Angina Pectoris is the medical condition that refers to chest pain. It is due to the insufficient amount of oxygen supply to the heart. The accumulated fatty plaques or blood clots that obstruct the coronary artery (artery that supplies blood to the heart) are the main reasons for the occurrence of this condition. Below are the important facts of angina pectoris. The cause of Angina Pectoris is due to insufficient amount of oxygen to the cardiac muscle. Predisposing factors related to chest pain are activities (too much exertion), climate (extreme cold weather), eating pattern (heavy meals), and stress (emotional conflict and anxiety). Sometimes, chest pain can occur even the person is at rest. The quality of pain associated with angina pectoris is commonly described as squeezing, vise-like heavy, pressing and tightness of the chest. Other times, the person suffering from this condition complains of burning sensation at the chest area (heartburn). The locations of pa

Rheumatic fever is affecting many people throughout the world, yet many people are not aware about this disease. Generally, people think that this is some sort of fever, by looking at its name, but this is one of the most important conditions related to the heart. Rheumatic fever is a type of hypersensitivity reaction. Hypersensitivity is the abnormal or excessive reaction of the immune system to certain particles called antigens. Antigens are any substances, which your body recognizes as being foreign to your body, or as foreign particles. Rheumatic fever is a type 2 hypersensitivity reaction. Why is Rheumatic fever caused? Rheumatic fever is caused due to the infection of the body with a bacteria called Group A beta hemolytic streptococcus or Streptococcus pyogenes. This Bacterium enters the body from sore throat or when having certain types of skin infection, which enters the body through the wounds. So, we need to be really careful when we suffer

Coronary Artery Disease  Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a condition in which plaques(a fatty deposit on an artery wall in atherosclerosis ) build up in the walls of the coronary arteries (the vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle). These deposits can gradually block the artery, or they can suddenly rupture, causing a more acute obstruction.  Basically, the heart muscle requires a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients to survive, obstruction of a coronary artery rapidly leads to significant problems. CAD is caused by atherosclerosis(a disease of the arteries characterized by the deposition of plaques of fatty material on their inner walls),a chronic, progressive disorder of the arteries in which deposits of cholesterol, calcium, and abnormal cells (that is, plaques) build up on the inner lining of the arteries. Atherosclerosis – the left artery shows a normal lumen (the central cavit

Mostly people think aneurysm as an instant killer or something that cannot be detected or prevented, and while it is true that many die of brain aneurysms each year, there are couple other kinds that cardiology professional see that are silent killers. Aortic aneurysms, both thoracic and abdominal can be detected, watched, and operated on for a life-saving effect; the difficult part is diagnosis. Most of these bulges in the aorta are found either accidentally as a part of another exam or by doctors, such as cardiologists, who have deemed a patient as a risk. Risks factors include high blood pressure, smoking, genetics, fatty build up in the arteries, infections and trauma, and those who have exhibited some of these symptoms are usually already under the care of a cardiologist for other reasons when these tears and bulges are found. If it is small upon discovery, the condition will be monitored while steps are taken to reduce the risk of rupture. First and fore

What Is Defibrillation? It is a specific medical treatment in which a defibrillator (An apparatus used to control heart fibrillation by application of an electric current to the chest wall or heart) delivers electrical energy to an afflicted heart. Healthcare professionals determine the level of electrical charge (joules) to apply, based on their experience and tested practices under medical consultation. The electrical charge is applied to the patient’s chest through pads or paddles connected to the defibrillator. The electrical shock to the heart depolarizes a critical amount of the heart’s muscle, stops the arrhythmia (beating), and lets the regular sinus rhythm restart through the body’s natural pacemaker chemicals, in the sinoatrial node of the heart. This device is used for life-threatening conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias or a ventricular fibrillation. A cardiac arrhythmia occurs when there is unusual electrical activity inside the heart. The hear

