Heart disease can affect any of the heart''s functions and any part of the heart. The most common heart disease is coronary syndrome or coronary syndrome in its various forms.
Coronary blood vessels are the blood vessels located on the outer side of the heart muscle and their function is to deliver blood to the heart itself.
heart info
There are four valves in the heart, each of which may be damaged or malfunctioning. The basic disorders in the work of the heart valves are classified into two groups:
1. Heart valve stenosis
That is, the inability to pump blood and move it between the different parts of the heart, which requires more pressure in pumping blood in order to reach the normal level that the heart pumps.
2. Dilated heart valve
The blood flow continues even while the heart valve is supposed to completely block blood flow.
In the heart there is a conduction system responsible for transmitting the electrical signals that stimulate the heart contractions, regulate the timing of contractions and regulate the relationship between the contractions of the ventricles and the contractions of the atria.
Sometimes there may be a defect in the work of the electrical transmission system, which can be reflected in: rapid heart rate, slow heart rate, irregular heart rate, or the absence of any clear time relationship between the timing of ventricular contractions and the timing of atria contractions.
Heart valve diseases may be congenital, when heart murmurs are expected when listening to the sound of the heart, and they may be acquired as a result of various infectious heart diseases that cause direct or indirect damage to the heart valves.
The process of atherosclerosis also can cause damage to the heart valves. When there is a suspicion of a certain type of heart disease, you should go to the family doctor or to a doctor specializing in internal diseases, and sometimes according to the different data it may also be necessary to consult a doctor who specializes in heart disease ( Cardiologist).
How the heart works
Understanding how the heart works makes it easier to understand the causes of heart disease. The heart is a pump and is a muscular organ the size of a fist, located slightly to the left of the center of the chest.
The heart is divided into two sides: the right and the left. The goal of this separation is to ensure that the oxygen-rich blood does not mix with the oxygen-free blood. The oxygen-free blood is blue in color and returns to the heart after it circulates in the body.
The right side of the heart consists of the right atrium and the right ventricle, as it receives blood from the lungs and pumps it to them through the pulmonary arteries.
The oxygen-rich blood crosses from the right side to the left side of the heart, which also consists of the left atrium and the left ventricle, and from there any of the left side the blood is pumped to the body, through the aorta, to supply the various tissues of the body with oxygen and various nutrients.
The four valves in the heart are responsible for the proper flow of blood. The valves open only in one direction and only when they are depressed. Each valve opens and closes once in every single heartbeat, or approximately once every second at rest.
In the heart there is also a network of electrical wires responsible for the continuation of the heartbeat, where the electrical impulses start from the top in the right atrium, and then travel in a special path to the ventricles carrying orders to withdraw blood.
The transport system is responsible for ensuring that the heart is beating at a consistent and healthy pace so that the blood continues to flow in a circulatory way, the constant switching between oxygen-rich and oxygen-free blood is the process that maintains the continuity of life.
Inflammation of the heart muscle may be caused by contagious heart disease caused by viruses, from reactions that interfere with the immune system, or from alcohol and drug abuse.
When does heart disease occur?
When there is a process of hardening and accumulation of a layer of a mixture of calcium and fat inside the coronary blood vessels, or when constriction occurs in these blood vessels, it is possible that a narrowing of its hollow occurs, which hinders the delivery of blood to the heart muscle.
Any contact with the heart muscle or its ability to contract may cause a temporary or permanent decrease in the heart''s ability to contract.
When the heart’s ability to contract is damaged, there is a decrease in blood pumping to vital organs in the body, as this process of narrowing blood vessels causes angina pectoris, and if permanent damage occurs to the heart muscle, then myocardial infarction is generated.
A person suffering from angina pectoris or myocardial infarction may feel pain or pressure on the chest wall, sometimes accompanied by sweating, a feeling of suffocation, shortness of breath, nausea, and a feeling of general weakness, as this situation constitutes an emergency that requires urgent medical intervention.
Heart disease symptoms
Symptoms of heart disease vary according to the disease, and they are as follows
1. Symptoms of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is caused by narrowing, blockage, or hardening of the blood vessels that causes the heart, brain, or other organs in the body to not receive enough blood.
Symptoms of cardiovascular disease include
pain in chest.
shortness of breath.
Numbness, weakness, or cold feeling in the legs and arms.
2. Symptoms of heart disease caused by arrhythmias
An arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat that may involve the heart beating at a higher than normal rate, at a lower than normal rate, or irregularly.
Symptoms of heart disease associated with arrhythmias include
Chest flutter.
Rapid heartbeat.
slow heartbeat
pain in chest.
shortness of breath.
Dizziness.
Fainting or a condition close to it.
3. Symptoms of heart disease caused by a heart defect
A severe congenital heart defect can usually be detected within hours, days, weeks or months after birth. Symptoms of heart disease include:
Light gray or blue leather.
Swelling in the abdomen, legs or around the eyes.
Shortness of breath during eating, which causes an insufficient increase in weight.
Less severe birth defects are often diagnosed only in late childhood or even adulthood. Symptoms of congenital heart defects that are not immediately life-threatening include:
Ease of shortness of breath as a result of physical activity or sports.
Ease of feeling tired as a result of physical or sports activity.
Fluid buildup in the heart or lungs.
Swelling in the hands, ankles or the palms of the feet.
4. Symptoms of heart disease caused by cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy means that the heart muscle becomes thicker and stiffer, and sometimes in the early stages of cardiomyopathy there are no symptoms at all.
As the disease worsens and worsens, symptoms may include the following
Shortness of breath when making any effort or even when resting.
Swelling of the legs, ankles, and feet.
Abdominal distension due to fluid accumulation.
exhaustion.
arrhythmia
dizziness, fainting
5. Symptoms of heart disease caused by inflammation
There are three types of inflammation in the heart
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the membrane that covers the heart.
Myocarditis, which affects the middle layer of the heart muscle.
Endocarditis, which affects the inner membrane that separates the heart''s chambers and valves.
Symptoms of heart disease caused by inflammation in the heart vary, depending on the type of infection, and include:
Fever.
shortness of breath.
weakness or fatigue
Swelling in the legs or abdomen.
Changes in the rate of the heartbeat.
Dry or persistent cough.
Rash or unusual spots.
6. Symptoms of heart disease caused by a problem in the heart valves
There are four valves in the heart
The aortic valve.
Mitral valve.
Pulmonary valve.
Tricuspid valve.
All heart valves open and close to direct blood flow through the heart. Heart valves may be damaged due to several factors that lead to narrowing, leakage of any abnormal flow, insufficiency, or incomplete closure.
Symptoms of heart disease caused by damage to the heart valves vary depending on which heart valve is damaged and include:
exhaustion.
shortness of breath.
Heart arrhythmia or hearing heart murmurs.
Swelling in the palms of the feet or in the ankles.
pain in chest.
fainting.
