Coronary Heart Disease: Causes and Symptoms

Coronary heart disease causes and symptoms are pretty much similar to other heart disease causes and symptoms.  The number one contributor to coronary heart disease causes is a disease called atherosclerosis, which is what happens when plaque builds up on the walls of blood vessels and arteries.  This will cause the blood vessels to harden and narrow which means less blood reaches the heart.

In coronary heart disease, this happens to the coronary arteries.  This can cause a rupture of the vessel, which in turn will cause a blood clot.  The blood clot will cover the ruptured area, in which blood flow has already been greatly reduced, and reduce it even more.  The clot hardens and even less blood reaches the heart the way it’s supposed to.

Cardiac ishemia then happens, which is one of the coronary heart disease causes.  This is when blood supply is cut off, and if it happens abruptly, a heart attack occurs, robbing the heart muscle of necessary oxygen.  Cells begin to die and the damage to the heart can be permanent.

Coronary heart disease causes and symptoms can vary.  In many cases, some people feel no pain or discomfort whatsoever.  Still others experience chest pain and shortness of breath.  In some cases, the only symptom or warning one might get is cardiac arrest or a heart attack itself!

In men, angina can be a possible symptom.  In women, it often feels more like indigestion or shortness of breath than typical angina.  Often this less typical form of angina may not be eased by rest or caused  by exertion.  Any of these can be coronary heart disease causes and should be closely monitored by your doctor in order to provide the best protection to your heart and health.

Signs of Heart Disease

Signs of heart disease can be prominent, or they can be subtle.  Sometimes you may not notice any signs of heart disease at all, which is a pretty scary thought to ponder.  However, knowing what to look for can up your chances of spotting it early and taking treatment and preventative measures. Read more »

Rheumatic Cardiac Heart Disease

Rheumatic cardiac heart disease is caused by rheumatic fever.  During the fever, permanent damage is caused to the heart valves.  In many cases this begins with a case of strep throat, that then progresses to rheumatic fever because of the bacteria streptococcus A.  Generally it is caused when strep throat is left untreated. Read more »

Causes of Heart Disease: Stress

Stress Reduction Kit Installation
Image by programwitch via Flickr

Is Stress A Cause Of Heart Disease?

Many of you may be wondering, is stress really a cause of heart disease?  The short answer is no one really knows for sure.  Stress is considered a contributing factor to heart disease, which means its link and effects are largely unknown and just pondered upon.  Due to the largely different reactions we all have to stress, whether it is emotional, physical, or mental, it is hard to really pin down the exact effects it has on the heart and it’s health. Read more »

Cardiovascular Heart Disease: Assess Your Risk

Cardiovascular heart disease comes in many different guises.  Coronary artery disease, high BP, stroke, rheumatic heart disease.   The list goes on.  If you pay attention to the World Health Org., about 12 million deaths are caused each year from some form of cardiovascular heart disease.  It is the absolute number one cause of death in adults the world over. Read more »