All About Health

By Kristy Haugen

The term heart disease is a very broad term. Problems can arise within the heart muscle, arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle, or the valves within the heart that pump blood in the correct direction. Understanding the differences between each disease of the heart can help with the confusing applications of the term heart disease.

Coronary artery disease or CAD is the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death in both genders in the U.S. Coronary artery disease affects the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle. These coronary arteries harden and narrow due to the buildup of a waxy cholesterol, fatty substance referred to as plaque.

This plaque buildup is known as atherosclerosis. The increase in plaque buildup causes the coronary arteries to become narrower. This will cause blood flow to become restricted, decreasing the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart muscle. Decreasing the amount of oxygen supplied to the heart muscle can cause angina (chest pain) and lead to a heart attack. Coronary artery disease over time can weaken the heart muscle contributing to heart failure and arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms).

Coronary heart disease is another confusing type of heart disease. Coronary heart disease is not the same thing as coronary artery disease. While coronary artery disease refers to the coronary arteries, coronary heart disease refers to the diseases of the coronary arteries and resulting complications. This includes such complications such as chest pain, a heart attack, and the scar tissue caused by the heart attack. Understanding this subtle difference between the two may impress your cardiologist.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease affecting the muscle of the heart. Cardiomyopathy can be genetic or caused by a viral infection. Cardiomyopathy can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary cardiomyopathy is attributed to a specific cause (hypertension, congenital heart defects, heart valve disease). Secondary cardiomyopathy is attributed to specific causes (diseases affecting other organs).

There are three main types of cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is enlargement and stretching of the cardiac muscle. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy causes thickening of the heart muscle. Restrictive cardiomyopathy causes the ventricles of the heart to become excessively rigid causing blood flow to the ventricles to be difficult between heartbeats.

Valvular heart disease is a disease that affects the valves of the heart. Valves within the heart keep the blood flowing in the correct direction. Damage to valves can be caused by a variety of conditions leading to regurgitation or insufficiency (leaking valve), prolapse (improper closing of the valve), or stenosis (narrowing of the valve). Valvular heart disease can be genetic. Valvular heart disease can also be caused by certain infections such as rheumatic fever, and certain medications or radiation treatments for cancer.

The pericardium is a sac that encompasses the heart. Pericardial disease is inflammation (pericarditis), stiffness (constrictive pericarditis), or fluid accumulation (pericardial effusion) of the pericardium. Pericardial disease can be caused by many things such as occurring after a heart attack.

Congenital heart disease is a form of heart disease that develops before birth. Congenital heart disease is an extremely broad term. However, these diseases usually affect the formation of the heart muscle, chambers, or valves. A few examples include coarctation or a narrowing of a section of the aorta; atrial or ventricular septal defect is referred to as holes in the heart. Congenital heart disease should be classified more accurately as an inborn defect that occurs in around 1% of births. Congenital heart disease may be inherited (heredity), or caused by certain infections such as German measles contracted while pregnant. However, researchers are currently studying factors that may cause congenital heart disease.

Heart failure is another type of heart disease characterized by the heart’s inability to effectively pump enough blood to the body’s organs and tissues. When the body’s vital organs do not receive enough blood flow certain signs and symptoms can occur such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and fluid retention. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure that leads to fluid buildup in the body. It is important to note that not all heart failure is congestive. Heart failure may result from other cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy or coronary heart disease. Heart failure may come on suddenly or develop over many years.

The month of February is the National Heart Disease awareness month. However, heart disease awareness should be each and every day. With staggering statistics, awareness begins with understanding the different types of heart disease. A diet and lifestyle that is conducive to heart health can mean the difference between life and being a statistic.

——
Kristy Haugen is a mother and an experienced nurse. She also has a bachelor degree in Biology and Chemistry. She writes to inform consumers about nutrition and health topics. Learn more about weight loss supplements at http://weightlosssupplements.vitaminmaniac.com . Learn more about vitamins and your health at http://blog.vitaminmaniac.com .

