Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What are the Symptoms of heart disease

What are the Symptoms of heart disease ?
How should you feel when you have heart disease what are the signs can a doctor confuse it with same symptoms as a panic attack ?? The reason I am asking i've been to the ER probably 3 times in 2 months im 24 years old and have done 3 EKG and blood test it was showing normal but the shortness of breath and chest pains palpitations worry me because they dont seam to go away \ i cant afford to go to a cardiologist no insurance any suggestions !!
Heart Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
At this age you are unlikely to have any heart problem. Any congenital heart problem would have been diagnosed much earlier. Your symptoms can also be caused by anxiety. However you should discuss your doubts with a doctor. It is not easy to make a diagnosis without examining.
2 :
There are some common symptoms of heart disease like: Shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat or change in heart rate; a sense of sudden loss of appetite or fullness; sleeps patterns Change; Seemingly increasing fatigue; decrease in urination; Confusion or onset of restlessness, Severe dizziness and fear or feeling of dread; Nausea, profuse sweating, and rapid breathing; Sudden sharp pain in the chest, left arm, and jaw line. Preventive medicine and healthy life style can prevent heart disease

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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Can someone please answer my questions on heart valve disease

Can someone please answer my questions on heart valve disease?
I know that a symptom is shortness of breath (especially with excersise) but can you have shortness of breath just when sitting still and resting and not with excersise?? Can the shortness of breath be on and off?? SO maybe you will feel short of breath for a few days then for a few days, weeks or months you will feel fine?? Will you have more then one symptom with heart valve disease?? And will a doctor hear a murmur if you have it??
Heart Diseases - 4 Answers
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1 :
Well if you have heart failure either right or left, you would have shortness of breath. Shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, edema, orthopenea, paraoxysmal nocturnal dyspnea... Also, heart failure can start with a valve problem that progressively leads to hypertrophy of a ventrical, them ischemia of the muscle etc... If you have pulmonary edema, you'll hear a crackling sound when you breath it will be worse when you sit down cause not as much is distributed lower in you legs, and thus, more is in ur lungs. This will be even worse if you lie down flat. Off and on? I'm not sure why that would happen... go see a doctor... Yes you can have symptoms when at rest... it depends on how bad it is. You'll prob want to treat it with diuretics, inotropes and calcuim blockers, and maybe reduce ur body weight to ease the strain on your heart...
2 :
How did you arrive that you have a heart valve disease? Some persons have congenital defects such as bicuspid aortic valve and septal defects (a hole in the heart) such as atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect and detected during adolescent stage. Rheumatic fever during childhood may cause endocarditis, mitral or aortic stenosis, mitral or aortic regurgitation/ insufficiency. In such cases, the doctor will hear a heart murmur through a stethoscope. ECG and Echocardiograhy may reveal the heart problems. You may undergo complete heart check-up including cardiac stress test, Echocardiography, etc.
3 :
Depending on the degree of the condition, the person might only have shortness of breath during exercising. It also depends on what kind of valve defect they have. There could also be other symptoms, but without knowing which valve is affected, and how, I can't say what else could be expected. A doctor should definitely be able to hear a murmur, and would then send the patient to a cardiac specialist.
4 :
If you have shortness of breath from an underlying heart valvular disease, then you would expect the shortness of breath to develop with exertion. As the disease worsens, then symptoms could occur also at rest. If you have symptoms at rest, then you would definitely have symptoms with exertion. Shortness of breath related to a heart valve disease is not usually intermittent. It tends to be reproducible with the same activity and may worsen with time and develop with less activity. Shortness of breath from heart valve disease does not disappear for weeks or days and this suggests an alternative diagnosis like asthma. I guess it is possible to have exacerbations of symptoms and improvement. The symptoms produced by heart valve disease depend on which valve is involved. Valve disease on the left side of the heart (aortic, mitral valves) is classically associated with shortness of breath. Right sided heart valve lesions should not produce shortness of breath and are more likely to cause swelling in the lower legs. Chest pain can occur with heart valve lesions, especially aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve). Palpitations and abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation can also occur with heart valve disease. Passing out (syncope) is classic for aortic stenosis, but can occur with other types of heart valve abnormalities. If you have a significant heart valve lesion, then your doctor should hear a murmur on exam. The loudness of the murmur does not always correlate with the severity of the valvular lesion. I hope this helps you. Good luck

