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Coronary heart disease (CHD) is what happens when the blood supply to your heart is blocked. It’s a term that covers many conditions, including:
These issues can lead to potentially fatal health problems, such as a heart attack or stroke. Sadly, heart disease is one of the most common health issues in the UK. According to the British Heart Foundation, it’s responsible for one in four deaths every year.
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Unfortunately, the main symptoms of heart failure tend to be serious medical issues, some of which can be fatal. They include:
The most common symptom of heart disease, which occurs when your arteries are partially blocked. Symptoms of angina include chest pain and tightness in the chest, jaw, neck, arms, back or stomach. You may also feel breathless and have a fast heart rate. These symptoms usually pass after around ten minutes.
You may notice that certain activities or situations trigger your angina, such as vigorous exercise or stress.
While angina is caused by partially blocked arteries, heart attacks occur when an artery becomes completely blocked.
The most important thing you need to know about heart attacks is that if you think you’re having one, you should dial 999 immediately. A heart attack can cause permanent damage and even prove fatal if not treated promptly.
Unlike angina, heart attacks also don’t require a trigger and can often occur out of nowhere, even while you’re resting. They also can’t be relieved by medication - you need hospital treatment as soon as possible.
This occurs when your heart muscle is too weak to successfully pump blood around your body. This can lead to a fluid build-up in the lungs that makes it hard to breathe.
If you’re having a heart attack or showing signs of heart failure, please call 999 straight away, as you need emergency medical treatment.
As the outcome of heart disease can have a significant impact on your health, or even be fatal, doctors will focus on trying to prevent it. They do this by assessing risk factors, such as your family history, blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Our doctors can arrange for a blood test kit to be sent to your home. The test is quick, painless and comes with a full set of instructions. You can collect a sample at home and send it to our lab for testing, then discuss your results with one of our doctors. If you prefer, they can also arrange for you to take this test at your local surgery.
If the results of these tests suggests you may be at risk of heart disease, our doctors can refer you to a specialist for further testing, which will confirm your diagnosis.
You can lower your risk of heart disease through a range of lifestyle changes. The big three are eating a healthy diet, getting at least 30 minutes of exercise every day and not smoking.
You can also adopt these changes after you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease. Doing so will lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, so it’s important you follow the advice given by your doctor.
Medication can be used to treat a number of different issues that cause heart disease, such as high blood pressure or narrow arteries. If necessary, our doctors can prescribe these medicines and we can arrange for you to collect them from a local pharmacy.
It’s important that you understand exactly why you’re being given medication and what the possible side effects could be. You must continue taking the medication for as long as your doctor tells you, as stopping suddenly can cause dangerous symptoms.
Common heart disease medicines include:
If these treatments haven’t worked, our doctors can refer you to a specialist to investigate the possibility of surgery.
Heart disease usually occurs when your arteries become too narrow for blood to flow through them properly, or if there’s something blocking the artery. To find out why heart disease happens, we must look at what causes these problems.
Reasons for this include:
Smoking - The chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the lining of your arteries and increase your risk of blood clots. Get help with smoking
This is a birth defect that affects around nine in 1,000 babies in the UK. Unfortunately, the cause of congenital heart disease isn’t always obvious. It can sometimes occur if the mother suffers certain medical issues during pregnancy, such as diabetes or rubella.
A baby can be born with issues such as a hole in the heart, or a narrowed artery or pulmonary valve. Symptoms such as a fast heartbeat, fast breathing, sweating, extreme tiredness and even a blue tinge to the skin can become noticeable soon after birth.
Some cases of congenital heart disease are mild and have minimal impact on a child’s life. However, others may require surgery and the person will need to be monitored throughout their life to deal with any symptoms as they arise. Some people can have their lifespans shortened by the condition.
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