Heart attack (myocardial infarction) is sudden failure in the functioning of the heart due to the interruption in the oxygen-rich blood supply to any section of the heart. 
If a person experiences severe chest pain or any of the heart attack symptoms, he or she should immediately consult a doctor. Heart attack diagnosis and treatment are performed at the same time when a patient undergoes severe pain in the middle part of the chest. The risk factors and symptoms of cardiovascular diseases should not be ignored because if they remain untreated, it may lead to death of a person.
Heart Attack Diagnosis
First of all, doctors take the medical and physical history of the patient. Then they carry out certain tests and examinations for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. These tests can be:
Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
This is a simple, quick and painless test that analyzes and records the electrical activity of the heart. It measures the heart’s electrical activity and its conduction in the cardiac muscles. Electrocardiogram helps to direct what exactly happens in the ER. This test makes a graph that indicates how speedily the heart is beating along with its rhythm (abnormal or steady).
It also records the timing and strength of electrical signals, as they move from every single part of the heart.
An ECG can show signs of a current and previous coronary heart disease along with the signs of damage to the heart because of the coronary heart disease. If the heart has undergone huge damage due to an attack, it can be seen in the EKG record, in case of damage to small portions of the heart muscle; the ECG may look comparatively normal.
Blood Tests
If the ECG report does not find out the heart attack (an electrocardiogram can be normal even if the heart attack has occurred). In such case, the second step would be a blood test to indentify the level of heart damage. During myocardial infarction, cardiac muscle cells die and discharge chemicals into the blood vessels. These chemicals are proteins such as CPK, troponin and cardiac enzymes myoglobin, which are measured in combination or alone to detect whether the heart muscle is damaged. The most common type of blood tests to detect an attack include serum myoglobin tests, CK–MB or CK tests and troponin test. Blood test is helpful to measure how much proteins are present in the bloodstream and the higher level of protein in the blood indicates a heart attack.
Unfortunately, the chemicals take time for accumulating in the blood vessels after the muscles of the heart gets damaged. Samples of blood need to be taken after certain time so that the outcome can be interpreted. These tests are usually repeated to keep the track of changes with time.
Chest X-ray
This test may be carried out to find out various facts including the clarity of lung areas, width of the aorta and heart shape. If the X-rays fail to find out whether a heart attack has occurred, further tests such as CT scans, echocardiography, heart catheterization and stress test are taken. Doctors evaluate the overall condition of the patient and then decide the preferable diagnosis option. Diagnosis technique of cardiac attack may vary for each patient.
Coronary Angiography
In this test, special x rays and dye are used to evaluate the coronary arteries from inside. Coronary angiography is often carried out during a heart attack; this helps to find the clogs in the arteries. The cardiac catheterization technique is used to insert the dye into the arteries.
A catheter (a thin elastic tube) is inserted into the blood vessel in your upper thigh (groin), neck or arm. The coronary artery is ribbed with this tube and a dye is injected into the bloodstream. The flow of the dye through the arteries and the heart is analyzed by the doctor with the help of special x rays. If your doctor finds any clogging, they recommended a technique called angioplasty. This technique helps to remove the blockage and restore blood supply through the artery. In some cases, a stent (a small mesh tube) is fixed in the artery to avoid further clogging after angioplasty.
Heart Attack Treatment
Understand your symptoms of cardiac arrest to take immediate medical assistance. Early treatment can help to limit or prevent impairment to the heart muscles. Taking quick action when you experience the first symptoms of cardiac failure can save your life.
In some cases, doctors start diagnosing and treating the patient even before they reach the hospital.
Some treatments are initiated right away if a cardiac failure is suspected, even prior to the confirmation of the heart attack. These treatment options may include:
- Aspirin is given to the patient, as it helps to thin the blood and prevent it from further clotting.
- Oxygen therapy
- Chest pain treatment
- Nitroglycerin is used, as it helps to reduce the work burden on the heart and enhance the flow of blood through the arteries.
Once the cardiac arrest is strongly suspected or confirmed, more effective treatment options are adopted to promptly reinstate the flow of blood towards the heart. The two prime treatment options to open the clogged coronary arteries are angioplasty and clot busting.
Angioplasty
This is a non surgical technique that clears up the narrowed and blocked arteries. This technique can also be referred as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). 
During angioplasty, a thin elastic tube with a balloon attached to its end is ribbed through a blood vessel to the clogged or narrowed coronary artery. In some cases, the balloon is replaced with some other device.
Once the tube is placed, the balloon is blown up to constrict the plaque against the artery wall. This helps to restart the blood supply through the artery. During angioplasty, the doctor may place a stent in the artery. This helps to prevent clogging in the artery for several months or year after angioplasty.
Clot Busting Medicines
These medicines are called clot busters (or Thrombolytic medicines), which are meant to dissolve the clots of blood that are clogging the arteries. Clot busters work best if given within few hours of the initiation of cardiac failure signs.
Other Treatment Options for Cardiovascular Diseases
Medical Procedures
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a surgical process that is used to treat this medical emergency. During this process, a healthy vein or artery from the patient’s body is taken off to graft or connect it to the blocked artery. This grafted vein or artery bypasses the clogged area of the artery and provides a new path for blood to move towards the heart muscle.
Medicines
ACE Inhibitors: They help to lower the strain on the heart as well as reduce the blood pressure. ACE inhibitors also reduce further debilitation of the heart muscle.
Beat Blockers: This medicine decreases the rate of workload on the heart. Beta blockers are also used to get relief from the discomfort due to chest pain and also forbids repeat cardiac attack. They can also be used for treating arrhythmias.
Anti-clotting Medicines: These medicines prevent the formation of unwanted blood clots and clumping of platelets. Clopidogrel and aspirin are the anti clotting medicines.
Anticoagulants: These are blood thinners which prevent the formation of blood clot in the arteries. Anticoagulants also restrict the existing clots from getting huge.
Doctors may sometimes give medicine to relieve anxiety and pain, lower the cholesterol level and treat arrhythmias. The treatment for heart attack is long lasting because after getting discharged from the hospital, you may have to continue with the medicines on a regular basis along with visiting the cardiac rehabilitation often. You may have to take the pneumococcal vaccine and flu shot every year.
Conducting heart attack diagnosis and treatment once you experience the first symptom can save your life and help you recover quickly.
Our brain is a complex body organ that controls several functions of the body. Stroke (cerebrovascular accident) is a medical emergency which develops when any part of the brain deprives from blood supply. Each brain part is responsible for performing certain function and if it lacks in blood requirement, it won’t work appropriately. 
For instance, if a stroke hits at the back of the brain, a person may experience disability in vision. The effects of stroke mainly depend on the area of obstruction and the degree of damage to the brain tissues.
The brain (neural structure) has three primary components: the cerebellum, the brain stem and the cerebrum (which comprises of the right and left cerebral columns or hemispheres). The cerebrum is the largest part of the neural structure. The cerebellum is attached to the brain stem and is located at its posterior part. Brain stem is located at the lower part of the brain and is linked with the spinal cord.
Effects of Stroke on Various Brain Parts
Each stroke may leave different effects, as every stroke is variant. How quick you recover from a cerebrovascular accident depends upon various aspects such as how much and which areas of your neural structure were damaged as well as your general health prior to getting the stroke. The support from the rehabilitation team, your friends and family also plays a great role in your recovery.
