Heart Disease: Treatment, Procedure, Cost And Side Effects

Congenital Heart Disease refers to a problem in the structure of heart that is present at birth. It is one of the most common types of birth defect. The defects can arise at the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart and could also take place at the arteries and veins close to the heart. The disease causes great impact in changing the normal flow of blood through the heart.There are many different types of congenital heart defects, ranging from simple ones having no symptoms to complex defects, which are severe and life-threatening symptoms.

Symptoms

• Congenital heart defect generally is detected in women at the time of ultrasound during pregnancy. In case the doctor comes across abnormal heartbeat, he may further investigate by conducting certain tests in the form of echocardiogram, chest X-ray or MRI scan.
• This problem might be seen even in newborn babies, due to which they might experience:
  • Skin, fingers, lips and toes which are bluish in colour
  • Experience problem breathing
  • Low weight at the time of birth
  • Chest Pain

There might be other symptoms as well, which may not develop till many years after birth. The symptoms are:

• Abnormal heart rate
• Dizziness
• Frequesnt dizziness
• Swelling might be seen at certain parts of the body

Causes behind congenital heart disease

Developmental problem in the heart’s structure at an early stage is usually the reason behind congenital heart disease. This defect acts a hindrance to the normal flow of blood through the heart, thus affecting people’s breathing to some extent. Though there is no surety as to why there is a problem in the development of heart, some of the suspected causes are:

• Any of the family members might be having heart problems.
• Some prescribed drugs at the time of pregnancy tend to put a child at a higher risk for developing this problem of congenital heart disease.
• Consumption of alcohol or if you take drugs which are not prescribed by doctor during pregnancy, can lead to an increase in the risk of a child getting diagnosed with a heart defect.
• Women who have had viral infection during the first three months of pregnancy are more susceptible towards giving birth to children having heart defects.

How to treat congenital heart disease?

Like any other heart disease, treatment for congenital heart disease also depends on the type and extent of the defect.

• There are certain medicines which allow the heart for function more efficiently, while others can be used to prevent blood clots from forming and also put a check on irregular heartbeat.
• Implantable heart devices like implantable cardioverter defibrillators can prevent this particular defect by regularising an abnormal heart rate.
• Catheter procedure followed by doctors where they insert a thin tube into a vein in the leg and move up to the heart, then use small tool by threading through the catheter to rectify the defect.
• Some rare cases, when the heart disease is too complex to fix, doctor may form heart transplant surgery.

Harmful Effects of Alcohol on Heart-- 

1. Excessive alcohol intake leads to increase in cholesterol and BP which are risk factors for heart attack or blockages. 
2. Excessive alcohol intake leads to alcohol induced cardio-myopathy or weakening of heart muscle. 
3. Excessive alcohol intake is also a risk factor for developing irregular heart rate called Atrial Fibrillation. 

Recommended daily alcohol intake value - 

Men - Upto 2 glasses/day 

Women - 1 glass/day (studies have shown that even small amount of alcohol intake in women is very harmful) A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits. Binge drinking should be ABSOLUTELY avoided. 

Red wine - There is no clear cut data to prove that red wine has some cardioprotective properties. A few small studies have suggested so, but as of now there is no clear cut answer. 

Alcohol and Aspirin - If you are on aspirin and take alcohol then you have higher chances of developing gastric ulcers and erosions. Hence you should try to reduce drinking if you do. If you do not drink then there is no need for you to start drinking as drinking alcohol does not provide any major benefit.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Ischemic heart disease is also known as ischemic cardiomyopathy in medical lingo. It generally results from weakened heart muscles due to previous conditions such as heart attack or other coronary diseases. The left ventricle of an IC patient tends to enlarge and gets dilated. As a result of this, the heart fails to pump an adequate amount of blood into the body resulting in a heart failure.

A doctor typically tries to find out the underlying cause of the condition and evaluate the extent of damage that has already happened. A combination of surgery, lifestyle changes, medication and other methods could be recommended to fix the condition.

Symptoms of Ischemic Heart Disease:

An early stage ischemic heart disease could not show any symptom at all. However, if the IC results from diseases related to the coronary artery, some of the common symptoms that are encountered include dizziness and fainting, unexplained weight gain, fatigue, congestion in the lungs, chest pain, swelling in the abdomen, sleeping problems, swelling of the feet and the leg, shortness of breath etc.

Risk Factor of Ischemic Heart Disease:

IC is typically caused by coronary artery diseases and heart attacks. Some of the other risk factors of this disease include diabetes, high cholesterol, long history of drug abuse, obesity, family history of cardiac diseases, amyloidosis, blood pressure, long history of smoking and bad lifestyle. Men are at increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease. Women above the age of 30 who is an active smoker and consume contraceptive pills are also at a high risk of developing ischemic cardiomyopathy.

How Is IC Diagnosed?

