rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
medications can mask the symptoms, but in severe cases or after a heart attack, surgery may be the only option. Some risk factors you can change and improve, but some can not. It is therefore important that all possible changes to your lifestyle to reduce as many risk factors as possible.

Two of the biggest causes of death in the Western world are heart and atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis clogs the arteries and heart is known as coronary heart disease or heart disease. Cardiovascular diseases develop slowly and the first symptom can be a heart attack.

If one or both coronary arteries by deposits of atheroma, the tissue is, furthermore, that the blockade is no longer receiving a healthy blood flow and results in heart muscle cells die from oxygen starvation. The risk factors for heart disease are the same as those for atherosclerosis. To predict your risk factor your doctor will probably ask you questions about your health, your exercise routine, check your blood pressure and smoking habits. Some risk factors you can change and improve, but some can not. It is therefore important that all possible changes to your lifestyle to reduce as many risk factors as possible.

The risk factors that you can not change are: • Genetic inheritance - can often be heart disease in families and appears to be more common in people originating / living in Northern Europe. • Gender - Men under 65 are more often than women under age 65 suffer from heart disease. This can be considered as estrogen can protect women until menopause, but after menopause are just as vulnerable as men. • Ethnicity - Certain ethnic groups have a higher risk of developing heart disease. • age - heart disease more frequently with increasing age. • Diabetes - Diabetics are more risk of developing heart disease or a stroke. Controlling blood glucose is a risk, but it is especially important to include other risk factors.

Risk factors you can change are: • Smoking - Between 30 and 40 percent of deaths from coronary heart disease may be associated with smoking, so the more you smoke, the higher the risk. With smoking there is no safe level, not even one cigarette per day. Once they start smoking, the risk of heart disease is greatly reduced, but it may take up to 20 years to the level of a non-smoker. • High blood pressure - Managing your high blood pressure can reduce your level of risk, although it is still higher than someone with normal blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease. • High cholesterol levels - Doctors agree that there is a correlation between high blood cholesterol and heart disease. • Obesity - Overweight determines the health of your heart and the risk of heart disease is three times more than one person from a healthy weight. • Inactivity - participating in regular physical activity will reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular quite dramatic.

In the early stages of heart disease may be no symptoms until the later stages. The first symptoms at a later stage is usually possible, chest pain or heart attack. Some people develop arrhythmia and suffer from dizziness and palpitations. Medications can mask the symptoms, but in severe cases or after a heart attack, surgery may be the only option.

Michael RussellYour independent guide for cardiovascular disease