Download App
Doctors for Heart Disease 
OTC Medicines for Heart Disease
Heart Disease articles
What is heart disease?
Heart diseases refer to a range of conditions that affect the heart and its blood vessels. Today, heart diseases are one of the most common causes of death and include conditions like arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and congenital heart disease. Heart attack and heart failure are two of the commonest types of heart diseases around the world.
Please click on this link to know the better treatment for heart disease.
(Read More - Bradycardia treatment)
What are its main signs and symptoms?
Symptoms associated with an atherosclerotic (blood vessel narrowing) disease include:
- Chest tightness, pain (common among men) and discomfort (common among women).
- Shortness of breath.
- Chest pain radiating to the jaw, neck, back and lower abdomen
- Numbness, pain and weakness in the arms and legs
Symptoms associated with arrhythmias are:
- Fluttering feeling in the heart.
- Palpitations and dizziness.
- Tachycardia (fast heart rate).
- Bradycardia (slow heart rate).
- Breathlessness.
Symptoms associated with heart defects or heart failure are:
- Pale, bluish skin colour in infants.
- The infant may have poor weight gain due to shortness of breath while feeding, thus an aversion to food.
- Swelling in the hands, legs and stomach.
- One may easily feel tired after exercises or certain physical activities.
Symptoms associated with heart infections include:
- Night sweats and chills.
- Cough.
- Heart murmurs.
- Pain in the chest, abdomen, fingers and toes.
(Read More - Aortic Stenosis treatment)
What are the main causes?
The causes of heart diseases differ according to the type of disease and may include:
- Atherosclerotic heart disease: Unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, being overweight and smoking.
- Arrhythmias: Congenital (present since birth) heart defects, diabetes, high blood pressure, drug abuse, smoking and stress.
- Heart defects: Certain medications or health conditions of the pregnant mother or genetic factors affect the development of the foetal heart.
- Heart infections: Caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites reaching the heart through the bloodstream. Rheumatic heart disease, syphilis, valvular heart diseases and surgeries of the heart or oral cavity make the heart more susceptible to infections.
(Read More - Homeopathic treatment for heart attack)
How is it diagnosed and treated?
History and physical examination along with a number of investigations aid in diagnosing heart diseases.
Investigations include:
- Blood test to assess cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Stress test.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG).
- Echocardiogram (2D Echo).
- Tilt tests.
- Electrophysiologic tests.
- Coronary angiogram.
- CT (computed tomography) scan.
Treatment of heart diseases involves a number of lifestyle changes apart from medications. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.
Your doctor will advise you to eat a low-fat diet and indulge in exercises or walk for at least 30 minutes every day. Medications will be required in order to lower high blood pressure and reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Depending on the type and extent of disease, your doctor may advise surgery. Blockages in the coronary arteries of the heart might need placement with a metal stent (angioplasty) or creation of a new pathway for the blood vessels (bypass surgery) by placing a clear blood vessel from the leg or the chest region (graft).
(Read More - Homeopathic treatment for Chest Pain)
Ayurvedic Treatment of Heart Disease
Diet for Heart Disease
Home Remedies for Heart Disease
Yoga for Heart Disease
Editorial Team