Cerebrovascular accident is a deadly event which causes damage and sudden interruption in the brain functioning. Since this complex organ controls everything you do, think and say, a stroke can harm it badly in many ways. See how it affects the function of each part.
The Cerebellum
Although strokes occur rarely in the cerebellum, they have very severe effects. Some of the effects involve:
- Severe headache
- Dizziness
- Vomiting and nausea
- Difficulty in balance and coordination (called ataxia) and inability to walk
The Cerebrum
This section is responsible for controlling sensation and movement, thinking, memory, regulation of emotions, reasoning, sexual function and speech. Cerebrum is divided into two parts: the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere.
Right Hemisphere
- Your activities may become cautious and slower than normal.
- Paralysis or weakness on the right side of the body.
- Difficulty in talking, reading, calculations or thinking.
- You may require frequent feedback and instructions to perform any task (it means you may experience memory issue).
- You may experience difficulty in remembering and learning any new information.
Left Hemisphere
- Vision problems.
- Paralysis of weakness on the left side of the body.
- Trouble in making judgments, such as losing control on your behavior, not realizing your limits and acting impulsively.
- Trouble in distinguishing depth, distance, between back and front or between up and down. This can make it difficult to button a shirt, pick up an object and tie a shoe lace.
- Difficulty with short term memory. Some people tend to remember certain things that happened many years ago, but find trouble in recalling something that occurred a few minutes ago.
- Difficulty in understanding maps.
- Ignoring or forgetting people or objects on your left side. In some cases, victims tend to ignore their left leg or arm.
Brain Stem
Stroke at this part of your brain occurs rarely. The brain stem is located at the end of your neural structure or we can say at the base of the brain, preceding the spinal cord. A person with stroke in this area can have difficulties with:
- Body temperature control
- Heart and breathing function
- Co-ordination and balance
- Paralysis or weakness in legs and arms of both sides
- Vision
- Speaking, swallowing and chewing
Physical and Mental Effects of Stroke
Stroke causes harm to the brain, and damage to any section of the brain develops mental or physical effects.
Difficulty in Using Certain Languages: A person may suffer aphasia, in which he or she may have difficulty in writing and understanding speech. In some cases, they may understand but are not able to think of the appropriate words to write or speak. Some may have dysarthria in which they know and understand the right words, but find difficulty in saying them clearly.
Paralysis or Weakness: Paralysis or weakness may affect a leg or arm of a person or it may also affect the entire one side of the body. A victim with paralysis or weakness in the left side of the body indicates that the stroke has injured the right hemisphere of the brain. This leads to difficulties with coordination and balance, since the weight of the weak side of the body pulls against the potent side. It can also develop difficulty in walking, standing and sitting even if the person looks strong enough to perform these activities.
Difficulty in Swallowing :This trouble may deprive the victim from having enough food. They may sometimes breathe in food while trying to gulp it. Due to weakness or paralysis, one side of the mouth or tongue may get senseless, which makes it difficult for them to gulp the food.
Perception And Vision Problems: Usually, stroke survivors have a perception and vision problem because of which they do not tend to look towards one side of their body which is weak (either right or left). For instance, a person may eat only one side of food on the plate because he or she can’t see the other side.
Unusual Fatigue : Abnormal fatigue and getting tired quickly may restrict the patient’s performance and participation in a rehabilitation plan.
Numbness, Odd Sensations or Pain: These sensations can make someone face difficulty to stay comfortable and relax.
Cognitive Problems: Cerebrovascular accident usually causes problems with attention, memory, learning, thinking and other mental functions. A victim may experience difficulty in many of these or only one. For instance, he or she may get confused if something is not in order, face difficulty in following instructions or directions or may find difficulty in keeping the track of time and date.
Sudden Explosion of Emotions : Sudden bouts of laughter, fits of crying or bursts of anger may indicate that a person needs medical help, support and understanding to get adjusted with the effects of stroke.
Bladder or Bowel Control Problems: These troubles can be helped by using bedpans, portable urinals and other devices.
Depression:This is the most common effect of stroke. A person may undergo depression soon after the cerebrovascular accident or several weeks later. Family members or friends usually notice it first. For a stroke victim, it’s completely normal to get depressed over the several troubles which result due to the stroke. However, some survivors undergo a major depressive mania, which needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Any kind of major illness will change a person’s life at some extent. Nearly, all stroke victims recover at some level and most of them lead a meaningful and happy life. Family, friends, relatives and rehabilitation team can help the survivor to overpower the effects of stroke and recover from them as soon as possible.
Brain is considered as the most intricate body organ. It has over 100 billion neurons (specialized nerve cells) and works as a remote control for everything we do, say, sense or think. These neurons stay alive and function appropriately when they receive adequate amount of nutrients and oxygen through the blood vessels; they cannot repair or duplicate themselves. Different brain parts control various activities. When a particular area of the brain is damaged, functioning preformed by that area gets disturbed and ultimately results into stroke. 
If you learn to identify the symptoms of cerebrovascular accident (stroke), you will not only be able to receive immediate medical aid, but this will also help you in early diagnosis and treatment of stroke.
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a sudden failure of brain function due to the interruption in blood supply to the brain, which may either a cause of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding inside and around the brain as a result of the rupture of an artery) or ischemic stroke (clotting of blood). The insufficient blood supply to a particular area of the brain affects the neurons (brain cells) in such a way that they tend to die. The outcomes of a stroke are mainly based on the injured area of the brain and the extent of damage. In all around, 20 percent of strokes are hemorrhagic and 80 percent are ischemic. This medical condition produces various disabilities such as sensory loss, vision problems, speech problems, memory loss and paralysis. Few people may also experience depression or certain emotional conditions post stroke. Medications, modification in risk factors and sometimes surgery can work in favor to reduce the risk of getting prone to stroke.
Diagnosis of Stroke
Anyone suspected with a stroke needs a prompt medical attention. If you find any of the symptoms of this medical emergency, rush to the hospital immediately, so that the tests can be performed for appropriate stroke diagnosis and treatment can be provided quickly. Physicians are equipped with various tools for diagnosing and screening an active stroke. Here are some diagnosing procedures:
- Ultrasound: In this procedure, a wand is moved over the carotid blood vessels inside the neck, which provides a image that shows if there is any clotting, blockage or narrowing inside. Here two types of ultrasound can be performed: Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (allows to see the blood flow in the vessels inside the brain) and Carotid Doppler Ultrasound (allows to determine whether blockages in the arteries of the neck through which blood flow towards the brain has caused stroke).
- Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan: This technique provides a 3-D picture in which abnormal vessels, bleeding or aneurysms inside the brain can be marked.
- Physical Assessment : In this type of test, blood tests and blood pressure tests are performed to check out the blood sugar, amino acid and cholesterol levels.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): In this process, a magnetic field is generated to develop a 3-D picture of the brain, which shows the present damages due to stroke.
- Arteriography: This involves use of a catheter, which is inserted into the blood vessel for injecting a dye. Here the presence of a clot or blockage can be seen through X-rays.
- CT and MRI with Angiography: This is another form of scanning in which the dye is injected into the arteries, which provides more detailed and clearer images.
- Echocardiography: This follows with an ultrasound that gives view of the heart to see the embolus.
Treatment of Stroke
This medical emergency develops due blood clots and hence it can be treated by busting the clots with the use of certain drugs such as Tissue Plasminogen Activator.
