Heart disease is one of the highest causes of death in the world, so you need to be aware of it. Anyone can get this disease both young and old. The causes of heart disease itself vary from infections to unhealthy lifestyles.
Then, what are the things that can cause someone to get heart disease? Here's the full review.
The heart is a vital human organ that has the function to pump blood throughout the body. Disruption of heart function will cause disruption of blood and oxygen flow throughout the body and can endanger the safety of the owner.
The causes of heart disease itself vary depending on the cause. Here are the most common types of heart disease.
Coronary heart disease is a heart disease that occurs when the coronary arteries in the heart become hardened and narrowed, causing problems with blood flow to the heart.
The heart pumps blood throughout the body, but to do its job properly the heart muscle needs a supply of blood and oxygen.
One of the causes of hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries is the buildup of plaque or bad cholesterol in the blood vessels, known as atherosclerosis.
Some things that can cause the accumulation of bad cholesterol include hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, lazy exercise and smoking.
Symptoms of coronary heart disease that you need to be aware of include pain in the chest area that can radiate to the back or arm area, the appearance of cold sweat, burning and pressure in the chest area, and shortness of breath that will worsen with activity.
As the name suggests, congenital heart disease or CHD is a heart disease that occurs due to abnormalities or defects in the structure or function of the heart since the baby is in the womb.
These abnormalities can occur in all parts of the heart. One of the most common abnormalities is a leaky heart.
The cause of congenital heart disease is the disruption of fetal heart development while still in the womb. The cause of the disruption of heart development in the fetus itself is still unknown.
Some of the risk factors that are thought to cause CHD include inherited diseases from parents, mothers smoking or consuming alcohol during pregnancy, taking drugs without doctor's instructions during pregnancy.
In addition, pregnant women who get infections during pregnancy and have diabetes are also at risk of causing congenital heart defects.
Symptoms of congenital heart disease can be seen when a baby is born and can also appear when a person reaches adolescence.
Some of the symptoms of CHD include the child's skin turning blue, breathing tends to be fast and short, breathing is difficult, slow development, and low body weight.
Heart valve defects are diseases that occur when the heart valves do not function properly. Heart valves that do not function properly can cause blood to have difficulty passing through the affected valve (stenosis) or can cause blood to flow back (regurgitation).
This disorder can be caused by rheumatic heart disease caused by an immune reaction due to infection with group A streptococcus bacteria that causes damage to the heart valves. It can also be caused by degenerative changes in the heart valves.
People with valvular heart disease may experience symptoms such as fatigue, tightness or palpitations.
Heart infections can occur in the lining of the heart (pericarditis), the heart muscle (myocarditis) or the endocardium and heart valves (endocarditis).
People with heart problems such as having valve abnormalities, using artificial heart valves and having congenital heart disease are more likely to be at risk of endocarditis.
The cause of germ infections in the heart can occur due to several risk factors such as infection with Streptococcus bacteria, not maintaining good oral hygiene, the effects of prolonged catheter use and drug use.
Some symptoms of heart infection that need to be watched out for include fever, chills, pain in the chest area, irregular heartbeat, swelling in the abdomen or legs, and shortness of breath.
Arrhythmia is a condition where the rhythm of the heartbeat is abnormal such as too fast, too slow or can also be irregular.
Some of the causes of arrhythmia include coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, hypertension, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, stress, and side effects of taking medications.
Some of the symptoms of arrhythmia include fatigue easily, pain in the chest area, dizziness, and chest palpitations until fainting.
Heart failure is a condition where the heart muscle is too weak to pump blood to the rest of the body as it should. Almost all heart diseases such as coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, heart valve disease, hypertensive heart disease can cause heart failure if not treated early.
Almost all patients with heart failure cannot recover completely and must undergo lifelong treatment. Some symptoms of heart failure that you need to be aware of include fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling in the legs or hands.
Some of the following risk factors can also cause heart disease which include:
People who have relatives with heart disease have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
As you already know, cigarettes contain various harmful substances such as carbon monoxide that can inhibit the performance of the heart.
The older a person gets, the more the risk of developing heart diseases such as heart failure increases.
A person who has high blood pressure is at risk of injuring the arteries, resulting in coronary heart disease. Apart from hypertension, people with diabetes and high cholesterol also have a high risk of coronary heart disease.
When you are too lazy to do physical activities and exercise, your body is prone to cholesterol buildup and excess weight that can trigger heart problems.
People with diabetes mellitus are more likely to develop heart disease than people without the condition. Therefore, if you have diabetes mellitus, treat your diabetes immediately to avoid complications that increase the risk of heart disease.
Also Read: 12 Heart Pain Symptoms You Should Be Wary Of
Those are some of the causes of heart disease based on its type. Adopt a healthy lifestyle and check your heart health regularly to lower your risk of developing heart disease.
Heart disease can appear without symptoms so many people do not realize if they have heart disease. Therefore, you can control your heart health regularly, especially if you have risk factors as above.
You can control your heart health at Persada Hospital, one of the hospitals in Malang, East Java, which provides a Cardiac Center with the best technology and medical personnel.
Check the schedule of Persada Hospital's cardiologist to conduct a consultation as well as the right treatment for your heart. Learn also about the latest health information that has been curated by competent doctors in their fields through the Persada Hospital article page.