According to WHO (World Health Organization) and the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The number of US adults diagnosed with heart disease stands at 26.6 million (11.3% of adult population). 23.5% of all deaths in the USA today are caused by heart disease.
Most of us know the signs of heart attack, but many do not know there are other, earlier and surprising signs of heart disease. Researchers have done a lot of work in recent years looking at the signs and symptoms patients experienced in the months or even years leading up to a heart attack.
The term "heart disease" is often used interchangeably with the term "cardiovascular disease."
Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as those that affect your heart's muscle, valves or rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.
The heart with the arteries together is a big muscle and when it starts to fail the symptoms can show up in many parts of the body.
Here are 7 surprising signs and symptoms of heart disease that everybody should know, and if you are repeatedly experiencing any of the symptoms below, you should consult a doctor to check it out.
1. SEXUAL PROBLEMS
Many people don’t know that erectile dysfunction is actually one of the best early tip-offs to progressive heart disease. A researchers at the Mayo clinic followed men ages 40-49 with erectile dysfunction and found they were twice as likely to develop heart disease as those with no sexual health problems.
Another study looked backward and found that two out of three men being treated for cardiovascular disease had suffered from erectile dysfunction, often for years, before they were diagnosed with heart trouble. Narrowing of the arteries restricts blood flow to the penis in men and can limit sexual arousal in women, while lack of oxygen in the blood can lead to prolonged fatigue and weakness that can impede libido. In women, reduced blood flow to the genital area can impede arousal, make it harder to reach orgasm.
2. SHORTNESS OF BREATH
An early sign that something is wrong with a major bodily system is shortness of breath, typically with exercise, exertion, and stress. It may feel like you can’t catch your breath, or you may notice a feeling of compression in the chest and lungs, making it difficult to take a deep breath.
Another breathing symptom of poor circulation may be labored breathing, which occurs when fluid accumulates in the lungs. If you notice that your breathing problems are worse at night or anytime you lie down, that can also indicate a heart problem. A study carried out by the National Institute of
Health (and published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Institute) found that 40% of women who had heart attacks reported a strange shortness of breath.
If the heart isn’t pumping strongly enough, less oxygen circulates in your blood which result to shortness of breath; you might feel like you do at high altitude or when you’ve run for the bus, unable to draw enough oxygen into your lungs.
3. ABNORMAL HEARTBEAT OR ARRHYTHMIA
This is an early symptoms that the cardiovascular system is not functioning properly is abnormal heartbeat, or arrhythmia. It may feel like your heart is skipping beats, beating too fast, or pounding too hard. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of sudden death for both men and women because it can lead to both heart attack and stroke.
One of the most common cause of abnrmal heartbeat is CAD, which restricts blood flow to the heart, straining the electrical system that keeps the heartbeat regular and coordinates it with other functions. Heart failure can also cause arrhythmias because the weakened heart overcompensates by beating harder and faster.
4. SNORING, SLEEP APNEA, AND OTHER BREATHING PROBLEMS DURING SLEEP
If you snore loudly enough to keep your sleeping partner awake or to force him or her to resort to earplugs, your heart may be at risk as well. Restricted breathing during sleep -- the underlying cause of snoring -- is linked with all types of cardiovascular disease. Sleep apnea, in which breathing briefly stops during sleep, is linked with a higher risk of both cardiovascular disease and heart attack.
Those individuals with sleep apnea were found to have 3 times the normal risk of having a heart attack within 5 years. Sleep-disordered breathing, which includes sleep apnea and a lesser condition known as UARS, lowers the blood oxygen that feeds the heart. Obstructive sleep apnea is thought to damage the right side of the heart, which has to pump harder to support the lungs, which are strained by trying to overcome the airway obstruction.
5. BLEEDING, SORE OR SWOLLEN GUMS
Bleeding, sore or swollen gums are indications not only of periodontal disease — in which exposure to bacteria causes the gums to become inflamed and pull away from the teeth — but also a possible early sign of underlying cardiovascular disease. The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) conducted a study on 2010, estimated that the prevalence of periodontal disease may be underestimated by as much as 50 percent.
Researchers believe that poor circulation due to heart disease could be an underlying cause of periodontal disease. Researchers are also studying whether a common bacteria is involved in both gum disease and plaque build-up inside coronary arteries. The link may also have something to do with the body’s response to prolonged inflammation.
6. PUFFY OR SWOLLEN LEGS OR FEET
Feet and legs can swell for a variety of reasons – including something as minor as heat.
However, puffy legs and feet can also be a marker of congestive heart failure.
If you notice a strange tightness when you take off shoes and socks, you might be have a problem with fluid retention, or edema. Fluid retention occurs when the heart doesn’t pump strongly enough and blood doesn’t carry waste products away from tissues. Edema usually starts in the feet, ankles, fingers, hands, and legs because they’re furthest from the heart, where circulation is poorer.
Fluid retention can be a sign of coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, and other forms of cardiovascular disease, and approximately 900,000 people die from it each year.
7. CONSTRICTION OR ACHING IN THE CHEST OR SHOULDER
Sharp pain in the chest and arm is also an indication of heart attack, however you may instead feel pain in your neck or shoulder area. Another area where pain is experienced is between the shoulder blades.
One way to know it's not just muscle pain, is if the pain comes and goes, rather than persisting unrelieved.
If you notice the pain seems to move around, it's important to consult your doctor.
Source: theheartysoul
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