Treating Ischemic Stroke
The main objective of treating ischemic stroke involves restoring the blood supply to the brain and for this, blood clot-busting drugs such as heparin, tissue plasminogen activators or aspirin are used. Along with this, surgical procedures may also be performed that helps to widen or open up arteries. Surgical techniques involve angioplasty (a tube is inserted into the cartoid artery in which a balloon is produced that widens this artery and is kept open with stent which is a metallic mesh tube). Endarterectomy (this involves broadening of the cartoid artery by removing the plaque inside).
Treating Hemorrhagic Stroke
This type of stroke is treated in a different manner. Surgical techniques used to treat hemorrhagic stroke involve arteriovenous malformation (AVM), aneurysm embolisation and aneurysm clipping removal. AVM removal involves a surgical process to take off usually smaller AMVs and AVMs that are present in the more accessible brain part. They are removed so that they do not rupture. Aneurysm embolisation or coiling involves the use of a catheter, which is inserted inside the aneurysm to locate a small coil. This coil removes off the sealing and clotting from the arteries. Aneurysm clipping involves placing a tiny clamp at the aneurysm base that insulate it from the circulation of its adjoining artery and prevents the aneurysm from re-bleeding and bursting.
There are some other medicines such as anticoagulants, which include antiplatelet agents (aspirin) and warafin that can be used to prevent and treat stroke. They interfere with the tendency of the blood to form clots and thus can help in preventing cerebrovascular accidents.
Carotid stenting is a method which involves the use of angiography for directing and inserting a stent (metal mesh tube) in a narrowed artery inside the neck and removing the blockage. Another surgical method is carotid endarterectomy, which is used to remove the fatty deposits that have clogged the carotid artery and may lead to a stroke.
Most victims of the stroke may require rehabilitation for managing their normal life or preventing recurrence of stroke. The condition of a person due to this medical emergency mainly depends on the extent and area of damage to the brain tissue. The rehabilitation process involves occupational therapy, speech therapy, family education and physical therapy. According to the US researchers, victims who had observed their symptoms around five months before the stroke were able to recover their brain functioning by using the novel robotic device, which is to be squeezed by the hands.
Some researchers stated that drugs that are used for lowering the cholesterol level can be used to prevent recurrence of stroke.
How to Prevent Stroke?
Warning signs of stroke are same as the signs of a mini stroke or a transient ischemic stroke. Learning to observe these symptoms can help a person to receive early treatment as well as recover quickly.
Stroke prevention usually depends on being healthy and making few modifications in lifestyle. This involves:
- Quit smoking
- Control blood pressure
- Adopt a healthy diet plan
- Check if you are victim of atrial fibrillation
- Avoid the use of drugs
- Moderate quantity of alcohol consumption
- Manage stress
- Lower intake of sodium, cholesterol and fat
- Workout regularly (some study has stated that aerobics can reduce the risk of stroke)
- Control and treat diabetes
- Three cups of tea a day can reduce your chances of stroke
- Use preventive medications such as anticoagulant and anti-platelet drugs to prevent clotting of blood
- Cholesterol lowering medications are helpful in preventing recurrence of stroke.
A person should know his/her risk of getting a stroke, and he/she should know how to identify the symptoms of a mini stroke or transient ischemic stroke. This will help in appropriate diagnosis and treatment of stroke with better recovery.
Stroke is a result of deficiency of blood supply to the brain. It occurs when the blood flow towards the brain gets reduced or interrupted due to a rupture or leakage in the artery (hemorrhagic stroke) or clogging of the blood vessel (ischemic stroke) that supplies blood to the brain.
This deprives the brain from receiving nutrients and oxygen, which ultimately causes the brain tissues to die. A temporary interruption in blood supply to the brain can be termed as transient ischemic stroke; this can also be called a minor stroke, which causes temporary or minor damage to the brain cells. If any of these medical emergencies remain unnoticed and untreated for a long time, it may worsen the condition of the patient and may lead to death. Hence, it is essential to learn the causes and symptoms of stroke, so that you can consult your doctor immediately and get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment punctually.
Causes of Various Types of Stroke
Each type of stroke has a typical cause.
Ischemic Stroke
This type of stroke causes when a blood clot builds up in the artery and narrows it or completely blocks it and deprives the brain from blood supply. This is the most common form of stroke. The formation of blood clot affects the normal blood flow as well. Clot in the blood may develop due to certain reasons, such as:
- Atrial fibrillation or abnormal heart rhythms
- Blood clotting disorder and endocarditis (heart valves infection)
- Atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels). This may caused due to smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Certain problems of heart valve, including a repaired heart valve, artificial heart valve, or diseases of heart valve such as stenosis (heart valve narrowing), or mitral valve prolapse
- Heart failure, heart attack and vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation)
- A type of congenital heart disorder (patent foramen ovale)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure) may also be a cause of ischemic stroke although in rare cases. Low blood pressure causes insufficient blood supply to the brain and may be result of a heart attack, diseased or narrowed arteries, a severe infection or heavy blood loss.
- Some surgeries such as carotid artery stenting or endarterectomy that are used to remove the blood clot from the narrowed carotid arteries may also cause stroke.
The most common form of stroke involves:
- Embolic Stroke: This occurs when other debris or a blood clot builds up away from the brain, often in the heart and moves through the bloodstream and gets stuck into a narrower artery of the brain. This kind of blood clot is referred as embolus.
- Thrombotic Stroke: This type of stroke strikes when a clot of blood (thrombus) develops in one of the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. Plaque or fatty deposits that build up in the arteries often develop a clot which reduces the blood flow and causes atherosclerosis.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
This form of stroke occurs due to bleeding in the surrounding space of the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage) or internal bleeding in the brain (intra-cerebral hemorrhage). Bleeding in the brain’s surrounding space is a result of uncontrolled pressure of the blood or ruptured aneurysm. A rare cause of hemorrhage is ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – a unusual knot in the thin walled arteries since birth. Other causes of this medical emergency are rare, but include: 
- Blood clotting diseases, for example, hemophilia
- Blood vessel inflammation, which may be a result of certain medical conditions such as tuberculosis, Lyme disease, assyphilis or vasculitis
- Radio therapy for treating cancer in the brain or neck
- Neck and head injuries that causes damage to the blood vessels in neck or head
- Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (a type of blood vessel disorder)
The common types of hemorrhagic stroke involve:
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: This form of stroke strikes when a blood vessel near or on the brain surface bursts and spills into the gap between the skull and surface of the brain. This bleeding is often followed with a severe headache, which works as an indication. A subarachnoid hemorrhage is usually caused when the aneurysm bursts, a small berry shaped or sack shaped out pouching on the blood vessel in the brain. As the hemorrhage occurs, your brain arteries may narrow and widen unevenly (vasospasm), resulting into damage to the brain cell and thus further limiting blood supply to the brain parts.
- Intracerebral Hemorrhage: In this type of medical emergency, arteries in the brain rupture and spill into the surrounding tissues and cells of brain, thus damaging them. Brain tissues beyond the leak get damaged and are deprived of blood. Intracerebral hemorrhage may also develop due to vascular malformations, high blood pressure, use of medications for blood thinning and few other conditions.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
This is also called a mini stroke. Transient ischemic attack can be a brief alarming episode of warning signs of stroke that are allied with stroke as well. TIA occurs due to the temporary interruption in blood supply to a portion of brain. 
