Index
- What are the major cardiovascular disorders and how do they occur?
- Cardiovascular disorders, what are we talking about?
- The types of diseases constituting cardiovascular disorders
- The most common cardiovascular disorders
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Pulmonary embolisms
- When to have a heart check?
What are the major cardiovascular disorders and how do they occur?
Cardiovascular disease is becoming more and more common today. They affect everyone, even the youngest. And in France, it is the second leading cause of death in men, while it is the leading cause of death in women over the age of 65. These disorders affect the heart and blood vessels and can be very serious. In what follows, you will discover the main cardiovascular disorders and their manifestations.
Cardiovascular disorders, what are we talking about?
Cardiovascular disorders include all pathologies and disorders affecting the arteries, veins and arteries. Most of the time, these disorders are the result of the dysfunction of blood circulation in the coronary arteries. The role of the coronary arteries is to irrigate the heart. Cardiovascular diseases are multiple and can be linked to a poor lifestyle. Indeed, the main factors favouring the occurrence of this type of disorder are :
- Poor nutrition
- Lack of physical activity
- Obesity
- Stress
- High blood pressure
- Eating too much salt
- Smoking and alcoholism
The types of diseases constituting cardiovascular disorders
Many diseases are grouped under the terminology "cardiovascular disorder". As mentioned above, these diseases affect all blood vessels and the heart. These disorders include the following:
- Cerebrovascular disease. These concern the blood vessels whose role is to feed the brain
- Coronary heart disease. These are pathologies that affect the blood vessels that feed the heart muscle
- Rheumatic heart disease. As the name suggests, this type of disorder affects the heart muscles and valves and can lead to rheumatic fever. Usually a streptococcal bacteria is the cause of this type of rheumatism
- Peripheral arterial disease. These disorders mainly concern the blood vessels that irrigate the legs and arms
- Congenital heart defects
- Deep vein thrombosis and all pulmonary embolisms
The most common cardiovascular disorders
Although cardiovascular disorders are multiple, there are some conditions that are more common than others.
High blood pressure
This is the increase in blood pressure. And despite the many misconceptions about its symptoms, only headaches can be linked to high blood pressure. The idea that it is related to buzzing ears, dizziness, the feeling of flying flies or having a bleeding nose has never been proven by science. Therefore, the diagnosis of high blood pressure can only be made by measuring blood pressure.
Heart attack
Also known as a heart attack, heart attack is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. However, this disorder can hide other, even more serious conditions. Be aware of the following symptoms of heart attack:
- Discomfort or pain in the central part of the chest
- Discomfort or pain in the left shoulder, arms, jaw, elbows and back
- Difficulty breathing
- Shortness of breath
- Discomfort
- Vomiting
- Cold sweats
- Feelings of vertigo
In addition, the person affected by a heart attack may have a feeling of weakness in their legs, arms and face. However, in the majority of cases, these symptoms affect only one part of the body. The following other symptoms may also occur, however, they are not very common:
- Difficulties walking
- A dizzy spell
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Confusion
- Difficulty speaking
- Difficulties to see
- Difficulty walking
Rheumatic heart disease
It is a disease of the heart valves and muscles. It is the result of inflammation and damage caused by rheumatic fever. The latter is caused by a streptococcal bacteria which is responsible for angina or tonsillitis in very young children. The symptoms of rheumatic heart disease are as follows:
- Shortness of breath, fatigue, cardiac arrhythmia, chest pain or syncope
- Fever, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting
This condition generally affects children in developing countries.
Deep vein thrombosis
This type of disease refers to the obstruction of the veins in the legs. The formation of a blood clot is usually the cause of this obstruction.
Pulmonary embolisms
Although it is not a cardiovascular disorder by name, pulmonary embolism is a disorder caused by damage to the arteries. In concrete terms, it corresponds to the obstruction of the arteries feeding the lung.
When to have a heart check?
In order to avoid the complications that cardiovascular disease can cause, it is advisable to monitor the health of the heart. To do this, you can do a cardiac check-up. This is prescribed by the doctor when he or she observes symptoms that may indicate cardiovascular problems. The check-up usually begins with a clinical examination during which the doctor performs a cardiac and pulmonary auscultation. Then, an electrocardiogram or ECG is performed to determine the electrical activity of the heart. The cardiologist may also give you a stress test.
