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Heart disease
What items are checked for heart disease?
Heart disease can be screened for arrhythmias or myocardial ischemia through an electrocardiogram (ECG) or a Holter monitor. One can also examine the heart using echocardiography to check if the atria or ventricles are enlarged, the condition of the heart valves whether they are narrowed or regurgitating, the thickness of the myocardium, the movement of the myocardium, the ejection fraction of the heart, and can also measure pulmonary artery pressure, among other parameters. If coronary heart disease is considered, or not ruled out, coronary angiography or coronary CT can be performed. Blood tests can be done to examine cardiac enzymes, troponins, etc. There are other diagnostic tests available for heart disease, and which specific tests to conduct should be decided by a specialist based on the patient's condition.
Is heart pain always a heart disease?
Heart pain is not necessarily caused by heart disease; there are many reasons for heart pain, and these vary with the age of onset. For instance, in middle-aged and older people, attention should be paid to the possibility of angina or myocardial infarction. Symptoms of angina often last for a few minutes and can be relieved by rest or taking nitroglycerin tablets. Myocardial infarction, on the other hand, often presents with intense heart pain located at the sternum, which persists without relief. In younger individuals, it is important to consider lung-related diseases causing pain, such as pleurisy or pneumothorax, where pain is often related to breathing. It is necessary to visit a hospital for proper examinations, including an electrocardiogram, blood tests for cardiac enzymes and troponin, and a CT scan of the lungs to determine the cause of the pain based on these tests.
Characteristics of chest pain in heart disease
Chest pain from heart disease is often located behind the sternum and presents as compressive tightness or burning pain, among other sensations. This pain can radiate to the back, left shoulder, left upper limb, or even to the lower jaw area, lasting from several minutes to dozens of minutes. If it is stable angina, it often occurs due to overeating, exertion, cold, and other causes, and can be relieved by rest or taking sublingual nitroglycerin. If it is unstable angina, it may occur even while at rest, and rest or sublingual nitroglycerin may not effectively alleviate the symptoms.
Premonitory signs of a sudden heart attack
Sudden heart disease primarily refers to the sudden onset of acute myocardial infarction. Between 50% to 81.2% of patients have prodromal symptoms, experiencing significant chest discomfort, fatigue, palpitations during activity, shortness of breath, irritability, and angina in the days before the onset, with the most prominent being new or worsening angina. The angina is more frequent than before, more severe, lasts longer, and nitroglycerin relief is not significantly apparent; the triggers are also unclear. Sometimes, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal bloating occur and are often misdiagnosed, causing delays in treatment.
Is grade two heart disease serious?
Heart disease includes many types, such as chronic heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, rheumatic heart disease, arrhythmias, and more. If it is chronic heart failure with NYHA class II, it means the patient's physical activity is slightly limited, there are no symptoms at rest, but symptoms of heart failure may appear under normal activities. How serious NYHA class II chronic heart failure is needs to be analyzed based on the specific issue because this classification is quite subjective. Other factors, such as the patient’s echocardiographic ejection fraction, the end-diastolic diameter of the left ventricle, the underlying disease of the patient, the value of B-type natriuretic peptides, etc., need to be considered in a comprehensive analysis to judge the severity of the patient's condition.
How to prevent heart disease
As the aging society approaches, the incidence of heart disease is gradually increasing. So, how can we effectively prevent heart disease? Generally, to prevent heart disease, you can start from the following aspects: First, maintain good living habits, adhere to a low-salt, low-fat diet, eat less spicy and greasy food, and persist in exercising. Maintaining good living habits is very important. Second, control the "three highs" such as high blood lipids, high blood sugar, or high blood pressure. It is necessary to undergo standardized treatment under the guidance of a doctor to control blood lipids and blood sugar.
The difference between hyperthyroid heart disease and heart disease.
Heart disease includes all phenomena of heart dysfunction caused by various reasons, which can collectively be referred to as heart disease. This includes arrhythmias, heart failure, and changes in the cardiac vessels, such as coronary heart disease, coronary artery bridging, and congenital heart disease, all of which are termed heart disease. Hyperthyroid heart disease, on the other hand, is caused by a long period of uncontrolled or untreated hyperthyroidism, leading to changes in heart function and structure. It manifests as palpitations, panic, and severe decline in heart function. It is merely one type of heart disease, representing the changes in the heart caused by hyperthyroidism, and is just a small category of heart disease.
How to relieve vomiting caused by heart disease?
Treatment for vomiting caused by heart disease must depend on its cause. First, if caused by heart failure, as the symptoms of heart failure worsen, including right-sided heart failure, patients may experience nausea, vomiting, and bloating after eating. The key in these cases is to correct heart failure, perhaps with intravenous diuretic medications or the newer diuretic drug tolvaptan, which can alleviate symptoms of vomiting caused by heart failure. Secondly, digoxin toxicity can cause vomiting if patients with heart failure are taking too much or have been on digoxin for a prolonged period. The primary action in these instances is to discontinue the digoxin medication promptly. Thirdly, if associated with gastritis, treatment would involve medications to stop vomiting and oral omeprazole to protect the stomach lining. (Medications should be taken under medical supervision.)
How do you get heart disease?
There are many causes of heart disease, the most common being coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, which is due to long-term hyperlipidemia leading to arteriosclerosis. After the coronary arteries harden, the lumen narrows, resulting in insufficient myocardial blood supply and the onset of coronary heart disease. Rheumatic heart disease occurs when the body is infected with streptococcus and does not receive adequate treatment, leading to an abnormal immune response that attacks the heart valves, causing valve damage. Pulmonary heart disease is caused by long-term insufficient ventilation leading to emphysema, and pulmonary hypertension increases the resistance on the heart, causing right ventricular hypertrophy.
Is hyperthyroid heart disease dangerous?
Hyperthyroidism can repeatedly cause an increase in heart rate and metabolism, which is quite active, causing a long-term overload of heart function, leading to the formation of hyperthyroid heart disease, a chronic pathological change process. In the middle and early stages, it generally does not pose a life-threatening risk, only manifesting symptoms such as palpitations, tightness after activity, breathlessness, or chest tightness, which can improve with rest. However, if hyperthyroidism is not cured for a long time, or if hyperthyroid heart disease is not treated in time, it can lead to severe heart failure. If there is a severe decline in heart pump function, causing the ejection fraction to be below 30%, it can easily cause sudden pump failure or severe arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, posing a life-threatening risk to the patient.