Mini stroke often continues for a few minutes. Alike ischemic stroke, a mini stroke occurs when a clot or debris clogs the flow of blood to a part of brain. Since this blockage is temporary, it doesn’t have long lasting symptoms.
Seek immediate medical aid even if your warning signs seem to settle. If you have had experienced mini stroke, it means possibly there is a narrowed or partially blocked blood vessel moving towards the brain, leading you at greater prospects of a full-blown stroke that may harm your brain badly on permanent basis. In most cases, it’s not possible to identify whether you are having a TIA or stroke just on the basis of your symptoms. Almost fifty percent of people whose symptoms seem to clear up actually experience a stroke which causes huge damage to the brain.
Symptoms of Stroke
The signs of a stroke mainly depend on the area and the level of brain tissue damage:
Usually, the symptoms of stroke are not associated with pain.
These symptoms often develop suddenly and last of a few minutes to an hour.
Some strokes arise during sleep, so the victim notices the warning signs when they wake up.
The indications may appear and go, resolve completely, or become worse within several hours.
If the warning signs go away entirely in less than 24 hours, the episode is known as a mini stroke.
Common symptoms of stroke include:
- Weakness in the Facial Muscles: Your face may look lopsided or droop. Since it makes you unable to control the movement of the tongue or lips, you may sound a little slurred.
- Weakness in the Leg or Arm or Both of Same Side: A person may experience very mild weakness or complete paralysis. A sensation of pins-and-needles or complete numbness may develop on either side of your body.
- Coordination Problems: You may stumble or feel uncoordinated or have difficulty in picking up objects and walking.
- Difficulty in Speaking: You may find it difficult to move your tongue and lips to speak. Your speech may get very slurred or when you talk, your words may sound ok, but it will be something random which has no sense at all.
- Vision Related Problems: You may experience intricacy with vision, such as loss of side (peripheral) vision, double vision, or blindness. Blurred vision cannot always be a symptom of stroke.
- Loss of Consciousness: A victim may feel unconscious, hard or stupor to arouse and may die.
- Dizziness: You may feel dizzy or drunk and could have difficulty in swallowing.
- Sudden Headache: A severe, sudden headache may develop.
Understand the causes and symptoms of stroke, so that if you observe any of the indication, you can immediately call your doctor for medical assistance.
Brain cells require constant supply of glucose and oxygen rich blood through the bloodstream for functioning. When this supply gets interrupted due to the rupture or blockage in the artery that supplies blood to the brain, a person tends to have stroke.
In medical terms. a stroke is called cerebrovascular accident (CVA). In this condition, the patient may experience memory problems or may abruptly become unable to speak. In other words, it can be said that stroke is a medical condition which develops due to brain damage caused by internal bleeding in the brain and blocked blood vessel. Stroke may also paralyze one side of the body. The symptoms of stroke include confusion, numbness, blurred vision, slurred speech and weakness.
Types of Stroke
Hemorrhagic Stroke: This condition tends to develop when a defective blood vessel in the brain gets ruptured and the blood gets filled in the surrounding brain tissues (cerebral hemorrhage) or when the artery running through the surface of the brain gets burst and the space between the skull and brain gets filled with blood (subarachnoid hemorrhage).
Ischemic stroke: This type of stroke is severe and occurs when a thrombus or a blood clot develops and clogs the blood supply to a section of the brain. If a blood clot developed in any part of the body breaks off to move through the bloodstream, it can be termed as embolus. This free floating clot may reach the brain with the blood flow and cause ischemic stroke.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA): This is a mini stroke, which increases a person’s prospects of getting a deadly stroke. It occurs when the blood flow to the brain gets restricted for short time due to the formation of a blood clot. The warning signs of TIA are almost similar to the signs of a stroke; however, these signs go within a few hours or minutes. TIA is an initial indication that you may be at higher risk of confronting cerebrovascular accident.
Paediatric Stroke (stroke in children): Cerebrovascular accident may occur at any age or any point of an individual’s life span. Not only the adults undergo this medical condition, but even the children and infants may also get prone to it. This condition develops when the blood supply to the brain gets interrupted, either due to rupture or blockage on the arteries. Normal functioning of the brain may get disturbed when the brain cells begin to die due to insufficient supply of essential nutrients, blood and oxygen to any of its part.
The diagnosis and treatment pattern adopted by the doctor depends on the age of the child during the occurrence of stroke. It may occur in three various age groups:
- When the baby is in the womb or prenatal phase
- A newborn baby or the immediate 28 days after the birth
- From childhood up to the age of 18 years
In all conditions, the brain lacks in blood supply and accumulation of blood that develops severe pressure on the brain. The resulting condition of the patient after a stroke depends on how much of the brain tissues got affected and where the stroke strikes.
Strokes at large extent may cause death or paralysis. Smaller strokes may lead to minor health issues such as weakness in the leg or arms. Many patients with stroke may undergo incontinence, difficulty in speaking, bladder problems weakness in any side of the body.
Causes of Strokes
Hemorrhage strokes may occur due to high blood pressure, aneurysms or a head injury. Cerebral hemorrhage is also a result of high blood pressure because it causes the small blood vessels in the brain to rupture.
This condition deprives the cells of brain from blood and insidiously elevates the pressure on the brain.
Ischemic strokes are the ultimate result of embolus or thrombus that clogs the blood supply to the brain. Thrombus clots or blood clots usually develop at those areas of the blood vessels that have been damaged due to the deposition of plaque (atherosclerosis). Embolus form of blood clots develop due to the atrial fibrillation (a random heart beat pattern that leads to poor blood supply and formation of blood clot).
Aneurysms refers to the condition in which the aberrant blood filled sacs are formed and inflate from the weak spots in the artery wall. This is one of the usual conditions for sub-arachnoid hemorrhage. In case an aneurysm bursts, the space between the skull and the brain is filled with blood, which causes spasm in the arteries of the brain. Aneurysms usually develops and becomes worse due to high blood pressure.
According to some studies, it is observed that a defect in a single gene can cause stroke and fatal disorders of the coronary arteries and aorta. Migraines may increase one’s risk of stroke during pregnancy.
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is unusual tousle in thin-walled arteries that is present during birth, when it ruptures a rare type of hemorrhage stroke may occur.
Risk Factors of Stroke
This medical condition may strike anyone. Although most of the risk factors of stroke cannot be controlled, some of them can be kept in line through appropriate medical care and nutrition. Risk factors of cerebrovascular accident may involve the following:
- Gender (male)
- Age above 55 years
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Family history
- Being overweight or obesity
- Hispanic, African American or Pacific/Asian Islander
- High level of a type of amino acids in blood (homocysteine)
- A transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a history of previous attack
- Use of cocaine
- Use of birth control pills or other hormonal therapy
- Excessive intake of alcohol – some studies reported that people with excessive consumption of alcohol are at a greater risk of stroke as compared to others.
What are the Warning Signs of Stroke?
This is a deadly medical condition which needs to be treated immediately after its occurrence. Within a couple of minutes after a stroke, cells of the brain begin to break down, resulting into symptoms of a stroke. It is significant to identify the warning signs, as prompt medical aid is crucial for recovery. Few common signs of stroke are as follows:
- Speech problems
- Trouble in walking, dizziness, loss of coordination and balance
- Double, blackened or blurred vision
- Weakness, paralysis, numbness on either sides of the body
- Sudden severe headache
A person with silent strokes (smaller stroke) may not always undergo any signs, but their brain tissue gets damaged.
