Types of Heart diseases
- Coronary Artery Disease. also known as CAD. The plaque build-up is present, and this leads to the hardening of blood vessels.
- Atypical heart rhythms, or arrhythmias
- Heart valve disease
- Heart attack- Blood flow is blocked, cutting off oxygen to the heart.
- Heart failure is caused by the failure of the heart to supply adequate blood to the tissues to meet their metabolic needs
- Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) – the heart is abnormally thickened and enlarged
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Stroke
- Vascular disease (blood vessel disease)
- Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
Assessment of Cardiovascular risk
Like a heart attack or stroke, present cardiovascular disease or a previous cardiovascular event is the robust predictor of any future cardiovascular incident.
Age, smoking, gender, blood pressure, blood lipids, and diabetes are important predictors of heart health. Therefore, a heart health checkup should be done at least once a year.
Heart specialist carries out a physical examination and will assess your complete medical history.
Apart from blood tests and an X-ray of the chest, other tests to find heart disease can include:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) An ECG is fast and pain-free. It helps to detect abnormal heart rhythms and the need for irregular heartbeat treatment.
- Holter monitoring. A Holter monitor is a transportable ECG device. It senses heart rhythm issues that a regular ECG exam might have missed.
- Echocardiogram. This exam is noninvasive. It makes use of sound waves to display how your heart pumps blood.
- Cardiac catheterization. The pressures in your heart chambers are measured after the dye is injected. On an X-ray, your doctor sees the blood flow through your heart, blood valves, and vessels to confirm any problems.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A computer-simulated radio waves and magnetic field creates comprehensive images of your heart.
- Stress test. Your heart rate is raised with exercise or drugs while carrying out heart tests and imaging to see the heart’s response.
- Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan. The machine has an X-ray tube that rotates around your body and gathers your heart and chest images.
Treatment of Heart defects
Interventional cardiologists perform angioplasty and stenting procedures to clear the blockages in the coronary arteries. This problem is seen in coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, or peripheral vascular disease.
In chronic angina patients, this technique reduces symptoms and the danger of future issues. They are used in emergency cases to instantly bring back blood flow as a part of heart failure treatment.
Lately, interventional cardiologists are trying catheter-based procedures for particular valvular heart diseases. There are also methods accessible for closing certain congenital abnormalities such as atrial septal defects. Other structural heart defects, like hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, are also treated similarly.
Regular inflated balloons help to push the plaque back against the vessel walls to open the blockage. There are also cutting balloons that cut through hard plaques., Non-medicated or medicated simple metal stents help keep the blood vessel open and expand and remain for life.
Treating blockages in other body vessels, such as the carotid arteries in the neck and arteries to the kidneys, and arteries supplying the arms and legs in much the same ways as the coronary arteries.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a program supervised by your healthcare team. It is planned for patients recovering from a heart attack, angioplasty, heart failure, or heart surgery. It is of great benefit for your heart health.
When to see a doctor
Signs and symptoms can include:
- Pain, tightness, a feeling of pressure, and discomfort (angina) in the chest
- Shortness of breath
- Pain, numbness, weak point, or coldness in your legs or palms
- Pain within the neck, jaw, throat, upper stomach
Heart disease is easier to treat when spotted in the initial stages so you can ask the best cardiologist in Coimbatore any questions concerning your heart health.
