The Types of Heart Diseases Causes - Research Paper Example

Heart Disease Every 34 seconds a person in the United States dies from heart disease. More than 2,500 Americans die from heart disease each day. Every 20 seconds, a person in the United States has a heart attack. At least 250,000 people die of heart attacks each year before they reach a hospital. Since 1900, Cardio Vascular Disease has been the number 1 killer in the United States for every year but 1918 (Heart Disease Statistics). Heart diseases are the number one killer disease not only in America, but also in other parts of the world as well. Majority of the patients who suffer heart attacks may die before they get medical attention since heart failures may result in complete stoppage of normal body functioning. In many cases, people who undergo even regular medical check-ups also suffer death unexpectedly because of heart problems. Lack of physical workouts and unhealthy food habits are cited as the major reasons for heart problems. However, it is believed that genetic problems and mental diseases can also lead towards heart problems. This paper analyses the types of heart diseases causes, symptoms, effects and treatment options for heart diseases. Heart diseases can be classified into different categories based on the nature of the heart problems developed. Atherosclerosis is a heart defect developed because of the cholesterol and calcium build up on the walls of heart arteries whereas Cardiomyopathy is another heart problem developed as a result of enlarged or weakened heart muscle problems. Congenital heart defect is caused due to the structural defects of heart whereas Coronary artery disease is caused by the narrowing of coronary arteries (Heart Disease). Symptoms of heart diseases can be varied based on the nature of the disease, severity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient. Chest pain is the most common symptom appeared among majority of the heart patients. However, all chest pains need not be the symptom of heart problems. Chest pains can occur due to other reasons like acidity also. There are many cases in which the heart patients never experienced chest pains or other symptoms to identify their heart problems. That is why heart diseases are often termed as silent killers. Chest pain related to heart problems normally starts from the chest and spreads towards the left shoulder. The patient may experience abnormal sweating during this period. “Anxiety, sweating, back pain, fatigue, vomiting, erectile problems, numbness, and mild swelling in the feet and ankles, Pale skin with or without sweating, nausea, wet cough etc can also appear as the symptoms of heart diseases (Heart Disease). Problems in oxygen supply are the major cause of heart diseases. Heart requires adequate supply of oxygen for its normal functioning like the pumping of blood across the body. Heart muscles expand and shrink based on the energy received from the oxygen supplied. Coronary arteries are the organs in our body which supply oxygen to heart. When problems occur to coronary arteries, oxygen supply to heart will be disrupted and the blood pumping operations will be affected. All the organs of human body need energy from blood for its proper functioning. For example, brain requires continuous supply of oxygen for its normal functioning which is provided by the blood pumped to brain by the heart. Even momentary problems in blood pumping may cause severe damages to brain and other parts of the body. “Atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries is another cause of heart disease” (Heart Disease). This abnormal buildup will narrow the coronary arteries which may affect the blood flow. Any problems in the blood flow may cause blood clotting. Blood clotting cause disruption in the flow of blood and subsequently heart may force to stop its operations. “Birth defects, Heart valve abnormalities, Infection and inflammation, Abnormal electrical conduction etc are other major causes of heart diseases” (Heart Disease). Diagnosis of heart problems are done with the help of treadmill test, ECG, scanning, angiogram etc. Angiogram is a process of injecting a liquid dye into the body of the patient to identify the heart blocks. Once the number and nature of the heart blocks or problems identified, the doctor will decide what type of treatment is best suited to the patient. Heart diseases are treated with the help of medicines, surgeries, and physical workouts. In mild cases, doctors will use medicines to rectify the heart problems. But in extreme cases, bypass surgery, angioplasty etc is the major treatment options for heart problems. Bypass surgery is a surgical procedure to eliminate all the heart problems whereas angioplasty is a medical procedure to widening of a narrowed blood vessel, with the help of a balloon passed through the blood vessels of the patient. This balloon will be inflated at the places where block has been observed so that the narrowed blood vessel will be expanded. Medicines like ACE inhibitors lower high blood pressure and help prevent heart failure whereas Aspirin helps to prevent new blood clots. Medicines such as Beta blockers lower high blood pressure and reduce strain on the heart whereas Heparin helps prevent new blood clots (Heart Disease). In order to reduce metal problems and subsequent heart failures, in some cases, narcotic drugs also used in the treatment of heart patients. Cholesterol lowering, blood pressure controlling and diabetes controlling medicines are also used in the treatment of heart diseases based on the nature of the disease. Prevention is better than cure. In the case of heart diseases, the above slogan seems to be more relevant. It is better to take precautionary measures to avoid heart problems rather than trying to get rid of it after its occurrence. Food habits should be adjusted in order to avoid heart problems. Fatty and sweaty foods are major villains in casing heart problems. Fat build up will takes place in the body if a person fails to burn out the extra calorie of energy he received from foods. In other words, physical workouts are necessary to keep the body healthy and to avoid heart problems. Works Cited “Heart Disease Statistics”. Web. 18 September 2011. “Heart Disease”. 2011. Web. 18 September 2011. Read More