Archive for the 'Heart Diseases' Category

Do you know how adversely type 1 diabetes can affect your health? Type 1 diabetes mainly affects the major organs of your body, including heart, eyes, nerves, blood vessels, and also kidneys.

So, it is always important for you to check your blood sugar levels and maintain the blood sugar level at almost normal, which considerably reduces the risk of complications involved in diabetes.

Some times, the complications involved with type 1 diabetes can be long term and develops gradually.

The risk of developing the complications in your regular health conditions depends on how earlier you have developed the diabetes and also on poor control of your blood sugar.

Cardiovascular diseases mainly associated with type 1 diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes can significantly increase the risk of developing several cardiovascular problems, if you do not maintain proper levels of blood sugar. This cardiovascular disease is the most leading cause of death among the people with type 1 diabetes. Some of those include:

1. Atherosclerosis: This condition is mainly associated with narrowing of arteries. Chronic hyperglycemia, which is mainly caused due to higher blood glucose levels narrows your arteries of heart and reduces the elasticity. If you have high cholesterol levels, then this excess fat will also contribute to clog the arteries of heart.

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Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart disorder in people who are advancing in age.

Whenever the chambers present in your heart lose coordination with one another, they start to beat irregularly and desperately, resulting in atrial fibrillation.

Due to this atrial fibrillation, your heart can experience rapid heart rate and poor flow of blood to other parts of your body.

If you have atrial fibrillation, then you are said to be at increased risk of developing blood clots in your heart, which can lead to heart stroke.

Whenever your heart experiences any changes like heart disease or high blood pressure [Lowering blood pressure], then it often results in atrial fibrillation. These episodes of abnormal rhythm in heart beat usually come and go but doesn’t cause any harm to the functioning of heart. Though atrial fibrillation is not a life-threatening problem for you, it can lead to several complications in your healthy life.

Atrial fibrillation mainly results in stroke!

The chaotic rhythm of your heart beat in atrial fibrillation mainly disrupts the blood flow and leads the blood to pool in your atria. As a result, the chance for the formation of blood clots in your heart increases. These blood clots, which are formed in your heart, mainly dislodge from your heart and reaches to your brain, due to which there can be blockage of atrial blood flow, causing a stroke in your heart.

Pericardium is the thin lining which will always protect your heart. Protecting this protective lining of your heart is very much important in order to prevent certain acute or chronic heart diseases.

When this protective layer gets rubbed or if comes in contact with the outer layer of your heart repeatedly, then it results in pericarditis.

Inflammation to this protective layer, pericardium, can result in pericarditis.

It is mostly associated with irritation or swelling of the protective layer that surrounds your heart and as a result you can experience chest pain [Heart conditions responsible for endocarditis].

Infection to the protective layer is the main cause for pericarditis

In general, the two layered pericardial sac that surrounds your heart usually contains with small amounts of lubricating fluid. When this sac of protective layer becomes infected, this inflammation of the pericardium results in friction between layered sac structure and the outer layer of your heart. As a result, you can experience a chest pain and several other signs of pericarditis.

The main cause for pericarditis is very hard to determine and in most cases doctors fail to determine either the exact cause for the infection or fail to suspect any viral infection.

Are you aware of the abnormal sounds of your heart beat? This unusual or abnormal sound made by your heart is nothing but a heart murmur.

This unusual sound is generally made by your blood while flowing though your heart. Heart murmur generally sounds something like water flowing through a hose.

How innocent are these heart murmurs?

Most of the murmurs does not cause any harm to the normal functioning of your heart and doesn’t require any treatment. Most of the doctors have confirmed these abnormal sounds to be innocent and a person with a heart murmur can have normal heart.

Heart murmurs can be present by birth and also can be developed in the later stages of their life. It is not a disease, but it can indicate an underlying heart problem. These types of abnormal sounds of regular heart beat are most common in newborns and also in 50 % of all children.

Know more about the factors responsible for abnormal heart murmur:

Normal heart murmur: An innocent murmur can occur whenever the blood flows more rapidly through your heart like during excess physical activity and while doing exercises.

