Receiving news after being diagnosed with a heart or vascular condition can be frightening. The reason is that most people view these conditions as fatal and more likely to result in death. However, it is not the case because there are various therapies available to improve heart and vascular functioning.
A good diet and exercise can prevent these conditions and serious complications such as stroke and heart attack. You can therefore seek Prime Heart and Vascular services to help in early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions before serious complications develop. Below are some common heart and vascular conditions you should know about.
Heart failure
It is a condition characterized by a weak heart that can no longer pump enough blood to other body parts. Generally, your heart comprises muscles that contract and relax to push blood into veins and arteries. The blood in arteries supplies oxygen and nutrients to other body parts.
The veins return blood to your heart and the cycle continues. Common symptoms of heart failure include chest pains, shortness of breath, palpitations, fatigue, or loss of appetite. Some of the causes of heart failure include tumors in the heart, arrhythmia, valve disorders, lung disease, or structural abnormalities.
Heart attack
Myocardial infarction or heart attack occurs when blood flow to your heart gets blocked. The blockage may be due to the accumulation of cholesterol, fat, or other substances that form plaque in the arteries leading to the heart. As time goes by, the plague breaks and forms a clot.
The clot interferes with blood flow or destroys a part of the heart muscle. Common heart attack symptoms include sudden dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, cold sweat, and tightness in the chest. You should seek emergency care after experiencing these symptoms because a heart attack is often fatal.
Peripheral artery disease
The accumulation of a plague in your arteries commonly causes peripheral artery disease. As a result, it affects blood circulation in various body parts. It commonly restricts blood flow in your feet, legs, and toes. Reduced blood circulation can lead to leg pain with exertion or rest.
In other cases, you might also experience skin discoloration and wounds that fail to heal for weeks. You might also feel cold, weakness, and numbing in your legs. Common peripheral artery disease risk factors include heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.
Hypertension
It is a common condition when the blood your heart is pumping exerts a lot of pressure on your blood vessels. Hypertension puts undue stress on your blood vessels and heart as well. When the stress is exerted for a very long time, it damages your blood vessels leading to plaque formation.
A plague consists of waste products and cholesterol circulating freely in the blood. The plaque accumulates inside your artery wall, causing it to narrow. Common causes of hypertension include smoking, some medications, and many others.
Heart and vascular conditions have become common due to most people’s sedentary lifestyles. Usually, they do not exercise and like high cholesterol diets, which increases your risk for such conditions. Therefore, diet and lifestyle modification can greatly reduce your risk of heart and vascular conditions.
You can schedule your appointment at Prime Heart and Vascular today and undergo screening for heart and vascular conditions. The care providers usually use imaging tests to confirm some conditions because most heart and cardiovascular conditions may present with the same symptoms. Ensure you seek immediate help on the onset of any of the above symptoms.
