Heart diseases are the main cause of mortality in Spain and encompass a wide range of different pathologies. The best prevention is to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, a regular dose of moderate exercise, not drinking or drinking little alcohol, and avoiding tobacco consumption. To ensure that this type of disease does not progress, it is also very valuable to discover in time the symptoms that announce its presence, but it is not always easy because sometimes no sign is produced and, on other occasions, these warnings can be confused with another type. of conditions. That is why it is important to have regular medical checkups.
Within the group of heart diseases, coronary artery diseases stand out, such as blood vessel disease, arrhythmias, congenital heart defects, heart valve disease and heart muscle disease. Each of these pathologies presents its own symptoms, but there are some common signs that may indicate the need to receive urgent medical attention. Having chest pain, difficulty breathing and fainting are clear warnings of a possible heart condition. Below we list the main symptoms of the main symptoms of heart disease.
Coronary artery disease is one of the most common heart problems and affects the blood vessels, usually due to the presence of cholesterol deposits. It can cause angina, stroke, and even heart attack. The most obvious symptoms are constant pain in the chest, difficulty breathing, a feeling of cold in the legs and arms, a feeling of weakness, tiredness and pain in the neck, jaw, back and throat. Men with this problem usually report chest pain, as do women, but women usually have other signs such as nausea, shortness of breath, nausea, and a feeling of great fatigue.
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that causes the heart to have a harder time pumping blood to the rest of the body. Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure. The main types of this disease are dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive. In the first phases of life, symptoms of this anomaly rarely appear. When the patient worsens, the body's signals become apparent: dizziness, fatigue, abnormal breathing, problems breathing at night, irregular pulse and swollen legs.
Congenital heart defects are those with which the baby is born and are usually located in the days after birth. Sometimes, no symptoms appear and the disease is discovered through routine tests. When the baby presents symptoms, they usually have cyanosis (the skin and lips acquire a grayish and bluish tone. This sign is accompanied by swelling in the legs and near the eyes and shortness of breath that complicates breastfeeding and leads to underweight. Less serious defects take time to be diagnosed and are not detected until childhood or when reaching adulthood. In these cases, the signs that something is wrong are usually swelling in the extremities and a feeling of tiredness even if you are not doing physical exercise.
Arrhythmias cause episodes characterized by an irregular functioning of the pulse, with beats sometimes very slow (bradycardia), sometimes too fast and sometimes out of rhythm. That, in itself, already means a warning. In addition, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and sometimes fainting may occur.
Finally, valve disease presents symptoms similar to other heart conditions: chest pain, fainting, tiredness, swelling in the legs and difficult breathing. Valvulopathy is the disease that affects the heart valves that open and close so that blood can circulate. Another disease located in the valves is endocarditis, whose symptoms. On coughing attacks, irregular heartbeat, fever, tiredness, breathing difficulties, skin spots and swelling in the legs and abdomen.
In summary, the most typical signs of the presence of a cardiovascular problem are pain or pressure in the chest and arms, especially the left one, difficulty breathing, nausea, tiredness, dizziness, lightheadedness and cold sweats. If we have these kinds of symptoms, we must seek medical help urgently.
