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About Your Heart |
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Frequently Asked Questions What causes heart disease? The major causes of heart disease are cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. What is a heart attack? A heart attack is caused by a complete obstruction of an artery supplying the heart muscle. Symptoms include severe, crushing pain in the chest behind the breastbone that is not relieved with nitroglycerin, accompanied by profuse sweating, nausea, and shortness of breath. If you experience these symptoms, you should call 911 immediately. Sometimes, precious time is wasted because patients think they are experiencing indigestion, and delay medical attention. How is a heart attack treated? Heart attacks are treated by performing an emergency angioplasty procedure to open up the clogged artery or by infusing clot-busting medications through an intravenous line. The sooner these treatments can be given, the better. Remember, "time is muscle." What is arrhythmia? An arrhythmia is any heart rate that is faster or slower than the regular rate for most people. While some arrhythmias have no known cause, many are the result of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, alcohol or drug abuse and stress. Certain over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies can cause arrhythmias in some people. What is normal and high blood pressure? Normal blood pressure is less than 120 (systolic)/80 (diastolic). Borderline blood pressure is 120-139 (systolic)/80-89 (diastolic). High blood pressure is greater than 140 (systolic)/90 (diastolic). If you suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), the goal of treatment is to lower your blood pressure to less than 140/90. If you are diabetic or have kidney disease, the goal is less than 130/80. It is a good idea to monitor your blood pressure periodically with a home blood pressure machine, and record the readings in a diary for your cardiologist to review. What is normal cholesterol? Normal cholesterol is less than 200. However, cholesterol is made of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) parts. If you suffer from heart disease or diabetes, your LDL should be less than 80. Here is an easy way to remember which is good cholesterol and which is bad cholesterol: * HDL is good cholesterol, and HDL starts with the letter "H" which means "Happy." * LDL is bad cholesterol and LDL starts with the letter "L" which means "Lousy." What is angina? Angina or angina pectoris is a discomfort in the middle of the chest, behind the breastbone. It is described as a "tightness," "squeezing" or "burning" sensation. Angina is sometimes accompanied by nausea, sweating or shortness of breath. It is triggered by physical or emotional stress and typically lasts 5-10 minutes and is relieved by rest or nitroglycerin. Angina is caused by narrowing in the coronary arteries resulting in reduced blood supply to the heart muscle. What is unstable angina? Unstable angina is angina occurring at rest or with minimal activity. This is a potentially life threatening situation and you should seek medical attention immediately if you think you have unstable angina. How is angina treated? Your cardiologist may first order a stress test to confirm the diagnosis. Angina is usually treated with nitroglycerin pills as well as medications called beta-blockers that slow and relax your heart. It may also be treated with aspirin to prevent heart attacks. Your cardiologist may recommend medications to treat high cholesterol as well. What is sleep apnea? Sleep Apnea is a condition that a person experiences irregular breathing during sleep. Sleep patterns are disrupted, resulting in daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Snoring may be a warning sign of sleep apnea – you may hear loud snoring followed by periods of silence. There may be a loud snort or gasp as breathing restarts. This could happen hundreds of times per night. Studies have revealed that sleep apnea and snoring increase risk for high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, stroke, auto and work-related accidents, as well as the inherent risks of the sleep deprivation it causes. |
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