Chest pain causes concern in the patient as it is mostly related to an heart attack or severe pain and people are nowadays knowledgeable of the serious consequences of the symptom. However not all times is a chest pain necessarily originating from or caused by diseases of the heart. There are plenty of other structures in the thoracic cavity and a systematic approach is needed to arrive at the correct diagnosis or in other words to find out the ?real culprit? causing the chest pain. Of special importance is the issue of chest pain in women, as this group is less liable to get heart disease till menopause. Estrogen is said to confer a protective effect and prevents the development of atherosclerosis. Myocardial infarction or Coronary artery disease (CAD) is very rare in menstruating women. As menopause approaches and estrogen levels go down, the probability of development of CAD catches up with those in men. Even then, there are lots of young to middle

Recent research involving people have found that higher sodium intake was associated with increased mortality from cardiovascular disease. At the same time, higher potassium intake was associated with lower mortality risk. Most likely elevated blood pressure related to high sodium intake is one of the reasons for this increase in heart disease. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Interestingly, vegetarians in general have a lower incidence of heart disease than non-vegetarians, even when they consume the same amount of salt per day as meat eaters. Why is this the case? Well, in general vegetarians consume higher amounts of potassium (found in fruit, vegetables and legumes) which is essential for heart health. In general, the average potassium to sodium consumption ratio in is 1:2. This means that people are consuming twice as much salt as potassium – but the optimal ratio is 5:1, that is, 5 times as much potassium as sodium. So n

Coronary heart disease, is the narrowing blockage of the coronary artery, a large blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart. This narrowing is caused by fatty deposits in the artery itself and is the leading cause of heart attacks.. Cardiac disease of all types is, indirectly, the leading cause of maternal death. The risk of developing coronary heart disease increases significantly with age beyond 35 years and more significantly even in those over 50 years. Many factors have led to the increase in the number of pregnant women who suffer with coronary heart disease. The age at which women are able to conceive and sustain a pregnancy has, on average, increased with many factors driving this, not least, increases in health care and fertility medicine. Lifestyle changes have, without doubt, contributed to the rise in younger women developing coronary heart disease. The huge rise in obesity is an obvious starting point and, according to current statistics, the n

Aspirin is a drug used to treat myocardial infarction. It belongs to NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) which works to minimize the inflammation and pain. Recently, this drug is used to prevent and treat heart diseases. Diseases of the heart which includes CVA (Stroke), peripheral artery disease (Insufficient blood supply to the lower extremities such as leg), and MI (Heart Attack) are the leading causes of death in America. Over 900,000 deaths are recorded each year (2011 statistics – U.S. CDC) Based on the clinical research and studies,aspirin can contribute several benefits to people who have these cases: Every individual who suffered from heart attack, peripheral artery disease, and stroke. People who undergone surgical operations such as bypass graft and stents are recommended to use this medication, as well. People who suffered from angina pectoris (chest pain) are prescribed to take aspirin;  Women and men who are not manifesting any clinical sig

Sedentary lifestyle is one of the risk factors that can promote the development of heart diseases. Fortunately, this specific risk factor is something that can be modified or prevented. Through lifestyle modification and management, this can reduce the risk of an individual from getting cardiovascular problem Failure to perform physical activity in a day can increase the chance of the person to develop cardiac problems. Furthermore, simple house chores can also be considered as regular exercises because it requires the body to move properly. Regular exercises and other physical activities (aerobic) can provide benefits like: Strengthening of the heart and vessels; Promotes proper blood and oxygen circulation; Reduces the clinical manifestations of heart diseases (signs and symptoms); Enhances your energy level while having intense exercises; Intensifies the level of endurance; Lowers blood pressure; Improves the cardiac muscle strength and tone; Develops the jo

Heart failure is a condition which refers to the inability of the heart muscle to pump sufficient blood. Lack of oxygen supply to the heart is one of the causes for heart failure.  It is classified as: Right-sided or Left-sided Chronic or Acute Systolic or Diastolic The objective of the treatment is to enhance the pumping action of the heart. Additionally, treatment must reverse the signs and symptoms by solving the compensatory mechanism (failure to supply sufficient blood to the body). Targeting the main problem is solved through prompt treatment.  These include: Use of medication (digoxin). The action of this medication is to strengthen the heart muscle. It improves contraction of the heart to pump blood for the body. Prolonged period of bed rest. Use of vasodilators (increase the opening of the vessels to accommodate blood circulation). The purpose of this medication is to increase the cardiac output. It works to minimize the impedance of blood flow. Use of anti