A transient ischemic attack can be a possible indication that a stroke is about to strike. Though signs of TIA and stroke are similar, TIA symptoms last for a few minutes and causes minor damage, which is temporary. A study discovered that women have higher prospects of experiencing non-traditional or unusual alarming signs of stroke.
Nowadays, heart diseases (cardiovascular diseases) are getting more common all over the world. According to the study of the American Health Association, they are becoming the prime killer for both, men as well as women. Moreover, the main concern is that often people are not aware that they are at risk of getting heart related disorders. Cardiac disorders include several conditions that not only affect the heart, but also damage the blood vessels and arteries surrounding the heart. Some of the heart diseases include:
- Arrythmias
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart failure
- Vascular disease
- Pericardial disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Aorta disease and Marfan syndrome
Among all other types of heart diseases in men, coronary heart disease is more common and it is caused due to the blockage or narrowing of the arteries through which blood is supplied to the heart.
With an aim to prevent such medical condition, it is significant to understand the functioning of your heart. The intensity of cardiovascular diseases can be minimized by taking care of your health, diet and learning about the required care and treatment.
Heart Diseases in Men
When we think of cardiovascular diseases, generally heart attack or coronary heart disease comes to our mind. But unfortunately, this is just one type of cardiac disease, and there are several other such diseases that affect the functioning and structure of the heart. They are listed as below:
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): This is a form of atherosclerosis in which the arteries that supply oxygenated blood and nutrients to the heart get harden.
Heart Failure: This term is really frightening; however, heart failure does not mean that the heart stops working or fails to function completely. Failure of heart refers to the condition in which the heart is not able to pump adequate or required amount of blood. This is one of the major issues of concern that is affecting around five million people in the United States. Often, men above the age of 65 get more prone to this condition. Heart failure is diagnosed among 550,00 people every year.
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD):
This type of disease refers to the defect in one or more blood vessels or structure of the heart and is often present since birth. There are several type of heart defects, most of which either cause blood to flow in an abnormal pattern or obstruct the blood supply in the heart or vessels surrounding it. As per the study of scientists, genetics and heredity may contribute to CHD as well as exposure to certain viral infection; drugs and use of alcohol during pregnancy may also play a vital role. Heart defects are the major cause of deaths due to birth related defects. Around 7 out of every 1000 children get affected due to congenital heart defects. Symptoms of this disorder may begin during childhood, at birth and in some conditions during adulthood.
Heart Valve Disease: The heart has four chambers and heart valves are located at the end of each heart chamber. They are responsible for maintaining the one way flow of blood through the heart. When these valves do not function in an appropriate manner or typical pattern, a person tends to develop a heart valve disease. Causes of this disease may be congenital valve disease, acquired valve disease, endocarditis, rheumatic fever or mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Examples of this disorder may include mitral valve insufficiency and aortic stenosis.
Enlarged Heart or Cardiomyopathy: Enlarged heart is a type of heart muscle disease. People with this medical condition have their hearts abnormally thickened, enlarged, or/and stiffened due to which the ability of the heart to pump blood gets affected or weakened. If cardiomyopathy is left untreated, it may worsen with time and may often lead to abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure.
Pericardial Disease: This is a disorder which affects the membranous sac in which the heart is enclosed. Pericardial disease is an inflammatory process that develops clinical syndrome due to the pericardial friction rub, alterations in the electrocardiogram (ECG) and chest pain.
Vascular Disease (Blood Vessel Disease): The heart pumps blood with each of its beat through the circulatory system (system of blood vessels). The circulatory system involves veins (that return blood back to the heart) and arteries (that carry blood from the heart to other body parts). Vascular disorder includes any medical condition such as peripheral artery disease that affects the circulatory system. This may involve various diseases related to blood disorders, veins, lymph vessels and arteries that affect blood circulation.
Arrythmias (Abnormal Heart Rhythm):
In a normal state, the heart beats in a pattern; even rhythm and in a steady form. It beats around 60 to 100 times in one minute. But when the heart gets out of rhythm, it beats in an abnormal and irregular manner, and this condition is referred as arrhythmia. This condition can also be termed as dysrhythmia and can involve alteration in the rhythm which produces a change in the rate or uneven heartbeat, resulting into a very fast or very slow heartbeat.
What are the Risk Factors?
Risk factors of heart diseases in men can be controllable as well as uncontrollable.
The term controllable refers to the risk factors that can be controlled by making changes in your lifestyle and such risk factors involve:
- Activity level of a person
- Diet
- Weight
- Drinking and smoking habits
- Stress
The term uncontrollable refers to the risk factors that cannot be controlled. This may include:
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Family history
- Body type
Other major risk factors may involve high cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
How to Lower Your Risk of Developing a Heart Disease?
In most cases, a man’s risk of cardiovascular disease begins to rise gradually after the age of 45. Fortunately, you can minimize your risk by adopting certain steps. These may include:
- Avoid or quit smoking and using other tobacco products.
- Often check your triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
- Often check your blood pressure. If you are a high blood pressure victim, follow the precautions and medications given by the doctor.
- Start having a heart-healthy diet. Add plenty of fresh and green vegetables, fruits, and fiber rich foods in your diet. Restrict foods rich in cholesterol, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat.
- Perform regular physical activity that will burn your extra calories and will keep you active.
- Know about your BMI (body mass index) and maintain your weight accordingly.
- If you are a diabetic patient, control your diabetes by following the instructions give by the doctor.
- Limit consumption of alcohol since excessive intake may cause high blood pressure.
After learning about the risk factors and types of heart diseases in men, you should be alert about your health. Consult your doctor and discuss about your risk factors and available preventive measures. It’s critically significant to get educated about your prospects of developing any of these fatal diseases. Eat healthy, stay active and protect your heart from developing any type of heart disease. Follow the above mentioned steps and don’t delay in getting prompt medical aid if you think you may develop any of these cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular disease or heart disease can take different forms: coronary artery disease, rheumatic heart disease/rheumatic fever, valvular heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. As per the records of the World Health Organization, above 17 million people in the world die due to the cardiac disease.
This disease is responsible for the death of around fifty percent of population in America and other developed as well as developing countries. All statistics and records state that it is one of the major causes of death among the adults. Risk factors of heart disease in men are quite similar to the risk factors in women; however, use of birth control pills is an additional risk factor for cardiac disease in women.
Cardiovascular disease occurs when arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the heart get clogged due to the deposition of fatty substance called ‘atheroma’ or ‘plaque’. This substance gradually builds up in the inner wall of the arteries over time, making them narrow. This procedure is called atherosclerosis. Narrowing of the arteries results into the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle and may develop symptoms like angina. When the blood clot forms into the artery and reduces its diameter, the blood supply to the heart gets restricted, thus increasing the chances of getting a heart attack.
What are the Risk Factors?
The mortality rate due to heart disease is rising day by day and hence people need to become aware of the symptoms and risk factors of heart disease. After carrying out several studies and researches on thousands of people, it is found that there are certain factors that contribute a lot in increasing a person’s prospects of developing coronary artery disease. These are referred as risk factors.
Prospects or risk factors of an individual can be categorized into two types:
1.Controllable Risk Factors: Those that can be controlled by medication or making certain changes in lifestyle.
2.Uncontrollable Risk Factors: Those which cannot be change by making any modifications or changes.
Your prospects of developing heart disease increase along with your risk factors. Fortunately, you can control some of your risk factors through medicines and making certain changes in your lifestyle or both. However, few risk factors cannot be controlled at all.
