Chronic coronary heart disease, also known as myocardial ischemia, is a condition of the heart in which the heart muscle is damaged or does not work as efficiently by reducing the flow of blood to the heart. Reduced blood flow is most often caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis). The risk of the disease increases with age, the disease is more common among smokers. In addition, people with diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and people with a family history of the disease are at risk.
Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease
The most serious symptom is chest pain, which may indicate a heart attack. It is felt as a burden on the chest and upper body, including the neck, jaw and shoulders. Chest pains can also be the result of various other causes, such as anxiety or panic attacks, or even heartburn and sore throat. However, they may be associated with angina pectoris, which is one of the clinical manifestations of cardiac ischemia. Therefore, if you experience chronic chest pain, it is extremely important to quit smoking (if you smoke) and consult a doctor for a complete and thorough diagnosis of the heart and blood vessels in order to exclude or confirm the diagnosis of coronary heart disease.
Symptoms may also include a feeling of suffocation or shortness of breath, which indicates insufficient blood flow to the lungs, or limited blood supply from the pulmonary arteries. The lack of ease of breathing can be confused with other symptoms, not all of which indicate severe heart disease, but may indicate other ailments. This may be due to pneumonia or pulmonary embolism. Smokers lung emphysema is also one of the main causes of chronic and progressive degeneration of the lower respiratory tract from the constant inhalation of tobacco smoke and the accumulation of tar on the inner walls of the lungs. If these and other causes are excluded, then most likely the person has coronary heart disease.
Symptoms of this disease also include cardiomegaly, or expansion of the heart (the thickness of the heart muscle walls increases, which leads to an increase in its size). Possible causes of the disease include heart failure, arterial hypertension, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking. Sometimes the cause may be congenital heart block, which is a genetic disease. Also, the cause may be excessive alcohol consumption, a side effect of some specific diet pills, excessive caffeine consumption and too much stress in everyday life. Some viral infections as well as autoimmune diseases can cause a serious illness such as coronary heart disease.
Symptoms of the disease are also external. So, swelling of the hands, feet, or abdomen may indicate that insufficient blood is being delivered to various organs and takas, so fluid is retained in them. Cardiac arrhythmia, or the occurrence of an abnormal heart rhythm, is another symptom. Sometimes an imbalance in blood sugar, such as hypoglycemia, when its level drops below normal, can also lead to cardiac arrhythmias. However, the best way to confirm or refute the diagnosis of coronary heart disease, the symptoms of which you found yourself, is to visit a doctor for immediate diagnosis.
According to recent studies, this disease can be prevented, or at least reduce its severity. How, you ask? The answer is simple - a healthy lifestyle. Of course, it is not so easy to give up many bad habits, but if you think about the result, then everything can be achieved.
Those with a confirmed diagnosis should also make certain changes to their lifestyle in order to protect themselves from the symptoms of ischemia: avoid stress, quit smoking / drinking alcohol, limit their intake of high-fat foods and lead a mobile lifestyle.