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

What are the chances of heart disease given these factors

What are the chances of heart disease given these factors?
Age 19, two pregnancies with preeclampsia (but no other complications and normal deliveries) during which she gained a hundred pounds (now 100 overweight), father had first heart attack at 32 and a bypass at 38 (but was overweight and a heavy smoker), grandmother died of a massive heart failure at 44, grandfather had heart attack and bypass at 55; she is exposed to second hand smoke, but always has good BP's (110/60, avg.). Her pulse tends to run a little fast, but otherwise good. She's under extreme stress and complaining of chest and neck "pressure" (like a choking sensation); I think it's just stress, but want second opinions. Her primary care doctor agrees, but that's without any tests, just basic checkups. Opinions? Thanks!
Heart Diseases - 7 Answers
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1 :
Probably is stress ,but it is stress that causes the heart attack in the first place so get checked out with that history.
2 :
"Just stress"? Stress is a major risk factor with that personal and family history. She's a time bomb and needs to be permanently followed by a specialist.
3 :
Yeah, it could be the stress of worrying about it, along with anything else that's stressing her out in her life. I remember my doctor telling me once how anxiety/stress problems most commonly show up as neck pains first. Although stress can lead to heart problems in the future. She should probably start eating right and exercising too, obesity is also opening the door to heart problems! I have heart problems in my family as well, stroke, heart attack, along with other things. I had one child and gained 85 lbs, I know where she's coming from! But, I started exercising and making healthier food choices about three months ago and now the weight is starting to come off. If she needs some encouragement tell her to email me!
4 :
yeah, she is absolutely at risk for heart disease. especially being over weight and having a family history of heart disease. she needs to work on losing some weight. just exercise, watch portion sizes, cut down on junk food and soda, drink lots of water. i am in the middle of losing weight.
5 :
The chances are increased for 2 of the reasons you stated. 1) the person's father had problems's at a VERY young age. That would tell me she has the genetics for problems. 2) being overweight is a factor that can lead to Heart problems, diabetes, stroke, etc.. Seeing that the BP is good, stress sounds like the most logical reason for the increased HR and neck & chest pressure. The best thing this person has going for her is her age. Because she is young she has not yet formed long term bad habits. The best thing she and anyone can do for themselves is diet and exercise. Not a FAD or crash diet. Just a normal long term eat fruits and veggies and limit the junk food. It is the best thing for her and her kids to come. Her habits will mold theirs. As far a exercise there is no need for going crazy at a gym or running a marathon. Just walk 3-5 times a week for 20-30 mins. That will be a great experience for the mom and kids. My dad had some chest pressure and they did all the tests in the world. He and my mom would go walking for exercise after breakfast or dinner. It turns out that for some reason he has the problem only when he walks shortly after eating. No he does it before or long after and he has been fine.
6 :
I'll keep this short and just give you the main points. First of all with her weight I would want to test for type 2 diabetes. Also what was birth weight of babies? If either were about 9 lbs or greater that also increases her Chance of getting diabetes. Then you add the First degree Relatives suffering cardiovascular problems so early in life means you have a very Strong genetic link to having heart disease yourself. I know she is only 19, but with all her Risk factors she should have her bad cholesterol (LDL) under 100! We also are finding new evidence in current studies that show cardiovascular benefits are ever better when LDL is under 70. Also blood Pressure is very important. Her blood pressure should be as close as possible to 115/75. If her BP is above 140/90 then She has added risk of heart disease. If diabetes, BP, and Cholesterol aren't controlled than many years could be taken from her life.
7 :
It looks like she needs a thorough examination. I'm not an MD, but I'm a researcher in the cardiovascular area, and I find this a bit worrying. She should lose weight urgently, and have herself tested for, among others, pulmonary hypertension. Does she have wheezing and shortness of breath? To be honest, given her ancestry, she really needs to lose weight and eat healthy and do all she can to avoid stressing her heart.

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