Heart Disease

“Heart disease” is a general term for a wide range of conditions that can affect your heart’s function or structure. When your heart isn’t working well, it has trouble sending enough blood, oxygen and nutrients to your body. In a way, your heart delivers the fuel that keeps your body running. If your heart can’t deliver that fuel, your entire body can feel the effects.

Heart disease includes a wide range of conditions:

• Coronary artery disease (CAD): This is the most common type of heart disease. In fact, many people use the term “heart disease” to mean CAD. It’s when your heart’s arteries narrow due to plaque buildup.
• Arrhythmia: This is an abnormal heart rhythm that occurs when electrical signals in your heart don’t work as they should.
• Cardiomyopathy: An umbrella term, “cardiomyopathy” refers to several different types of heart muscle disease. The muscle (myocardium) might get too thick or thin, causing poor pumping function.
• Carditis: This is inflammation in part of your heart, like its muscle (myocarditis), the lining of its chambers and valves (endocarditis), or the sac surrounding it (pericarditis).
• Congenital heart disease: This is an umbrella term for various issues with your heart’s structure that are present at birth.
• Congestive heart failure: This is a long-term condition that occurs when your heart can’t pump blood well enough to meet your body’s needs.
• Heart valve disease: Your heart’s valves can grow too narrow, disrupting normal blood flow through the different parts of your heart. Or they can become leaky, a condition known as regurgitation. A leaky valve lets some blood flow the wrong way.

Lifestyle changes and medications can keep your heart healthy and lower your chances of getting heart disease. If you develop heart disease, there are many medications and procedures that can help your heart work better and improve your quality of life.

Symptoms of heart disease

The symptoms vary depending on the type of heart disease you have and how far it’s progressed. Some people have no symptoms for many years. Others develop symptoms only when a serious complication, like a heart attack, occurs.

Heart disease symptoms may include:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Dizziness or fainting
• Exercise intolerance
• Fatigue (feeling extremely tired)
• Fever
• Heart palpitations (pounding, racing or fluttering heartbeat)
• Nausea, vomiting, heartburn or indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Suddenly sweating a lot
• Swelling in your legs or belly
• Trouble sleeping

Heart disease causes

The causes vary by type and can include:

• Aging
• Autoimmune diseases
• Certain medications, like chemotherapy
• Gene changes you’re born with
• Infections, including those outside your heart
• Kidney disease
• Thyroid disease
• Use of addictive substances

Who is most at risk for heart disease?

Anyone can develop heart disease. But your risk goes up if you have:

• A body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 (have overweight/obesity)
• A high intake of sodium (salt), saturated fat and/or sugar from the foods you eat
• A history of heart disease in your biological family
• An inactive lifestyle
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Substance use (alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs)
• Type 2 diabetes

Women have certain heart disease risk factors unique to them. These include a history of pregnancy complications (like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes), use of oral contraceptive therapy (birth control pills) and going through menopause.

Healthcare providers can use a screening tool called a cardiac risk calculator to gauge how likely you are to develop heart disease. This tool takes all the major risk factors into account. The more factors that are present, the greater your risk.

Many people are at risk for heart disease and don’t realize it. That’s because so many health conditions, personal habits and genetic factors can lead to heart disease. Lots of these risk factors are out of your control. But you can reduce your risk by making some changes to your daily routine, like eating heart-healthy foods and moving around more, as well as taking prescribed medications.

Complications of heart disease

Without treatment, heart disease can lead to serious complications, including:

• Aneurysms
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiomyopathy
• Damage to your kidneys or liver
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Stroke
• Sudden cardiac arrest

Some types of heart disease are on this list. That’s because certain forms of heart disease raise your risk for developing other forms.

Heart disease can be fatal. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death in the U.S. and around the world. It’s responsible for more deaths than all forms of cancer combined.

How doctors diagnose heart disease

A provider can make a heart disease diagnosis after doing a physical exam, hearing about your symptoms and learning about your personal and biological family health history. They’ll also perform diagnostic tests, like:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG)
• Ambulatory monitors
• Echocardiogram
• Cardiac computerized tomography (CT)
• Heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Blood tests to check your cholesterol level and other substances
• Stress test
• Cardiac catheterization

Ask your provider how you should prepare for your appointment. For example, you may need to fast (not eat or drink anything besides water) before certain tests.

It’s also a good idea to:

• Make a list of information you want to share with your provider, including symptoms you’ve been having, recent diagnoses and any changes to your medications.
• Prepare questions to ask your provider.
• Bring someone you trust to your appointment. They can help jot down notes and ask questions you might not think of.

How is heart disease treated?

Heart disease treatments depend on your heart issue and may include:

• Lifestyle changes: This could involve changes like cutting saturated fats from your meals, stopping the use of tobacco products or starting a walking program.
• Medicine: You can lower blood pressure and cholesterol with medicine. Also, certain medications can help with heart failure or abnormal heart rhythms. Always take these prescriptions the way your provider tells you to.
• Surgeries or procedures: You may need open heart surgery, minimally invasive surgery or an ablation. Other procedures include catheterization, device placement or cardioversion.
• Cardiac rehab: This supervised program can strengthen your heart after a heart attack. With nutritional advice and monitored exercise, it provides extra support for changing your lifestyle.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

If heart disease runs in your family, you may want to ask a healthcare provider if you have other risk factors. If you do, you can make a prevention plan to keep your heart as healthy as possible.

Contact your provider if you have any heart disease symptoms.

Call 911 or your local emergency services number if you have symptoms of a heart attack or a stroke.

What can I expect if I have heart disease?

Medications and/or procedures can help people who have various types of heart diseases. It’s easier to treat most types of heart disease if you get an early diagnosis instead of waiting for symptoms to get worse. Your healthcare provider will help you understand the treatment plan that’s right for you.

Is there anything I can do to feel better?

If you have coronary artery disease (the most common kind of heart disease), you can improve your health by making changes to your daily life. Changes may include reducing how much salt and saturated fat you eat and increasing how active you are. A provider may also recommend taking medicine to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

What changes can I make in my daily life?

Healthcare providers often recommend following the Mediterranean diet because there’s lots of evidence that shows it’s good for your heart — and for your whole body. This way of eating gives you lots of plant-based foods and healthy fats while limiting sources of saturated fat.

When it comes to heart-healthy eating, remember these simple steps:

• Plan: Write down your dietary goals and get advice from a healthcare provider or dietitian.
• Pick: Choose recipes you like and map out your meals for the week. When eating out, choose foods that help you meet your goals.
• Portion: Enjoy moderate portions, and limit foods like red meat and sweets.
• Enjoy: Remember that heart-healthy eating can and should be enjoyable. Talk to a dietitian to learn tips for making your go-to meals healthier, but still tasty.