Last researchers pointing that women who suffer during pregnancy certain complications could be more likely to develop a special kind of premature cardiovascular disease, according to these studies published, mothers with maternal placental syndrome have double risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a early state, and if we talk about maternal placental syndromes we could mention it syndromes such as; pre-aclampsia and high blood pressure for instance.

In cases where pitifully the baby died or his growth was restricted, the odds will increase further, so the risk of developing a premature cardiovascular disease after a maternal placental syndrome is higher, this will very probably in the case where the fetus is adversely affected.

A piece of advise for mothers in order to prevent, is measure their blood pressure to see if it is at a normal level, this could be 4 or 6 months after the birth, other cardiovascular disease risk factors could be obesity, raised cholesterol levels, smoking and insulin resistance. To say, the maternal placental syndrome should be considered as an additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

The link between placenta problems in pregnancy and heart disease has been assessed by scientists in a recently study with more than 1.000.000.- healthy women, about 75.000.- were diagnosed with maternal placental syndrome, 7.5 %.

The big problem is that there is a pandemic of obesity in our midst, whoever could think that we must ensure that women are a healthy weight before they enter their reproductive years.

In conclusion, this article tell us about the importance to reduce our premature cardiovascular disease risks, and that may be done with preventive controls’ blood pressure for instance or with a healthy weight before, during and after pregnancy and controlling the other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but the most important in my personal opinion is to learn all aspects involving in pregnancy and maybe this article could be a little bit useful by someone in this beautiful process.

——————————-
Article written by Hector Milla, editor of http://www.heartdiseasesympton.com where you can read about Heart Disease Symptom, or http://www.acnetreatmentstips.com for acne treatment tips.

A disease in which the body does not properly control the amount of sugar in the blood. As a result, the level of sugar in the blood is too high. This disease occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use it properly. A disease in which the body does not properly control the amount of sugar in the blood. As a result, the level of sugar in the blood is too high. This disease occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use it properly.

Diabetes mellitus is a medical disorder characterised by varying or persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels), especially after eating. All types of diabetes mellitus share similar symptoms and complications at advanced stages. Hyperglycemia itself can lead to dehydration and ketoacidosis. Longer-term complications include cardiovascular disease (doubled risk), chronic renal failure (it is the main cause for dialysis), retinal damage which can lead to blindness, nerve damage which can lead to erectile dysfunction (impotence), gangrene with risk of amputation of toes, feet, and even legs. Serious complications are much less common in people who control their blood sugars well with lifestyle and medications.

Patient understanding and participation is vital, as blood glucose levels change continuously. Treatments that return the blood sugar to normal levels can reduce or prevent development of the complications of diabetes. Other health problems that accelerate the damaging effects of diabetes are smoking, elevated cholesterol levels, obesity, high blood pressure, and lack of regular exercise.
Diabetes Types:

There are two types of Diabetes are explained as follows: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is a life-long condition in which the pancreas stops making insulin. Without insulin, the body is not able to use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. To treat the disease, a person must inject insulin, follow a diet plan, exercise daily, and test blood sugar several times a day. Type 1 diabetes usually begins before the age of 30.

Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, typically occurs after the age of 40 years. A resistance to insulin develops, often exacerbated by excess weight, leaving the pancreas unable to produce enough insulin to compensate.

Diabetes mellitus: A group of disorders in which there is a defect in the transfer of glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells, leading to abnormally high levels of blood sugar.

Bronze diabetes:A genetic disease in which the body takes in too much iron from food, this causes excess iron to be deposited in the liver and heart and other organs, eventually leading to organ failure and death.

Adult-onset diabetes: adult-onset diabetes is the former term for non-insulin dependent, or Type 2 diabetes. This term is no longer in use because, although this condition usually occurs after 40 years of age, it may develop much earlier.