Controllable Risk Factors and Non Controllable Risk Factors
There are multiple causes of heart disease; and risk factors increase your prospect of developing it. Risk factors that can be controlled are called controllable risk factors, while those that cannot be controlled are called uncontrollable risk factors.
Controllable risk factors involve:
- High level of total blood cholesterol
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- Being overweight
- Being physically inactive
- Stress, social isolation and depression.
Uncontrollable risk factors involve:
- Gender (men are more prone to heart disease as compared to women)
- Increasing age
- Family of cardiovascular disease
According to some research, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people also have an elevated risk of coronary heart disease. Taking the prescribed medications and leading a healthy lifestyle can be helpful in reducing the overall risk of developing heart disease.
High Level of Total Blood Cholesterol
Cholesterol is naturally produced in the body. It can also be obtained from some foods. It is a fatty substance that is used for different functioning in the body, but excessive amount of cholesterol in blood may create various cardiac issues.
High level of cholesterol causes fatty substances to gradually accumulate in the coronary arteries, which make them harder, thus restricting the blood flow. This condition mainly occurs due to the intake of foods high in trans and saturated fats.
High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure mainly depends on two things: how effortlessly the blood runs through the blood vessels and how much blood is pumped by the heart. Pressure of blood in the arteries will decrease and increase throughout the day depending on the activity performed. However, when this pressure is constantly high, a person is said to have high blood pressure. This condition can overload the coronary arteries and heart and speed up the process of artery clogging, which may lead to stroke and heart attack. Along with the arteries, this condition may also affect the other body parts such as kidneys, eyes and legs.
Your eating habits, family history, weight, level of physical activity and alcohol intake have a strong impact on blood pressure. In some cases, medications and drugs, including the contraceptive depot injections, oral contraceptive, arthritis medicines, and steroids, can increase blood pressure. If this medical condition is not treated, it may weaken the heart due to the continuous extra demand and thus may cause heart failure and other serious conditions.
Smoking
Smoking is not only responsible for causing cancer, but it may also create serious problems related to arteries and other body parts. It can damage the walls of the arteries by reducing the oxygen in the blood. Smoking makes the artery walls as well as the blood stickier, which results into the clumping of blood cells. This may create blockages, making the artery walls narrow, and thus obstructing the blood flow to the heart. Obstruction the blood flow may ultimately result into the various serious conditions such as stroke, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, gangrene and angina.
Being Overweight
Being fat or overweight is one of the leading risk factors of heart disease in men. It may lead a person to develop various heart related problems, including:
- Diabetes
- High blood cholesterol
- Coronary heart disease
- Gall bladder disease
- High blood pressure
- Sleeping problems (apnoea)
- Joint problems such as joint pain, arthritis and gout
- Certain forms of cancers
Being apple shaped or carrying extra fats around the middle portion of the body is a major risk for various health issues. So burning the extra fats and balancing the consumed calories by regular workout can help you stay fat free.
Diabetes
It is found that people with coronary artery disease often have type 2 diabetes and combination of both these diseases may make a person prone to stroke, angina and heart attack. It is reported that more people being overweight, with unfavorable eating habits and physically inactive are at greater risk of having diabetes. Diabetic patients may need to maintain their level of glucose in blood by taking medicines and making certain changes in lifestyle.
Depression
This condition may develop among the people who do not have social support and are socially isolated. Depression can be controlled with medical as well as non medical treatments.
Age and Gender
Often, men have higher prospects as compare to women for developing cardiovascular disease at middle age and this risk elevates along with the age. Many doctors still wonder why women develop heart disease at a later age; probably the hormonal changes post menopause, in addition with the changes in their risk factors contribute a lot.
Despite your age and gender, you can minimize your chances of getting coronary artery disease if you take the prescribed medicines and follow a healthy lifestyle.
Family History
An individual’s genes and family history can elevate their chances to develop:
- Diabetes
- High blood cholesterol
- High blood pressure
Though a family history of heart disease increases one’s prospects of developing it, luckily it does not mean even you will develop it for sure. However, a person with family history of such disease needs to take special care and cut off other risk factors (avoid smoking, stay active, lead a healthy lifestyle and restrict trans and saturated fats).
There are several risk factors of heart disease in men, from which some can be controlled or reduced. Taking medicines as per your doctor’s prescription and adopting certain modifications in your lifestyle can definitely help you to stay healthy.
People often tend to think that heart disease occurs only in men, but this is not true. The reality is that cardiovascular disease is one of the fatal diseases in women as well. Considering this fact, it is significant for women of all ages (particularly above 40 years) to understand the risk factors of heart disease in women and take the required steps and measures regrading it.
Unfortunately, the death ratio of women due to cardiovascular disease and stroke is more than men. To protect the health of your heart and keep your prospects of developing heart related diseases as low as possible, it is essentially significant for you to keep a track of the risk factors and try to control them. Women should be always be alert about the leading threats to their health care. Somethings you always need to keep in mind are that certain risk factors contribute highly for developing heart problems in women as compared to men. Although heart attack in women mostly occurs in early seventies, cardiac disorder is a threat at any age. The death rate of women due to cardiovascular disease is more prominent than breast cancer. All these facts and numbers point towards only one thing: you need to learn which stroke and heart disease risk factors should be your point of concern as a woman and which can be controlled? Let’s take an overall look.
Leading Risk Factors of Heart Disease in Women
These risk factors cause problems in both men and women; however, studies state that they may contribute to a large extent to develop cardiac problems in women.
Diabetes: Women with diabetes are 4 to 5 times more prone to heart disease than women without diabetes. Meanwhile, men with diabetes are two times more elevated to heart problem as compared to the men without diabetes.
Decrease in the Level of Estrogen: Diabetes and lower levels of estrogen in women are linked with each other. Younger women who have diabetes tend to have decreased estrogen level and an abnormal ovulation cycle. This is mostly due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); even older women who are diabetic have some history of a hormonal imbalance. As per studies, it is observed that women who have a history of PCOS are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Experts still completely don’t understand the link between heart health and estrogen level.
Depression: This is often linked with higher prospects. Doctors have still not confirmed if here is any biological basis for the connection or it’s because people under depression tend to skip workout, smoke often, miss appointments of doctors, and eat unhealthy foods, which as a result increase the risk of developing cardiac disease. More women undergo depression as compared to men, so it creates a huge impact on prospects of women.
Smoking:
People who smoke often are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disorder, and each cigarette may create a greater impact on women’s health.
Birth Control Pills: Use of birth control pills, especially if you smoke, will increase the level of C0 reactive protein (CRP).
Traditional Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease in Women
These factors equally contribute in increasing the risk of getting cardiovascular disease in both, men and women
Family History: If any your parents had or have heart related disorder, your prospects of getting it increases. Risk also tends to be greater for Mexican Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, African Americans and few Asian Americans.
Age: Above 83 percent of people who are prone to death due to cardiovascular disease are above the age of 55.
Obesity or Overweight: Even if you are away from other risk factors, being obese or overweight increases your chances of heart disease, especially if you have accumulated fats around the mid-section of your body.
High Cholesterol Level: As the level of the cholesterol in your body goes up, your prospects for cardiac disease also raises.
High Blood Pressure: When the blood pressure raises, the heart has to perform harder. This creates pressure on the heart and thus elevates your risk.
