Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a broad term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. Often CVD (also called heart disease) is associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside arteries, risks of blood clots, and damage to arteries in organs including the brain, heart, kidneys, and eyes. People with CVD may be completely asymptomatic, meaning they don’t experience any symptoms of the disease, or they may have physical symptoms.
CVD is a leading cause of death worldwide and has many forms. Here are several of the main types of CVD.
Heart Attack
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency when blood flow is suddenly blocked from the heart. Often caused by a blood clot, a heart attack can cause serious damage to the part of the heart that lost blood supply and can be life-threatening.
Symptoms include chest pain, pain in the left arm or other body parts, lightheadedness or dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, coughing or wheezing, and even an overwhelming feeling of anxiety.
Most people will survive their first heart attack, which should serve as a wake-up call to implement lifestyle changes to prevent further attacks.
Heart Failure
Unlike a heart attack, which is a sudden condition, heart failure is characterized by weakness or stiffness of the heart which reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood. With heart failure, the heart continues working, but it isn’t supplying blood and oxygen to the body as well as needed. Symptoms may include breathlessness, tiredness, swollen ankles and legs, increased heart rate, dizziness, or even a persistent cough.
Heart failure is a long-term condition that generally deteriorates over time if left untreated. It cannot be cured, but symptoms can be controlled with medication, special devices, and surgery.
Strokes and TIAs
Strokes and transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) occur when blood supply is cut off to a part of the brain. TIAs are often called “mini-strokes” because blood flow is only temporarily disrupted. Both events can cause brain damage and strokes can even lead to death.
Symptoms of these events often show up in the face or arms. A person who experiences a stroke may be unable to smile or one side of their face may seem to droop, they may be unable to speak clearly or at all, or they may be unable to lift their arms due to weakness or numbness.
Angina
Angina is chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart. While not life-threatening, it could be a precursor to a heart attack or stroke and should be taken seriously.
Chest pain associated with angina is often described as a feeling of tightness, squeezing, pressure, or heaviness. The pain sometimes spreads from the heart to the arms, neck, jaw, or back and can be triggered by physical exertion or stress. Angina pain generally goes away with rest, but if not, it could be a sign of a more serious condition.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, meaning the heart may beat too slow, too fast, or irregularly. It’s caused by faulty electrical signals that coordinate heartbeats. An arrhythmia affects how blood and oxygen are supplied to bodily organs. A too slow or irregular beat may mean that organs are not receiving an adequate oxygen supply, while an elevated rate might put added stress on the heart.
Common symptoms of arrhythmia include lightheadedness or dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, fainting, anxiety, or fatigue. An arrhythmia becomes more serious if it causes a dramatic drop in blood pressure, which can lead a person to collapse.
Aortic Disease
Aortic disease refers to any conditions affecting the aorta, which is the largest blood vessel in the body. The aorta carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. It could balloon or bulge outwards and weaken due to blood pressure, plaque, trauma, diseases, infections, or other unknown causes. This results in an aortic aneurysm, in which the aorta could burst and cause life-threatening internal bleeding.
Aortic aneurysms can occur in the abdomen or chest area and can lead to hemorrhaging, nerve compression, impaired circulation, or more serious conditions such as a heart attack, stroke, or sudden death. If the aneurysm has not ruptured, it should be monitored and, depending on size, surgically repaired. A ruptured aneurysm is urgent and must be repaired immediately.
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common condition where the blood supply to the legs is restricted. Often it is caused by a build-up of fatty deposits and cholesterol in the arteries, which narrows the blood vessels. Also called peripheral vascular disease, it can lead to a painful ache in the legs while walking. Generally, the pain is released by resting. Other symptoms could include numbness or weakness in the legs, hair loss on the legs, brittle toenails, ulcers on the feet or legs, and skin discoloration.
PAD is not life-threatening, but it is often associated with other more serious conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. It can usually be treated with lifestyle changes and medication.
Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital heart disease is something that a person is born with. It is caused when the heart or blood vessels do not form correctly in a fetus, leading to defects in the heart structure. These defects can usually be diagnosed before birth and depending on their seriousness, could be asymptomatic. Some symptoms could include shortness of breath and poor tolerance for exercise.
Mild congenital heart disease does not require any treatment. For more serious conditions, medication or surgery may be necessary. People with congenital heart failure are advised to monitor their condition and take precautions as necessary.
Are You at Risk for CVD?
Any heart condition can be serious if left untreated. Monitoring your health and any CVD risk factors can be lifesaving. You can monitor your heart health through periodic screening, which can identify early-stage CVD even in people without any symptoms.
MyCardioGuard provides screenings with FDA-approved technology. A 15-minute accurate, safe, non-invasive screening can identify risk factors that traditional methods fail to catch, helping you protect yourself from CVD.
Learn more about monitoring your heart health with MyCardioGuard on our website.