World Heart Day 2018: Never Overlook These Symptoms, They May Indicate Heart Disease

Celebrated worldwide on the 29th September, World Heart Day is all about spreading the awareness about and importance of a healthy heart. In the past decades, heart diseases used to affect only the aged but, a large chunk of the world population deals with chronic heart diseases at a very young now. Heart disease is caused when plaque buildup thickens and stiffens up the artery walls, which can inhibit blood flow through your arteries to your organs and tissues. This damage can lead to serious health problems like heart attack, stroke, or death.

Also read: World Heart Day 2017: How To Avoid Heart Disease Later In Life

Cardiovascular disease causes fatigue, weakness, chest pain, and being short of breath. Atherosclerosis is also the most common cause of cardiovascular disease. It can also be caused by some correctable problems, such as an unhealthy diet, obesity, lack of exercise, being overweight, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women these days. Coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and heart attack, each type of heart disease requires different treatment but may have similar warning signs and symptoms. Heart disease symptoms may depend on what type of heart disease you have. If you know the warning signs and symptoms of heart diseases, you can act immediately and the chances of survival are greater when emergency treatment begins quickly. Know the common symptoms of the heart diseases this World Heart Day.

• Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort (angina).
• Shortness of breath.
• Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms if the blood vessels in those parts of your body are narrowed.
• Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen or back.

Also read: World Heart Day 2017: Top 8 Heart Attack Triggers

Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, these include:

• Diabetes
• Overweight and obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Excessive intake of alcohol

Cardiovascular disease symptoms may be different for men and women. For instance, men are more likely to have chest pain; whereas women are more likely to have other symptoms like chest discomfort or pain, such as shortness of breath, nausea and extreme fatigue.

Symptoms of congenital heart defects that usually are not immediately life-threatening and include:

• Easily getting short of breath during any exercise or physical activity.
• Easily getting exhausted during any exercise or activity.
• Swelling in the hands, ankles or feet.
• You should seek emergency medical care if you have these heart disease symptoms:
• Chest pain and discomfort in upper portion of the body.
• Shortness of breath.
• Fainting