Metabolic Syndrome: According to the definition, a combination of two or more of these risk factors–insulin resistance, a large waistline, elevated triglyceride levels and low levels of required cholesterol–increase the risk for cardiac disorder, but the risk for men as well women is equal. Metabolic syndrome also elevates the chances for diabetes.
Although cardiovascular disease is often considered as a problem for men, a large number of women as compared to men die every year due to this medical condition. The warning signs of heart disease in women may be different from the signs in men. Luckily, women can take the required measures to understand their unique signs. Heart disease should not be treated as any other less threatening medical condition. Try to find your risks and take as much efforts you can to minimize your risk of developing this type of disease.
What are the Symptoms of Cardiovascular Disease in Women ?
Pressure, pain and discomfort in the chest are some of the most common signs of heart disease. Moreover, in women, it’s not always extreme or the most prominent sign. Women often develop “atypical heart diseases symptoms” such as:
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Unusual fatigue
- Pain in throat or jaw
- Pain in upper abdomen, indigestion
- Feeling of nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Pain in shoulder, neck and upper back
- Arm pain (particularly in the left arm)
These signs are more elusive than the usual squeezing chest pain commonly associated with heart attack. Since women do not show severe symptoms, their heart problems remain unnoticed and thus untreated for a long time. Women often tend to have obstructions not only in the major arteries, but also in the minor arteries through which blood is supplied to the heart. This condition is referred as micro-vascular disease or small vessel heart disorder.
Many women visit their doctor after much damage to the heart. This is because their symptoms are subtle and do not typically indicate heart related diseases. If you undergo any of these signs or think you may be at risk of getting a heart attack, call 911 or emergency medical aid quickly. Call and try to go in an ambulance instead of driving yourself.
Does Heart Disease Occur Only in Older Women?
No. Women below the age of 60 who have diabetes or have family history of cardiovascular disease should be more concerned about their risk factors. Heart disease may occur at any age and thus women of all ages need to be alert about it.
What Measures Should be Taken to Lower the Risk ?
Your lifestyle contributes a lot on your health. Tthus, making certain changes in your lifestyle can help you lower your risk:
- Follow a healthy diet
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Stay active and perform regular workout
- Quit smoking
- Reduce or cut off the intake of foods rich in fats and cholesterol
Other than these measures, you may require to take prescribed drugs and medications regularly. This may include aspirin, blood thinners and blood pressure medications. Some women prefer to take supplements (omega-3 fatty acids) for reducing the risk.
So, in all it can be said that the risk factors of heart disease in women can be reduced by taking certain measures and maintaining conditions like high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure that increase your risk for cardiac disorders.
As per research and study of the American Heart Association, nearly one among every four women in the United States has some sort of heart disease (cardiovascular disease).
This number is greater than the number of women who die due to other medical conditions such as breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The National Women’s Health Information Center states that although heart disease is fatal for both men and women, the rate of death is high in women. Types of heart diseases in women include stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease (chest pain, heart attack) and high blood pressure, arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, angina and other diseases of the circulatory system.
Different Forms of Cardiovascular and Heart Diseases
Cardiovascular disease or heart disease arises due to several problems that create interruption in the normal functioning of the heart and the arteries in the heart. Symptoms of cardiovascular disorder in women are often subtle and hence get overlooked. Being acknowledged about the warning signs of this medical condition can help you to get the treatment at the right time and thus can save your life. Here are a few types of diseases related to the heart:
Coronary Artery Disease (Coronary Heart Disease)
This is the most common type of cardiac disorder. It affects the coronary arteries or vessels that supply blood to the heart. It often causes heart attacks and angina. Since heart related issues tend to develop with age, women above the age of 45 are at higher risk of getting them. As per studies, it is found that the death rate due this medical emergency is high in black women as compared to white women. Certain risk factors such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, being physically inactive, etc., increase the chances of a person to develop this heart problem. However, by making a few changes in your lifestyle, you can cope up with this condition.
Atherosclerosis
This is a form of heart disease, which involves hardening and thickening of the arteries.
As we get older, hardening of the arteries is natural. This medical condition causes narrowing of the inner walls of the arteries due to the deposition of plaque (cholesterol, fats and other substances). Formation of blood clots block the blood supply to the heart, which can to lead to strokes and heart attack. Hypertension, obesity, not being physically active, smoking, diabetes, high level of cholesterol, etc., contribute to increase the risk for atherosclerosis.
Angina
When some part of the heart fails to receive adequate amount of blood supply, a feeling of discomfort and pain develops in the chest. It feels like a squeezing or pressing pain, often under the breastbone, which may further move towards the shoulders, neck, arms, back or jaw. The prime trigger for angina is excessive physical workout while other triggers can be extreme heat or cold, smoking, emotional stress, and alcohol. Angina rarely develops a permanent harsh effect on the heart such as heart attack.
Stroke
Lack of blood supply to the brain may cause a blood clot or excessive internal bleeding in the brain, when any of the blood vessel gets ruptured. This may give rise to stroke. Cells of the brain begin to die if they do no receive enough oxygen and blood. Few women may also have transient ischemic attacks or mini strokes, where no damage is caused to the brain. Although they do not harm, they are serious and can lead you at greater risk of developing a full stroke. Diabetes, smoking and uncontrolled blood pressure all contribute to increase your chances of stroke.
Congestive Heart Failure
When the heart stops pumping blood through the body, a person is said to have heart failure. However, it doesn’t mean that the heart stops working actually. This condition develops in small stages as with time and may cause a huge impact on the lifestyle and ability to carry out routine activities such as bathing, getting around and dressing.
Congestive heart failure occurs due to congestion and accumulation of fluid. 
But this is the only symptom that develops in few people who undergo failure of the heart. Heart failure can be categorized into two types: systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure. Each person may experience various symptoms for each category.
Systolic heart failure is caused when the ability of the heart to pump blood reduces. In this condition, the heart is not able to push adequate amount of blood to the circulatory system, resulting into the accumulation of fluid into the lungs, as the blood supply from the lungs towards the heart works for backup. This condition is known pulmonary congestion. If this condition is not treated on time, it may worsen the condition of the patient.
Diastolic heart failure refers to the condition in which the heart experiences difficulty in resting or relaxing. In diastolic heart failure, the ventricles ( lower chambers) of the heart become too stiff to expand and relax. They become unable to pump adequate amount of blood to the heart.
Heart Disease due to Infections
Rheumatic Fever
This is an inflammatory disorder which may occur when the streptococcus bacterial infection (strep throat or scarlet fever) remains untreated. This may lead to further complications. Rheumatic fever may damage the heart valves and develop brain, joints and skin problems. Symptoms of this disorder may include abdominal pain, fever, cardiac problems (chest pain or shortness of breath), skin rash, joint swelling or bleeding in the nose. Antibiotics are available to treat this condition.
Endocarditis
This refers to an inflammation of the endocardium (interior lining of the heart), which develops as a result of bacterial infection. Patients undergoing this medical condition may experience excessive sweating, fever and chills. It may also cause joint pain, weight loss, abnormal urine color, weakness and shortness of breath. Women with a history of using intravenous drug or presence of congenital heart disease are at higher risk of developing endocarditis. It may also develop in pateints who had recent dental work or rheumatic fever. This condition can be treated with antibiotics and hospitalization in initial stages, but if remained untreated, it may develop serious complications such as severe damage of heart and stroke.
