Heart Trouble
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Heart attacks may be provoked by exercise, but they also can occur when someone is at rest. Call if one or more of the following symptoms come on suddenly:. The term "palpitations" means a heartbeat that feels irregular or rapid. Most palpitations are harmless. They may be caused by anxiety, caffeine intake, or dehydration.
But sometimes palpitations indicate a heart problem. It's important to note how your palpitations feel, how often they occur, and what you're doing when you experience them. For example, if you're resting — like watching television — and your heart suddenly starts beating irregularly or rapidly, bring that to your doctor's attention. Chest discomfort is linked to heart attacks. But what about signs of heart failure, valve problems, and irregular heartbeats? Overdoing acetaminophen Pain relievers: When to report symptoms It's better to err on the side of caution, especially if you have symptoms that come on with activity and are relieved with rest several symptoms at a time, such as fatigue and swollen feet known heart disease or factors that raise your risk for heart disease like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking.
Is it a heart attack? Call if one or more of the following symptoms come on suddenly: It's a muscular organ about the size of your fist, situated slightly left of center in your chest. Your heart is divided into the right and the left side. The division prevents oxygen-rich blood from mixing with oxygen-poor blood. Oxygen-poor blood returns to the heart after circulating through your body.
Four valves within your heart keep your blood moving the right way by opening only one way and only when they need to. To function properly, the valve must be formed properly, must open all the way and must close tightly so there's no leakage. The four valves are:.
Your heart's electrical wiring keeps it beating, which controls the continuous exchange of oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood.
Heart Disease in Women | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
This exchange keeps you alive. If you have too many cholesterol particles in your blood, cholesterol may accumulate on your artery walls.
Eventually, deposits called plaques may form. The deposits may narrow — or block — your arteries. These plaques can also burst, causing a blood clot to form. While cardiovascular disease can refer to different heart or blood vessel problems, the term is often used to mean damage to your heart or blood vessels by atherosclerosis ath-ur-o-skluh-ROE-sis , a buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries. Plaque buildup thickens and stiffens artery walls, which can inhibit blood flow through your arteries to your organs and tissues. Atherosclerosis is also the most common cause of cardiovascular disease.
It can be caused by correctable problems, such as an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking. Common causes of abnormal heart rhythms arrhythmias or conditions that can lead to arrhythmias include:. In a healthy person with a normal, healthy heart, it's unlikely for a fatal arrhythmia to develop without some outside trigger, such as an electrical shock or the use of illegal drugs.
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
That's primarily because a healthy person's heart is free from any abnormal conditions that cause an arrhythmia, such as an area of scarred tissue. However, in a heart that's diseased or deformed, the heart's electrical impulses may not properly start or travel through the heart, making arrhythmias more likely to develop. Congenital heart defects usually develop while a baby is in the womb.
Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. Diseases under the heart disease umbrella include blood vessel diseases. All women face the threat of heart disease. But becoming aware of symptoms and risks unique to women, as well as eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising.
Heart defects can develop as the heart develops, about a month after conception, changing the flow of blood in the heart. Some medical conditions, medications and genes may play a role in causing heart defects. Heart defects can also develop in adults. As you age, your heart's structure can change, causing a heart defect. The cause of cardiomyopathy, a thickening or enlarging of the heart muscle, may depend on the type:.
A heart infection, such as endocarditis, is caused when an irritant, such as a bacterium, virus or chemical, reaches your heart muscle. The most common causes of heart infection include:. There are many causes of diseases of your heart valves. You may be born with valvular disease, or the valves may be damaged by conditions such as:.
Certain types of heart disease, such as heart defects, can't be prevented. However, you can help prevent many other types of heart disease by making the same lifestyle changes that can improve your heart disease, such as:. Heart disease care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Chambers and valves of the heart A normal heart has two upper and two lower chambers. Development of atherosclerosis If you have too many cholesterol particles in your blood, cholesterol may accumulate on your artery walls.
References What is cardiovascular disease? Accessed May 3, Your guide to living well with heart disease. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What are heart disease and stroke? How does heart disease affect women? Accessed May 5, Symptoms, diagnosis and monitoring of arrhythmia. Overview of congenital cardiovascular anomalies.
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Merck Manual Professional Version. Bonow RO, et al. A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. What is heart valve disease? What is an arrhythmia? Your guide to lowering high blood pressure. Accessed May 7, What is an aneurysm?