Collect information about various modern treatments on heart diseases?
Answers
Fast facts on heart disease
One in every four deaths in the U.S. is related to heart disease.
Coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction are some examples of heart disease.
Heart disease might be treated with medication or surgery.
Quitting smoking and exercising regularly can help prevent heart disease.
Types
There are many types of heart disease that affect different parts of the organ and occur in different ways.
Congenital heart disease
This is a general term for some deformities of the heart that have been present since birth. Examples include:
Septal defects: There is a hole between the two chambers of the heart.
Obstruction defects: The flow of blood through various chambers of the heart is partially or totally blocked.
Cyanotic heart disease: A defect in the heart causes a shortage of oxygen around the body.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat.
There are several ways in which a heartbeat can lose its regular rhythm. These include:
tachycardia, when the heart beats too fast
bradycardia, when the heart beats too slowly
premature ventricular contractions, or additional, abnormal beats
fibrillation, when the heartbeat is irregular
Arrhythmias occur when the electrical impulses in the heart that coordinate the heartbeat do not work properly. These make the heart beat in a way it should not, whether that be too fast, too slowly, or too erratically.
Irregular heartbeats are common, and all people experience them. They feel like a fluttering or a racing heart. However, when they change too much or occur because of a damaged or weak heart, they need to be taken more seriously and treated.
Arrhythmias can become fatal.
Coronary artery disease
The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with nutrients and oxygen by circulating blood.
Coronary arteries can become diseased or damaged, usually because of plaque deposits that contain cholesterol. Plaque buildup narrows the coronary arteries, and this causes the heart to receive less oxygen and nutrients.
Dilated cardiomyopathy
The heart chambers become dilated as a result of heart muscle weakness and cannot pump blood properly. The most common reason is that not enough oxygen reaches the heart muscle, due to coronary artery disease. This usually affects the left ventricle.
Myocardial infarction
This is also known as a heart attack, cardiac infarction, and coronary thrombosis. An interrupted blood flow damages or destroys part of the heart muscle. This is usually caused by a blood clot that develops in one of the coronary arteries and can also occur if an artery suddenly narrows or spasms.