Pericarditis
This condition develops due to the swelling and irritation in the pericardium (thin layer or skin that surrounds the heart). It generally remains for a short period, but causes sharp chest pain, similar to heart attack or angina. This condition often develops at a younger age and is generally caused due to viral infection that initiates cold. It may also result due to the viruses that are responsible for causing chicken pox, influenza, hepatitis B, rubella and mumps.
If you discover any of the signs that indicate a heart disease, rush to your health care provider. There are certain drugs and medicines that can help you to find a way out to reduce the risk factors and treat various types of heart diseases in women. Having healthy food and being physically active can also help you to lower your prospects of various cardiac disorders.
As per studies, cardiovascular disease is one the prime causes of deaths in America. Over 62 million people have some type of cardiovascular disease. This disease can be categorized into several types – some are congenital (present in the genes and develop since birth), whereas most types of heart diseases develop over certain time period and affect the victims later in life.
Generally, blood and heart diseases are called “silent killers”, since they often develop eventually and can remain unnoticed for a long time. A majority of heart problems develop when the blood supply to the heart gets interrupted due to the build-up of cholesterol (plaque), fats and blood clots, which slowly clog the arteries and make them narrow. Narrowing of arteries result into the decrease or complete restriction of blood supply to the heart. This condition is referred as hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. Lack of blood supply to any organ of the body may disturb the functioning of that organ. For example, lack of blood supply to the brain may cause stroke, while inadequate blood supply to the heart may result into heart attack.
Here are a few common types of heart diseases that may probably lead a person towards death.
Coronary Heart Disease/Coronary Artery Disease
Failure of coronary blood circulation is referred as coronary heart disease. This condition causes due to the inadequate supply of oxygenated blood to the heart, which may damage the cardiac muscles and the other tissues surrounding the heart. This condition may cause sudden death of the patient without any indication.
Hypertensive Heart Disease
This condition directly or indirectly is caused due to high blood pressure. In hypertensive heart disease, the cardiac muscle thickens since the heart functions hardly to manage the high blood pressure. This condition also gives rise to essential hypertension and is also responsible for the aortic failure, renal failure and heart failure.
Ischemia
This is a type of coronary artery disease. Ischemia is a condition when the blood supply to the heart muscles is restricted, but develops very little symptoms or pain. Severe discomfort can be experienced often during physical exertion.
Angina
This means pain and discomfort due to insufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen to the heart. Usually, coronary artery spasm or atherosclerosis causes angina. This condition is different for everyone. While it often arises when the heart is functioning harder than usual such as during an emotional or physical stress or after a meal, it can also arise when a person is resting. In most cases, angina develops initially in the chest and moves down towards the left arm. However, in some cases, it may be any discomfort that moves towards the chest, through the shoulders, towards the upper back, both right and left arms, throat, neck, or jaw. Its symptoms may include:
- Pain
- Discomfort
- Sweating or dizziness
- Pressure
- Cramping
- Fullness
- Indigestion
- Squeezing
- Tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Tingling or numbness
- Sensation of heart burn
If many of these conditions last for more than 15 minutes, call 911 to get immediate medical attention.
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is mainly a group of disorders that affects the muscle of the heart (myocardium). This condition can be categorized into three types depending on the kind of muscle problem.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: In such case, the heart muscle becomes thicker than the usual size.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy: In such condition, the heart chambers get enlarged and the heart muscles get weak.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy: In this condition, the heart becomes rigid and gets disable to efficiently fill the heart chambers with blood.
Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
In this condition, a part of the heart lacks blood supply which causes damage or destruction of the heart muscle. If the damage is minor and the heart suddenly receives adequate oxygen, nutrients, and blood, the damage is usually recoverable. Hence, it is significant for the heart attack victim to call for immediate medical help. Symptoms of myocardial infarction include:
- Intense pain in chest with a feeling of heavy pressure that continues for more than minutes
- Fainting or lightheadedness
- Pain in other body parts such as arms, upper abdomen, neck, back, jaw, etc.
- Shortness of breath and rapid heart beat
- Sensation of nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue and cold sweating
If you observe any of these signs over 15 minutes and are certain that they are heart related, don’t delay. Immediately call for medical assistance.
Arrhythmia
Sometimes disturbance may occur in the electrical system of the heart and it stops working normally. It may slow down, become fast, skip beats, become irregular or sometimes do not receive the signals in right sequence. This makes the heart to beat slower or faster than erratically or normal. Such abnormal rhythms are known arrhythmias. They may give rise to various symptoms: fatigue, fainting, chest pain, pounding of the heart, shortness of breath, dizziness or rapid palpitations (flutters). If arrhythmia is left untreated, it may become life threatening. 
Arrhythmia is categorized into four major types:
- Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
- Bradycardia
- Extra or irregular heartbeats
- Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
Inflammatory Heart Disease
In this condition, the heart muscle and the surrounding tissues get inflamed due to an infection that develops from virus or bacteria or due to an internal peculiarity.
Here are some types of inflammatory heart diseases:
- Inflammatory cardiomegaly
- Endocarditis
- Myocarditis
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Similar to the heart, all body tissues require nutrients and oxygen to survive and function. Atherosclerosis or fatty plaques can also affect arteries through which oxygen rich blood is supplied to the other body parts. For example, this disease occurs when the feet or legs lack oxygenated blood due to the blockage or interruption. This impasse in the blood vessels divests the legs and feet of the nutrients and oxygen and develops signs often in the calf muscle, thigh and feet. Here are some warning signs of PAD:
- Coldness
- Brown spots over the skin
- Numbness and tingling
- Loss of hair at the lower part of the leg
- Cramping and pain while walking
- Ulcers, swelling and decrease speed of healing wounds
- Changes in the skin color of the legs: foot colors turn to blue from pink
Heart Failure
This may occur when the heart stops pumping adequate amount of blood. It doesn’t cause an immediate death or even stops the heart from functioning; moreover, it damages the heart muscles. It just indicates that your heart is not squeezing. Heart failure often occurs gradually and worsens the condition of the patient over the time. Here are the few causes of heart failure:
- Presence of heart defects since birth
- Coronary artery disease
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Lung disease (Emphysema)
- Disorder related to the heart valves
- Past heart attack
- Cardiomyopathies
Warning signs of this medical condition involves:
- Pulmonary congestion due to the accumulation of certain fluids in the lungsSwelling in the legs, feet, or ankles known as edema.
- Other signs may involve sleep apnea, fatigue, wheezing and cough.
Heart Defects
Heart valve problems or obstruction defects: A stumbling block is a narrowing that partially or entirely blocks the blood supply. Blockage called stenoses may occur in the heart veins, arteries or valves.
- Bicuspid aortic valve
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Aortic stenosis
- Subaortic stenosis
Valvular Heart Disease
This type of disease affects one or multiple heart valves. Valvular heart disease affects four major valve of heart including aortic and tricpusid valves that are located at the right side of the heart in addition to the aortic valves and mitral valves located at the left side of the heart. A person can acquire this disorder either at a later stage or it can develop before birth. Other disorders such as congenital heart disease, Rheumatic fever, cardiac dilation, etc., can also contribute to the development of this heart disease.
The different forms of valvular heart diseases are:
- Bicuspid aortic valve disease
- Congenital valve disease
- Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
- Acquired valve disease
After learning about all the different types of heart diseases and their symptoms, one can get a guideline about when to rush to the doctor for taking the required medical treatment.