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Depression And Cardiovascular Disease Resource
A Guide to Chronic Heart Disease
Heart disease is known as being the leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the United States, and chronic heart disease is especially common out of all the different types of heart disease that are known. Chronic heart disease is considered as referring to any disorder that affects the hearts ability to function normally.
The Process
The first stage of chronic heart disease tends to come with lesions and cracks that form in the blood vessel walls, with the second stage being where the body attempts to repair itself, by depositing fatty substances such as cholesterol and lipoproteins inside the blood vessels in order to fill up these lesions and cracks.
Symptoms
There are a few different symptoms that will generally show up as a result of chronic heart disease, and it is therefore crucial to learn and understand about these various symptoms, so that if you ever experience them you will be able to notice them and seek help immediately. The most commonly experienced symptoms are chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue, palpitations, lightheadedness, and fainting. Chest and arm pain and general discomfort can also all be signs of chronic heart disease, and you want to make sure that you talk to your doctor immediately if you notice any of these symptoms.
Birth Control Patch
There has been recent research conducted which goes to show that using the birth control patch can actually result in increasing your risk for heart disease, and so although the patch is generally safe for young, healthy women, it can pose serious heart disease risks for some women, particularly those who are over thirty-five years of age.
Recent studies have shown that the reason the birth control patch may be a cause of heart disease is because it exposes women to more estrogen, which is the female hormone that is used in birth control pills and the birth control patch and research is presently underway in order to see if the risk for blood clots is higher in patch users as well.
Although there is no surefire way to completely protect yourself against the development of heart disease, by watching out for early signs and symptoms and maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, you will be able to greatly reduce your risk of developing any form of heart disease in the future. Not only that, but by keeping yourself fit and healthy you will also be guarding yourself against various other heart and health problems.
Surgery for rheumatic heart disease is generally only used in advanced cases, as surgery may be necessary to repair or replace the damaged valves. Whenever this particular ailment is diagnosed, it is crucial that all close relatives to the person diagnosed have their cholesterol levels checked as well, so that they can be treated if necessary. When it is discovered that a newborn infant has congenital heart disease, to say that it will cause parents great concern would be a tremendous understatement. |
