A Visual Guide to Heart Disease

 A Visual Guide to Heart Disease

 What's Heart Disease?

Mention heart disease, and most people picture a heart attack. But the term covers several conditions that can hurt your ticker and keep it from doing its job. These include coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, and heart failure. Learn the warning signs of each and how to react.

Clogged Arteries

A buildup of sticky plaque (fat and cholesterol) can narrow your heart's arteries, making it harder for blood to pass through. Many people don't even know there's a problem until an artery is clogged by a blood clot and they have a heart attack. But there may be warning signs of coronary artery disease, like frequent chest pain called angina.

Inside a Heart Attack

Plaque is hard on the outside and mushy on the inside. Sometimes that hard outer shell cracks. When this happens, a blood clot forms. If it completely blocks your artery, it cuts off the blood supply to part of your heart. Blood carries oxygen, and a shortage of that can quickly damage the organ and possibly kill you. The attack is sudden, and it's important to get medical help right away.

What Does a Heart Attack Feel Like?

You might have:
Pain or pressure in the chest
Discomfort spreading to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
Nausea, indigestion, or heartburn
Weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
Fast or irregular heartbeats
It's an emergency even when your symptoms are mild.

Symptoms in Women

Women don't always feel chest pain. Compared to men, they're more likely to have heartburn or heart flutters, lose their appetite, cough, or feel tired or weak. Don't ignore these symptoms. The longer you wait to get treatment, the more damage can be done.

Act Fast

If you think you're having a heart attack, call 911 right away, even if you're not sure. Don't wait to see if you feel better. And don't drive yourself to the hospital. The EMS team will come to you and start work right away. A fast response can save your life.

Irregular Heart Beat: Arrhythmia

Your heart beats because of electrical impulses, and they can get off rhythm. Arrhythmias can make your heart race, slow down, or quiver. They're often harmless and pass quickly, but some types can affect your blood flow and take a serious toll on your body. Tell your doctor if you notice anything unusual.

Heart Muscle Disease: Cardiomyopathy

Abnormal heart muscle, or cardiomyopathy, makes it hard to pump and carry blood to the rest of your body. Over time, health problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes can cause this serious condition, which can lead to heart failure.

Heart Failure

This doesn't mean your heart stops working. It means the organ can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. So over time, it gets bigger and pumps faster. This weakens the muscle and lowers the amount of blood flowing out even more, which adds to the problem.

Most cases of heart failure are the result of coronary artery disease and heart attacks.

Congenital Heart Defect

From birth, you can have a leaky valve or a damaged wall separating your heart chambers. Sometimes, the defects aren't found until you're an adult.

They don't all need treatment, but some require medicine or surgery. If you have one, you're more likely to have arrhythmias, heart failure, and infected valves, but there are ways to lower these chances.

Sudden Cardiac Death

This isn't the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac death happens when the heart's electrical system goes haywire, making it beat irregularly and dangerously fast. Instead of pumping out blood to your body, your chambers quiver.

A defibrillator can help bring back a regular heart beat, but without it, the person can die within minutes. Start CPR while waiting for a defibrillator, and have someone call 911 immediately.