Heart ailments are a variety of diseases that affect the heart. While each disease has different symptoms, treatments, and levels of severity, many heart ailments share common warning signs. In order to recognize when certain symptoms are more than just aches or pains, it's important to know what the warning signs are of serious heart ailments.
Because many heart ailments share the same symptoms, any combination of them could indicate a serious problem, including coronary artery disease, heart attack, arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, heart valve disease, heart muscle disease, and heart failure. The most commonly shared symptoms of heart ailments are:
- Rapid or Irregular Heartbeats
- Dizziness
- Shortness of Breath
- Sweating
- Weakness or Fatigue
- Chest Discomfort
These particular symptoms in any combination are warning signs that there is a serious heart ailment occurring, one that needs immediate medical attention. Your doctor will be able to provide the proper diagnosis, and start you on treatment immediately.
Although each heart ailment is different and requires different treatment, all of them can be managed through proper medical care and lifestyle changes. If you have a diagnosed heart ailment, or if you are at risk for developing one, it's important to make the following lifestyle changes:
- Stop Smoking
- Follow a Healthy Diet
- Exercise Regularly
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
- Properly Manage Stress
- Take Prescribed Medications Properly
Those who have a diagnosed heart ailment should follow these lifestyle changes, as should those who are at risk for developing a heart ailment. Risk factors for developing a heart ailment include:
- High Blood Cholesterol
- High Triglyceride Levels
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes and Pre-diabetes
- Obesity
- Excess Weight
- Smoking
- Lack of Physical Activity
- Unhealthy Diet
- High Stress Levels
- Being 45 Years of Age or Older
- Family History
Many of these risk factors can be addressed through the lifestyle changes mentioned above, in order to decrease the chances of developing a heart ailment.
© Newsmax. All rights reserved.