Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are also known as heart diseases and they revolve around the heart, the veins, and the arteries. Most of the cardiovascular diseases are arterial and they are treated by cardiologists, vascular surgeons, neurologists, thoracis surgeons, and interventional radiologists. Hearts diseases are the number one killer all over the world. Many of these heart diseases manifest themselves during adulthood and this necessitates prevention early enough.

Cardiovascular diseases advance over the years and by the time they are discovered, they may have progressed making treatment difficult. The prevention measures for heart diseases include exercise, quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet. Four common types of cardiovascular disease include stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and high blood pressure. Coronary heart disease occurs as a result of a blocked heart thereby stopping blood from getting into it. The major cause of heart attacks is blood clots. This condition is very serious since when blood flow stops, the heart muscles dies and this is what gives people heart attacks.

Heart failure is a condition whereby the heart fails to pump blood as usual. This makes the body get inadequate blood and oxygen. People with heart failure will have swollen feet, legs, and ankles. They will also feel fatigued, a condition known as pulmonary congestion, which results from a build up of fluids in the lungs. High blood pressure is also known as hypertension and this means an increased pressure in the arteries. Blood pressure is a dangerous condition as it is hard for people to tell they have it. This kind of pressure often leads to heart attacks, hardened arteries, stroke, and heart failure.

Stroke results from a blocked blood vessel that supplies the brain with oxygen. As a result, that part of the brain stops functioning and this means that the body functions controlled by this part of the brain will stop. A ruptured blood vessel will also result into a stroke. Some of the most common symptoms of cardiovascular diseases include sudden numbness that affects the arms and the face. People may also experience chest pain, pelvis pain and pain in the legs. There will be instances of shortness of breath, faster heartbeats, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and abnormal heartbeats. Most of these symptoms will occur in the brain and in the heart as well.

It is important to consult a physician who will diagnose what heart defect a person has. Treatment of cardiovascular diseases is varied depending on the type of illness people have. The physician may advise the unblocking of the vessel that is not supplying blood through a surgical operation. This will open up the blood flow and the heart will function as usual. Most of the time, the heart vessels are clogged with fat and this is what is removed to unblock them. Some of the techniques used include atherectomy whereby a knife and a catheter are used to remove the accumulated fats. A coronary artery bypass surgery may also be used to treat a cardiovascular occlusion.