Heart Disease: Symptoms, Causes, Early Signs, Types, Treatment and More

Causes of heart disease

The different types of heart disease are categorized according to their underlying mechanism, such as ischemic or coronary heart disease, infection, valvular damage, conditions affecting cardiac muscle, or they may be in-born or ‘congenital’ defects. Hypertension is also another major cause of heart disease.

The most common types of heart disease are:

• Hypertensive Heart Disease
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Congenital heart diseases.
• Valvular heart diseases like Rheumatic Heart Disease.
• Cardiac Arrhythmias.

Cause of coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease results from the obstruction of a main vessel or branches of the coronary artery, which supplies the heart itself. The blockage is most commonly due to the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of the vessel. It is more common in men and post-menopausal women due to higher blood cholesterol levels. The reduced blood flow to the cardiac muscle results in chest pain, a condition called ‘Angina Pectoris’, typically ranging from 15 seconds to 15 minutes. As the blood flow becomes less compatible to the demand, a person at risk can experience a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. This results eventually in muscle death in part of the heart, and may presents with chest pain, nausea, fatigue, and can be fatal.

Causes of septal defects

The exact cause is unknown, but it could stem from genetic problems. The most common form of congenital heart disease are septal defects. Your heart is divided into 2 halves by a wall or ‘septa’ which separates the chambers on each side. This helps prevent the deoxygenated and oxygenated blood from mixing. However, it is fairly common for a defect to be present, resulting in a hole. Nearly 40% of diagnosed congenital heart diseases are ventricular septal defect (VSD): a hole allowing communication between the two ventricles. Because the left side pumps blood with greater pressure, left to right flow occurs. Only 20-30% of these are isolated defects, whereas others occur with other malformations. Approximately 50% of newborns diagnosed are female. The symptoms of VSD include increased pulmonary blood flow and pressure, and surgical correction is important especially in the case of larger holes.

Cause of Patent Ductus Arteriosus

The causes of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) include genetic defects, premature birth, and infections during pregnancy. 90% of cases are isolated with females at higher risk. Before birth, blood flows from the pulmonary artery into the aorta via a duct. This duct closes naturally at birth as blood pressure in the aorta rises. However, if it does not, it will result in some blood cycling back instead of being distributed to the body. It is asymptomatic at birth. More severe with wider PDA, symptoms include a burdened pulmonary system and a characteristic machine-like sound or ‘murmur’. Closure of PDA as soon as possible is recommended. However, the maintenance of PDA by administering drugs is preferred in cases of accompanying aortic or pulmonary outflow obstruction to provide an alternative passage.

Cause of Rheumatic Heart disease

Rheumatic heart disease is caused by previous streptococcal infection at any age. It is a health concern in places with poor sanitation, late diagnosis or incomplete treatment of the infection. This heart disease affects heart valves, making them tougher and hence restricting blood flow through them. It is a common cause for ‘mitral stenosis’ which means blood can’t flow easily between the 2 left chambers, reducing output. The diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of abnormal heart sounds. The heart may become dilated and more muscular leading to chronic heart disease. Abnormal heart beat, or arrhythmia, is another complication.

Causes of Hypertensive Heart disease

Increased workload due to stress, obesity and smoking causes left sided or systemic hypertensive heart disease. To compensate, the heart becomes more muscular and this could lead to ischemic heart disease, if left unchecked. Chronic heart disease of this kind can eventually cause the right side to become affected, too.

Arrhythmia

Abnormal heart beat, or arrhythmia may occur on its own or commonly as a result of ischemic heart disease or electrolyte imbalance, causing your heart to beat slower (bradycardia), faster (tachycardia) or with abnormal rhythm (other irregular arrhythmia). The inability of your heart to beat normally means that blood output is ineffective. This produces symptoms such as light headedness, fainting and even heart failure if severe. If treatment via drugs is insufficient, pacemakers may be placed to correct the issue.

Risk Factors for heart disease:

Being exposed to certain risk factors makes you more susceptible to heart disease as they may be affecting your heart’s function silently through different mechanisms. The following factors, both avoidable and unavoidable, increase your chances of developing heart disease:

• Age
• Family history
• Sex
• Race
• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Smoking