What is valvular heart disease?

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The term valvular heart disease refers to any disease that affects one or more valves in the heart.

It could result from a congenital factor (ie: being born with the condition) or it can develop during the course of a lifetime.

Treatment for valvular heart disease includes medication in it’s milder form of the disease, or surgery which involves the repair or replacement of the diseased valve with an artificial valve.

There are a number of types of valvular heart disease, these include:

  • Valvular stenosis. Where there is a narrowing, stiffening, thickening or blockage of one or more heart valves. As a result  the defective valve can interfere with the free flow blood running through it. This would depend on which valve is affected, the diagnosis could be aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, pulmonic stenosis or tricuspid stenosis.
  • Valvular regurgitation. A condition in where the blood flows back in the wrong direction, this is because one or more of the heart valves is closing improperly. Depending on the severity of the leakage it may keep the heart from pumping an adequate amount of blood through the defective valve. The diagnosis may be aortic regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, pulmonary regurgitation or tricuspid regurgitation.

What is cardiomyopathy?

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Cardiomyopathy is a heart disease that leads to the degeneration of the heart muscles,  for any number of reasons.

People who suffer from Cardiomyopathy are at risk of arrhythmia, this possibly causes irregular heart rythmn.

The treatment for this condition will depend on the type of cardiomyopathy it is, it could involve medication, implanting a pacemaker, using a defibrillator or ablation.

The treatment is performed relive the symptoms but it may be necessary for a heart transplant due to the weakening of the heart.

There are three main types of cardiomyopathy:

  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy
  • Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited condition which means it can be passed on through families.

If you have HCM, your heart muscle wall is affected and becomes thickened which makes heart muscle stiff. In turn it’s harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your body.

What is dilated cardiomyopathy?

When dilated cardiomyopathy is first diagnosed it could be that there is no one else in your family who has it, it can however be inherited too, passed on through families.

The heart muscle wall becomes thin and floppy, the term used is dilated. This makes your heart weak and difficult for it to circulate blood around the body. 

DCM can occur in some women during the later stages of pregnancy or shortly after birth. Too much alcohol can also cause the condition.

What is arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy?

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) generally affects the right side of the heart. It is an inherited condition which means that it can be passed on through families.

The heart muscle cells are gradully replaced with fatty tissue and your heart becomes weak and unable to circulate the blood effectively. This usually takes many years to happen so most people are not diagnosed of the condition until later in life.

What is cardiovascular disease?

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Cardiovascular disease is characteristic of diseases that affect the heart, blood vessels and arteries. 

It is often associated with atherosclerosis although the term suggests any disease related to the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular disease kills one in three people in the UK, some contributing factors canot be altered but we can change our lifestyle. 

CVD is caused by a build up of fatty acids and cholesterol in the blood vessels. The natural wear and tear to blood vessels makes it easier for cholesterol to get stuck to the artery walls, this causes the arteries to narrow and in turn reduce the heart’s ability to pump blood through the body. If they become completely blocked, it will cause a heart attack or a stroke. 

Not all cholesterol however is bad. Two types of cholesterol exist in the bloodstream, LDL and HDL.  LDL (bad) creates the build up of plaque in the arteries,  high HDL levels are a good sign that you’re not at risk of CVD. 

Some risk factors are strongly associated with CVD but the good news is that they are reversible or can be modified: 

Risk factors you can change

  • smoking cigarettes
  • high levels of LDL cholesterol
  • high triglycerides (caused by the build up of fats)
  • low HDL cholesterol
  • being overweight
  • high blood pressure
  • inactivity
  • diabetes

Dietary changes

 Making some small changes to your diet is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to reduce your risk, you can do this by: 

  • reducing the fat in your diet, especially saturated and trans fats
  • eating more fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods
  • only drinking alcohol in moderation
  • reducing salt intake to maintain a lower blood pressure

Hypertensive Heart Disease

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Hypertensive heart disease is described as heart disease that occurs as a result of high blood pressure. It may lead to the development of either coronary heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertensive cardiomyopathy, left ventricular hypertrophy and congestive heart failure.

signs and symptoms

  • Noticeable swelling of the feet
  • Being almost unable to sleep flat in a bed
  • Some amount of weight gain
  • Having an irregular pulse rate
  • Experiencing shortness of breath
  • General bloating
  • Needing to urinate frequently at night
  • Associated fatigue or tiredness

Ischaemic Heart Disease

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Ischaemic Heart disease (IHD) or myocardial ischaemia often manifests as a result of coronary artery disease and causes a reduction in the blood supply to the cardiac muscle. It may exhibit symptoms such as angina (chest pain) and reduced ability to endure moderate exercise. It may be diagnosed with blood tests (cardiac markers), coronary angiogram, electrocardiogram or cardiac stress testing. It may be treated in a variety of ways but treatment will be dependent on associated symptoms and risk factors. The risk of developing IHD increases with advanced age, high cholesterol levels, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, a family history of the disease and is often more likely to develop in men.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Having an angina attack or attacks (chest pain that is derived from physical activity, stressful situations and cold weather conditions).
  • Suffering from acute chest pains that may likely signal unstable angina, acute coronary syndrome, heart attack or Myocardial infarction.
  • Experiencing heart failure which will cause difficulty in breathing that may be accompanied by the swelling of limbs.

Treatment

The course of treatment will depend on how severe the condition presents itself. For stable IHD antianginal drugs may be administered to decrease the rate and severity of angina attacks. Acute coronary syndrome is treated with necessary emergency care which includes coronary angiography, thrombolysis (medication to breakdown clots) and percutaneous coronary intervention (an angioplasty performed with or without stent intersection).

It is possible for treatment to also take the form of modifying certain established risk factors. This may involve lowering cholesterol levels with drugs (often statins), controlling blood pressure, reducing or completely eliminating smoking, exercising and controlling blood sugar in diabetics.

Coronary Heart Disease

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Coronary heart disease (CHD) is characterized by the gradual narrowing of the artery and blood vessels that supply the heart with blood and oxygen resulting from a build up of plaque which is composed of calcium, fatty material and scar tissue . Once this constriction of the vessels and artery occurs, the heart will not be supplied with sufficient blood.

The reduction of the amount of blood flowing through the heart is likely to cause chest pain or angina. If the blood flow is completely obstructed by plaque this may lead to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or in more severe cases cardiac arrest. As stated previously it is a major cause of death in the United Sates.

There are underlying factors that may increase an individual’s risk of developing coronary heart disease. The following factors increase the possibility of developing (CHD).

  • Having a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes.
  • Being a smoker.
  • Being age 40 years and older.
  • Currently going through menopause.
  • Having elevated blood pressure levels or hypertension.
  • Having high levels of bad cholesterol and low levels of good cholesterol.
  • Not performing the necessary amount of physical activity required to maintain adequate functioning of the circulatory system.
  • Being obese or significantly overweight.
  • Having a family history or genetic predisposition to developing the disease.

Once a person is diagnosed with this condition it is important to take the necessary steps to improve overall health. It is also necessary to visit a medical practitioner fairly often.

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