A cardiologist will perform a physical exam and conducts one or several tests to diagnose the condition. A blood work measuring the level of triglyceride and cholesterol is the first step towards it. This can be followed up by several imagery tests such as MRI and CT scan to examine the internal tissues. Some other tests that could be done by a cardiologist include ECG, angiography, EKG and radionuclide studies.

How Is The Condition Treated?

There is a step approach to treatment for ischemic heart disease. The first is lifestyle related. A healthy diet must be followed on a regular basis. Diet should be free from cholesterol, sodium and processed fat. Quitting smoking and drinking is a key lifestyle change that a person will have to undergo. In the medication front, a cardiologist might prescribe beta blockers, blockers of calcium channels, aldosterone inhibitor and blood thinners. The idea behind every medication is to ensure that the heart muscle works at the optimum level. If medication doesn’t work, a doctor might suggest procedures such as stent insertion, pacemaker implant, angioplasty and radiation therapy. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Cardiologist.

Rheumatic fever is a kind of autoimmune ailment that can occur as a result of group A streptococcal throat infection leading to inflammatory lesions in the connective tissues of the body. This disease specifically affects the joints, heart, blood vessels and various subcutaneous tissues located all over the body.

History of the effects of rheumatic fever:
The disease has been evaluated and depicted since the 1500s, though the connection between the rheumatic fever, and the throat infection was not found out until it was late 1880s. And the sore throat was also related to the rash, which is caused by streptococcal exotoxins, along with fever. Rheumatic fever was one of the leading causes of deaths in children as well as one of most common reasons behind the acquired heart diseases in adults before the invention and availability of penicillin.

Reasons behind the causes of rheumatic fever:
Even though adolescents and adults may be affected by the rheumatic fever, it mostly affects children aged between 5 to 15 years. It is a common disease in areas like South-Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and several parts of New Zealand and Australia. Group A streptococcus bacterium is the primary cause of this fever, and it also leads to scarlet fever in some people. It makes the body attack its own tissues once it has been attacked by the bacteria. This particular reaction leads to widespread inflammation throughout the body and forms the basis of all the common symptoms of the rheumatic fever.

You may have to take your child for the strep test if you notice any of the following symptoms:

1. A sore throat and red rashes all across or in certain parts of the body.
2. If your child has tender or swollen lymph nodes that are causing difficulty in swallowing.
3. Tonsils that are filled with pus or red and swollen.

Harmful impacts of the rheumatic fever:

Developed mostly due to strep throat infection, it can affect the heart, skin, joints and nervous system of children. Though it may not affect all who have gone through a strep throat infection, it can lead to long-term diseases of the heart and its valves and is termed as a rheumatic heart disease. Since each attack of rheumatic fever may cause further damage to the heart, it is very crucial to make sure that your child doesn’t have one more attack of the fever, and it is therefore, important to have regular doses of penicillin injections and consult a specialist for receiving further advice on treatments and prevention.

Most families refer to their newborn baby as their 'bundle of joy'. The news of a child being born brings immense joy to the entire family. However, due to various reasons, a child could be born with some medical abnormalities, which would be known as congenital abnormalities. There are several different types of heart defects that can be congenital. These usually manifest themselves either immediately after birth or in the early years of life. In some cases, the abnormality could be detected on prenatal ultrasounds. In others, it may not be and the family could be caught off guard about the condition. This causes a lot of stress, both for the child, who does not receive regular postnatal care and for the parents immediately after the delivery process.

If the baby has the following symptoms within the first few hours of life, there could be a serious underlying condition, which requires medical attention. The presence and severity of the symptoms would depend on the actual abnormality.

1. The skin is pale gray or blue in color due to excessive venous flow in the system
2. Excessive sweating
3. The child is exerting to breathe regularly
4. Rapid breathing causes added load on the heart accompanied by a grunting noise
5. Flared nostrils i.e. the baby attempts to take in more oxygen with each breath causes flared nostrils
6. Swollen legs, eyes, and abdomen: Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen is quite common, and this could be characteristic of newborns with congenital heart disease
7. Shortness of breath, even during feeding
8. Clubbed fingernails
9. Lethargy and low energy, even with feeding, therefore very poor feeding pattern
10. Chest pain, which may cause the newborn to cry incessantly
11. Low weight gain, as they feed less

In some children, symptoms manifest only during the teenage years or early adulthood. These conditions are not very severe and the symptoms include:

1. Swelling of the hands, feet, and ankles due to fluid accumulation
2. Lowered energy levels, leading to easy fatigue
3. Shortness of breath with even minimal physical activity
4. Inability to exercise
5. Developmental delays and changes in growth milestones
6. Recurrent respiratory tract infections including sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia
7. Endocarditis
8. Pulmonary hypertension
9. Heart failure, where the heart is not able to effectively function and pump blood to all parts of the body.

Some or more of these symptoms should trigger a warning to get the child tested for congenital heart disease. While some would just require a monitoring until severe symptoms develop, severe conditions like holes, abnormal valves, narrowed arteries, and blood vessel abnormalities might require immediate intervention. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a cardiologist.