By: Courtney Cliatt

Awareness

Types of Heart Disease

Symptoms

Prevention

Coronary heart disease actually accounts for about 80% of all sudden deaths

The number of deaths from heart disease approximately equals to the number of deaths from cancer, accidents, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and influenza, and others combined

Every 34 seconds a person in the United States dies from heart disease

Coronary Artery Disease

Rheumatic Heart Disease

Arrhythmia

Coronary heart disease occurs when some of the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle become narrowed with fatty deposits called plaque which is composed of cholesterol and fats building up on the wall of the coronary arteries

Narrowed arteries result in the heart not fully supplied with the oxygen and other nutrients it needs, and if the artery becomes severely blocked, a heart attack occurs

Shortness of Breath

Palpitations

Weakness or Dizziness

Nausea

Sweating

RHD results in scarring of the valves, weakening of the heart muscle, or damaging the sac enclosing the heart

The valves are sometimes scarred so they do not open and close normally

RHD is caused by one or more attacks of rheumatic fever, which usually occurs in childhood

Fever Nausea Commonly, the child will have a very painful,

swollen and red joint -- usually a large joint like a knee, ankle, elbow or shoulder -- that goes away after a day or two only to be replaced by the same findings in another joint

Brief skin rashes may occur

Arrhythmia is abnormal rhythms of the heart that causes the heart to pump blood less efficiently

Most temporary and benign arrhythmias are those where the heart skips a beat or has an extra beat which is often caused by strong emotions or exercise

Some arrhythmias are life-threatening and require treatment

Palpitations

Pounding in chest

Dizziness

Fainting

Shortness of breath

Chest discomfort

With the technology available and the resources at hand, it is very easy to live a long and healthy life by becoming knowledgeable of the diseases listed. Hopefully year by year, research and prevention methods will increase, causing the statistics for cardiovascular disease to decline in hopes to make the disease a thing of the past.