The arteries become harder as people get older, specifically the arteries in heart, kidneys, and brain.

These stiffer arteries, called arteriosclerosis, cause the heart and kidneys to function even harder.

Cholesterol is a substance that is produced by the body. It is an essential substance for the cell membrane formation, hormones, and other functions.

On the other hand, if the cholesterol level is high, it results in hypercholesterolemia. In cholesterol, LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is harmful cholesterol and HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is beneficial. If a person has high LDL cholesterol, it leads to heart disease.

Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood results in arteriosclerosis. These hardening of the arteries leads in less blood flow and oxygen for the cells and tissues.

When the arteriosclerosis develops near to the heart, then there is a risk of having heart attack. When the arteriosclerosis develops near the head and neck, then there is a risk of having stroke. Arteriosclerosis also leads to high blood pressure.

Lack of physical exercise, excessive white sugar intake, refined foods, and high fat diet that is rich in cholesterol results in arteriosclerosis.

Are you suffering with any heart disease? Have you undergone any heart surgery? Then you are at increased risk of developing endocarditis.

But, you can get rid of this infection of endocarditis by considering certain preventive measures.

People with unhealthy hearts are more prone to endocarditis. This bacterial infection mainly infects one of the four chambers of your heart and causes a life threatening problem for you.

Endocarditis is mainly caused when the bacterial germs enters into one of the four chambers of your heart.

This bacterium mainly enters into your blood stream through many ways like; it can enter in your blood during your dental work, colonoscopy or other surgical procedures of any other part of your body which you have undergone earlier.

Improper dental care can also lead for growth of bacterial germs in your blood stream. When this bacterium enters into your blood, it mainly settles in any of your heart valve and starts accumulation of germs and leads to an infected mass in the valve of your heart called vegetation.

The vitamin D deficiency that makes the bones weak now has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease in a recent study.

Lack of vitamin D is associated with increased heart disease risk and it is particularly seen among individuals with high blood pressure.

Low levels of vitamin D are highly prevalent in United States, especially in places where sunshine is less. 20 to 30 percent of the population present in those places has moderate to severe deficiency of vitamin D.

It has not been proven yet that lack of vitamin D actually causes increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It requires a large randomized trial to show whether correcting vitamin D deficiency will result in a reduction in heart disease risk.

For more research information, visit: http://www.sciencedaily.com

According to the recent report, antibiotic therapy is useful in reducing the stroke risk in patients with infective carditis. Infective carditis is a heart infection that involves heart valves.

The stroke rate is decreased after giving antibiotic therapy and the rate continued to fall the longer these antibiotics were given.

Surgery is often used to treat infective carditis. But, the results suggested that if the only reason to prevent stroke is surgery, then such an operation may not be needed after a week of antibiotic therapy.

Know more on the use of antibiotics to cut stroke risk here:

http://www.reuters.com

Metabolism of allicin, an active ingredient of garlic, fights against heart disease. Garlic prevents oxidation, which is a harmful process, with powerful antioxidants.

How free radicals are hazardous to heart health?

Free radicals are destroyed by antioxidants and these free radicals can be the products of ultraviolet rays, cigarette smoke, air pollutants and pesticides. To neutralize the free radicals in your body, continuous supply of antioxidants are kept by the body.

When your body does not get enough antioxidants, free radicals can overwhelm the body’s antioxidant stock. When the cells that line arteries are damaged by free radicals, a sticky substance is produced by the body to repair the damage.

Men who have experienced heart attack are concerned while involving in sexual activities. Sex does not increase your chances of heart failure. In general, sex puts pressure on your heart just as a brisk walk of twenty minutes does or even less pressure than walking.

When sexual tension builds up, blood pressure and heart rate raises more. When you experience orgasm, your tension will be released. Your heartbeat increases from 90 to 145 minutes per minute. After you experience orgasm, your breathing rate, blood pressure and heart rate return to the resting level.

You can continue sex even after experiencing heart attack after consulting your doctor. If you are not ready to participate in sexual activities after heart attack, you can involve in other sexual activities with your partner.