Did the headline frighten you? It should because Heart disease is frightening and deadly. About 630,000 Americans die of heart disease each year – four out of five of them are 65 years old and above.

They left behind family and friends gripped in crushing sadness. The very few who survived, like Gary, share stories of despair and hope, sadness and joy for having skirted the boundaries of life and death, and came back.

First-hand experiences are always the best teachers because it is difficult not to empathize with them. But to really feel how it is, you must know and understand what caused such traumatic experience. To get into Gary’s skin, you must know what heart disease is.

What is heart disease

Heart disease, or CDV (cardiovascular disease), is a collective term to describe medical conditions caused by narrowed or blocked blood vessels. These are serious conditions because they can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina), stroke, and many other types of heart diseases.

CDV also refers to other heart conditions that affect the heart’s muscles and valves or rhythm.

There are more than a dozen heart diseases but the most common heart diseases among seniors are:

High blood pressure

Without being too technical about it, blood pressure is a measure of the pressure blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels as it circulates the body.

It is measured using the sphygmometer and taking your BP is one of the first things done if you check into the ER or see your doctor. The BP readings could be:

• Between 90/60 to 120/80 (Ideal)
• 140/90 or higher (High)
• 90/60 or lower (Low)

A chronic high BP is critical because it may cause:

• Heart attack – a sudden complete blockage of an artery that supplies blood to an area of the heart.
• Stroke – happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off.
• Peripheral arterial disease – is the narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the legs, stomach, arms, and head.
• Aortic aneurysm – is a condition where part of the artery wall weakens, allowing it to balloon out, or widen abnormally.
• Kidney disease – may result due to high blood pressure. In fact, a high BP is the second leading cause of kidney failure.
• Vascular dementia – a common form of dementia caused by an impaired supply of blood to the brain due to a series of small strokes.

Coronary artery disease

This is the most common form of heart disease and is caused when a waxy substance called “plaque,” builds up inside the coronary artery supplying oxygen-rich blood to the coronary arteries. This plaque build-up is called atherosclerosis.

Heart failure

This heart disease occurs when the heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should. There are three types of heart failures: the left-sided heart failure, right-sided and the congestive heart failure.

Congestive heart failure requires immediate medical attention.

Heart failures also affect the kidney’s ability to dispose water and sodium.

Heart disease risk factors

Normal aging results to changes in cardiovascular physiology making seniors more prone to heart disease.  Aside from age, however, the elderly face other risk factors common to younger people. These are:

Diabetes

Diabetes is a wasting disease and, over time, the high glucose levels in the blood will damage the blood vessels and the nerves that control the heart.

Hypertension

Hypertension, or abnormally high blood pressure, thickens the walls of the blood vessel walls and can result, therefore, to chest pains (angina).

A hypertensive heart is the leading cause of illness or death among heart-related diseases.

Cigarette smoking

The chemicals in cigarette smoke harm the blood cells, damage the heart and the structure and function of your blood vessels. Cigarette smoking can result in plaque build-up on artery walls, called atherosclerosis.

Dyslipidemia

Dyslipidemia is a medical condition that refers to an abnormal level of blood lipids (fats). There are three types of blood lipids:

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL)
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
• Triglycerides

If you have dyslipidemia you have a high probability of having a heart disease because your LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides go high, while your HDL (good cholesterol) is low.

Obesity

There are more than half-a-dozen medical issues caused by obesity, besides that of heart disease.

An excerpt of an article in Everyday Health says, “obesity increases your risk of developing many other risk factors for heart disease. It also triggers inflammatory processes harmful to the cardiovascular system, and can lead to structural or functional changes in the heart itself.”

Family history

Gary’s father died of a heart attack. He almost did, too.

You share the shame genes with your family. You also probably have the same behaviors, lifestyles, and environments that raise your risk for a heart disease.

A common example is the fact that children of overweight parents are more likely to be overweight, too. This may be trifling as an example, but true.

Lack of exercise

Volumes have been written about the importance of exercise for heart health.

The heart is a muscle, and just like any other muscle in your body, it needs exercise to keep it strong, fit and healthy.

It does not have to be the vigorous Ironman Triathlon type but simple things to make the heart beat a little faster like dancing or brisk walking.

How to spot the onset of heart disease

It is not entirely true that heart disease kills silently, and without warning.

First, its early signs will show during a complete physical exam – which you must have at least once a year.

Second, it sends out little signals,  like CMS messages on your smartphone or posts on your FB page. But, more often than not, you dismiss them as one of those things that come with aging.

Here are some of them:

Chest discomfort

This is the most common sign of a heart problem. You feel pain, tightness, or pressure on your chest.

It may occur when you’re at rest or doing something physical. The pain usually lasts longer than a few minutes.

If this happens with alarming frequency, or the pain does not go away after a few minutes, call 911.

Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or stomach pain

Some people have these symptoms during a heart attack. They may even be accompanied by vomiting.

Of course, you may experience these from the food you ate, but if they occur frequently and there’s a history of heart disease in the family, consult your doctor. Better be sure before it’s too late.

Pain that spreads to the arm

Another classic symptom of a heart attack is pain that radiates down to the left side of the body.

Though this normally accompanies chest pains, some heart attack cases were manifested pain the arms only.

Feeling dizzy or lightheaded

Feeling dizzy or lightheaded can be caused by a lot of things like insufficient sleep, or hunger or a sudden change in position.

But if it comes with the aforementioned symptoms, call emergency right away. While waiting, lie down or recline comfortably on a sofa.

Pain in the throat or jaw

Per se, this kind of pain can be caused by muscle spasm, colds, or sinusitis.

But if it emanates from the center of your chest and spreading to your throat or jaw, call emergency at once. It could be early signs of a heart attack.

Undue exhaustion

Undue exhaustion when doing things you never had problems before like going up and down staircases, walking a certain distance or carrying the groceries from the car, is another classic example of a diseased heart.

Call your doctor immediately for an appointment.

Excessive sweating

Breaking out excessive cold sweat for no apparent reason could signal a heart attack if it happens with one or two of the symptoms above.

Waste no time, call 911.

Incessant coughing

Incessant coughing is not necessarily dangerous. But it is if you have a heart disease.

A long-lasting cough that comes with white or pink mucus could lead to heart failure because the heart could not keep up with the body’s demands, thus causing blood to leak back into the lungs.

Consult your doctor to determine the cause of your coughing

Swollen legs, feet, and ankles

These conditions could be due to the heart’s inability to pump blood as it should that it backs up in the veins causing bloating.

Heart failure could also make it hard for the kidneys to remove extra water and sodium from the body which can also lead to bloating.

Irregular heartbeat

The “at rest” heartbeat of a healthy adult is between 60 to 100 bpm (beats per minute).

It may go up a few notches if you are stressed, excited, or had insufficient sleep, or too much caffeine in your blood.

But if it persists for long periods of time, or happens even when you are completely at rest, it could be a sign of atrial fibrillation (arrhythmia) which could lead to blood clots, heart failure, stroke, and other heart-related complications.

Consult your doctor to check it out.

The post Beware of Heart Disease and How to Spot It on Time appeared first on Age With Charm.