Heart Disease

Angina has been described as a heaviness or a "squeezing' feeling on the chest. If you're experiencing angina pain, it may also
feel as if your chest is burning. And this is why all too often, many individuals believe that they aren't actually experiencing angina pain, but rather are in the middle of a bad case of heartburn. And while angina is more often felt in the chest, that intolerable pain can also radiate down to the shoulders, and arms. Many say they also experience the pain in the neck, throat or jaw.

And if you're a woman, don't expect your angina pain to be in the neck. More often than not angina shows up in the female as a stabbing pain the back. Other symptoms of coronary artery disease include shortness of breath, irregular heart beats, a faster heart beat, or skipped beats. Those who
have experienced this describe it as a "flip-flop" sensation in the
chest. Nausea, sweating, and a weakness or dizziness may be experienced as well.

However, a heart attack can occur without any of the traditional symptoms. This is called a
"silent heart attack." Many times an individual never even knows he has experienced this until later, when tests taken for another reason reveal damage to the heart.



Another form of heart disease is arrhythmia. Sometimes referred to as a dysrhythmia, this health condition is simply known as
an irregular heartbeat. About 850,000 people are admitted into the hospital yearly for this condition. The causes of arrhythmia are varied, including coronary artery disease, an imbalance in electrolytes, changes in the heart muscle and even injuries your heart incurred during a heart attack. And as amazing as it seems, even the healing process following heart surgery can cause an arrhythmia.

Heart Disease: How it shows itself

When the muscle of the heart is diseased, it's referred to as cardiomyopathy. People with this condition possess hearts that are enlarged, thickened or actually stiffer than normal. This interferes with the heart's pumping action. While initially, the individual affected may not notice any problems, if left untreated the condition worsens and my lead to heart failure or abnormal heart rhythm.



When the heart's lining is inflamed, it's known as pericarditis. This is a rare condition that's often triggered by an infection. Another heart-related condition is aorta disease. This serious problem needs immediate attention by an experienced surgeon and a team of cardiovascular specialists. The aorta is the large artery in which the blood leaves the heart to supply the organs with the oxygen-rich blood. This disease - as well as Marfan syndrome - cause the aorta to dilate - or widen as well as tear. This increases the risk for future life-threatening heart related conditions, including high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.

Related to heart disease is another group of problems is called vascular disease. This refers to any condition that adversely affects your circulatory system, which include any diseases related to the artery and to the flow of blood to your brain.

Are you at risk for any of these diseases? The best way to determine this is to visit your personal physician and get a series of tests done. Discover what your blood pressure is. Have your cholesterol level and your triglyceride level tested. He'll take a personal medical history for you and discover what your family's medical history as well. Did your father or mother suffer from heart disease? These are the things your doctor will want to know.
A high cholesterol level puts you at an increased risk of developing heart disease. Ironically, cholesterol is a natural substance that helps your body not only build new cells, but it also insulates the nerves and produces hormones. Your body produces this substance, but you also accumulate additional cholesterol through the foods you eat, especially from animal-based foods such as milk, eggs and meat.