct blood flow to and from the heart. The valves may be damaged for various reasons, which leads to their narrowing, leakage, or failure to close properly.
Symptoms of valvar heart disease include:
- Exhaustion.
- Shortness of breath.
- Pain in chest.
- Arrhythmia.
- Swelling of the feet or ankles.
- Loss of consciousness (fainting).
Fifth, symptoms of cardiomyopathy:
Cardiomyopathy is called spasm of the heart muscle in the early stages, and this disorder includes the following symptoms:
- Shortness of breath with any exertion.
- Swelling of the legs, ankles and feet.
- Abdominal bloating and fluid gathering.
- Stress.
- Irregular heartbeat.
- Vertigo and fainting.
Sixth: Symptoms of heart infection:
Heart infection is caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, or other parasitic organisms. Its main symptoms include:
- Pain in chest.
- Cough.
- Fever.
- Goosebumps.
- Rash.
What are the symptoms that you should go directly to a cardiologist or call for an ambulance when they appear?
- Chest pain that increases with exertion, or chest pain with pain in the left arm, back, or neck with shortness of breath (coronary insufficiency, known as angina symptoms).
- Unbearable severe chest pain with two approaches, severe sweating, and severe difficulty in breathing, which may be accompanied by fainting (heart attack).
- Rapid heartbeat with two beats, a tendency to faint, and throbbing towards the heart or mid-chest (mitral valve prolapse).
- Very fast heartbeat and irregular flutter with palpitations or low blood pressure (atrial fibrillation).
What are the causes of heart disease?
The causes of heart disease vary according to their types, and each disease has many causes and reasons that lead to its aggravation and deterioration in its condition, but these diseases can be prevented and the risks resulting from them can be avoided by preventing the causes of heart disease, which are:
- Smoking and alcohol.
- Malnutrition.
- Hypertension.
- High level of cholesterol in the blood.
- Diabetes.
- Excess obesity.
- Constant stress.
What are the complications of heart disease?
One of the most common complications of heart disease is congestive heart failure. Other complications that accompany heart disease include:
- Heart attack
- Apoplexy.
- Aneurysm, is state of a localized expansion of the walls of blood vessels.
- Peripheral artery disease.
- Sudden cardiac arrest.
How to prevent heart disease?
Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common causes of death around the world, but these diseases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle and changing the daily routine to a healthy and beneficial one.
Here are the most important ways to prevent heart disease:
- Quit Smoking.
- Practice walking or sports.
- Follow a healthy diet while reducing the intake of saturated fats, sodium and sugars.
- Control of high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
- Make regular check-ups and periodic blood tests to check on health.
- Control excess emotional agitation, anxiety and stress.
What are the medical examinations required for heart patients?
Care must be taken to conduct periodic medical examinations and continuous follow-up with a specialist doctor to maintain heart health and follow up on any changes or developments that may occur in it.
Medical examinations that must be performed to detect heart problems and assess their condition are classified into two categories:
- The first category: Examination by echocardiography, electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, and heart stress test. These examinations are general routine medical examinations.
- The second category: includes a blood test, and cardiac catheterization, through which a tube is inserted through the blood vessels in the arm, thigh, or neck to inject a dye that shows any abnormal conditions or phenomena in the vessels.
Among the tests recommended by doctors to assess the condition of the heart:
- Checking blood pressure and heart rate: Checking blood pressure and heart rate is one of the most important indicators in assessing a person’s medical condition. Checking blood pressure can be useful in monitoring signs of clogged arteries and assessing the risk of stroke, and heart rate indicates signs of stress or hereditary heart defects or damage to heart tissue.
- Stress test: The stress test depends on measuring the resting and active heart rate and the time it takes for the body to return to its normal state.
- Electrocardiogram: An electrocardiogram records the electrical activity of the heart, through which we can check the heart’s rhythm; Planning is done by placing electrical devices and paths for several minutes over the chest, arms and legs, which detect the electrical signals that the heart emits with each heartbeat.
- Monitoring by Hotler: Hotler is a portable device that is used to know and record heart activity over a period of 24-48 hours, and doctors usually resort to it to reach a clearer understanding of the condition, or to monitor any disturbance in the heart rhythm during a specified period of monitoring.
- Echocardiography: planning is done using ultrasound, through which the heart, its structure and function can be seen more clearly, and this examination contributes to the early detection of serious heart diseases in its early stages.
What is DoktorCare role and responsibility towards society?
Doktorcare seeks to increase community medical awareness, especially among the elderly and those with chronic diseases, by providing the medical guidance and information they need regarding the type of their diseases and how to deal and coexist with them if they are chronic, or precaution and prevention of other diseases, as we work hard to provide the best home medical integrated services for all heart disease patients, to include all tests, regular periodic examinations, and other procedures required for diagnosis and reassurance.
DoktorCare seeks to improve the quality of health care provided to our customers, to meet all the needs of our valued patients and to ensure that they receive the required services at any time and from anywhere, with the highest quality and best price, with a selection of the most skilled doctors in all specialties.