Heart Attack or medically known as Myocardial Infarction is a condition that is caused by low oxygen supply to the heart. The term “Myo” which means muscle and “Cardiac” for heart suffers from great deal of insufficient blood and oxygen supply from the coronary arteries.[relating to the heart (Greek kardia, ‘heart’)] Eventually, this condition can be fatal because it causes death to a person who suffers from it. According to the World Health Organization, heart diseases such as Myocardial Infarction are one of the leading causes of mortality for adults and elderly.  In line to this, several approaches were reinforced to various health sectors and departments across the globe. This is to prevent the occurrence of heart attack. This article focuses on the preventive measures for heart attack. Avoid eating foods which are high in cholesterol.  Cholesterol is a substance that is commonly absorbed by the body. It goes along with the fats which are highly deposited in the

Rheumatic heart disease is a cardiovascular problem which is caused by rheumatic fever. The heart valves are damaged due to streptococcal infection (usually, triggered by an untreated sore throat).  The main goal for treating rheumatic heart disease is to reduce the occurrence of its signs and symptoms. Additionally, the treatment plans are prescribed to prevent the complications and correct the imbalances of the cardiac functioning.  Homeopathic therapy is a form of a treatment plan that is used to replace pharmaceutical medications. This therapy was established to people who have allergic reactions to the medications and to supply the needs of unfortunate patients (people who can’t afford to buy medicines for rheumatic heart disease).  The most common and effective homeopathic treatment is the herbal formulation. This natural treatment plan is composed of natural herbs that are proven effective for treating rheumatic heart disease.  Ginseng There are two

Heart failure is a very dreadful condition. It might occur as a result of many heart diseases, which have adverse implications on the heart. It has a plethora of symptoms, depending on whether the right side of the heart is inflicted or the left side of the heart is inflicted, by the heart failure.  Excessive sweating: Excessive sweating is the earliest symptom of heart failure, which many of us tend to neglect. Excessive sweating is also called as diaphoresis. As the heart fails to pump in this condition, the nervous supply of the heart is enhanced to stimulate the heart to pump. But, these nerve fibers also supply the sweat glands, which produce excessive sweating.  Palpitations: As the Heart fails to pump to blood, the nervous supply of the heart is augmented. This increases the rate of heart beat, which is called tachycardia. As the heart beats very fast, you can feel or sense your heartbeat, which is called palpitations.  Pink frothy sputum: As the blood flow fr

Hypertension (HTN) refers to the increase blood pressure (above 120/80 mmHg). According to the May 2012 statistical report from World Health Organization, there are approximately 290,000 cases of maternal deaths with relation to Heart Disease caused by hypertension. 1/3 of the figure comes from India with 20% prevalence rate and Nigeria with 14% incidence rate. JUVENILE HYPERTENSION IS A CONDITION THAT AFFECTS CHILDREN.THE DATA TAKEN FROM THE WHO RECORDS SHOW THAT IN 10-YEAR STUDY (2002-2012), THERE ARE 7.6 MILLION DEATHS YEARLY OCCURRING TO CHILDREN WITH HEART DISEASE CAUSED BY HYPERTENSION. This simply tells everyone that hypertension is one of the leading causes of mortality deaths in the world. Everybody is not exempted for this case especially if they are engaged with several unhealthy lifestyle practices. In line with this, we will provide you with information regarding the preventive care for hypertension. It provides strict emphasis on the foods that can help re

Heart Attack or medically known as Myocardial Infarction is a condition that is caused by low oxygen supply to the heart. The term “Myo” which means muscle and “Cardiac” for heart suffers from great deal of insufficient blood and oxygen supply from the coronary arteries.[relating to the heart (Greek kardia, ‘heart’)] Eventually, this condition can be fatal because it causes death to a person who suffers from it. According to the World Health Organization, heart diseases such as Myocardial Infarction are one of the leading causes of mortality for adults and elderly. In line to this, several approaches were reinforced to various health sectors and departments across the globe. This is to prevent the occurrence of heart attack. This article focuses on the preventive measures for heart attack. Avoid eating foods which are high in cholesterol.  Cholesterol is a substance that is commonly absorbed by the body. It goes along with the fats which are highly deposited in the adipos