Conditions which affect the heart

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, which occurs when the heart’s electrical impulses that coordinate heartbeats do not work properly. During an arrhythmia, the heart may beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.

Tachycardia is when the heart beats too fast
Bradycardia is when the heart beats too slowly

Irregular heart rhythm can be common, particularly with increasing age, and feels like a fluttering of the heart. However, when they occur it is advisable to consult with your doctor.

Arrhythmia symptoms may include:

Fluttering in the chest
Racing heartbeat
Slow heartbeat
Chest pain or discomfort
Shortness of breath
Light-headedness
Dizziness
Fainting

Sudden cardiac arrest is the unexpected loss of heart function, when a person’s heart stops pumping blood around their body and they stop breathing normally. Cardiac arrest is often caused by an arrhythmia or a heart attack.

Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is a defect in the hearts structure, which is present at birth. The defects can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart and typically affect approximately eight out of every 1,000 children.

In many cases there may be very few or no signs and symptoms from congenital heart disease.

Symptoms of severe defects in babies may include:

Rapid breathing
Cyanosis (turning blue)
Poor blood circulation/fainting

Treatment for congenital heart disease will depend on the type and severity of the defect, and a child’s age and general health.

Coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis)

Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease, it occurs when the arteries that supply blood to heart muscle become hardened and narrowed, due to the build-up of cholesterol as plaque on their inner walls.

As this build-up occurs blood flow through the arteries becomes restricted, reducing the levels of oxygen to the heart muscle.

Symptoms of coronary artery disease may include:

Chest pain (angina)
Nausea
Shortness of breath
Heart attack

Coronary heart disease can often develop over a long time period, contributing to heart failure and arrhythmias. However, with a healthy lifestyle and diet, the effects can be drastically reduced.

Atherosclerosis can also lead to peripheral artery disease. A condition where the extremities (generally the legs) don’t receive adequate blood flow, leading to pain when walking.

Angina is not technically a disease, it is a symptom of coronary artery disease. When the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen, angina sufferers experience chest discomfort, tightness or pain. Some people feel the pain in their arm, neck, stomach or jaw.

Angina is often an indicator for some form of heart disease.

If you suffer from angina (which is being treated already) and you believe the pain is getting worse, feels different than previously, is more frequent or has changed in any way, you should speak with your doctor.

If you have not been diagnosed with angina and experience chest pain, contact the emergency services.

Did you know?

At rest, a normal heart beats around 50 to 95 times a minute. Exercise, emotions, illness, and some medications can cause the heart to beat faster.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart muscle becomes enlarged, thick or rigid, in rare cases the muscle tissue is replaced with scar tissue.

As a result of cardiomyopathy, the heart becomes weaker and less able to pump blood through the body and maintain a normal electrical rhythm.

In some cases, cardiomyopathy may have no signs or symptoms and no treatment will be required. But, for others the condition can develop quickly with severe consequences.

Two of the main types of cardiopathy are:

Dilated cardiomyopathy where the chambers of the heart become dilated because the heart muscle has become weak and cannot pump blood properly. This is often due to a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle as a result of coronary artery disease.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy where the wall of the left ventricle thickens, decreasing blood flow from the heart. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects both men and women equally, and at any age. It is the most common cause of cardiac arrest in younger people.

Cardiomyopathy may be genetic, or caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, metabolic diseases, or infections.

Mitral regurgitation

Mitral regurgitation occurs when the heart's mitral valve does not close properly, allowing blood to flow back into the heart and affecting blood flow to the body.

Symptoms of mitral regurgitation may include:

Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Heart palpitations
Swollen feet or ankles

Heart attack

Also known as myocardial infarction, cardiac infarction and coronary thrombosis, a heart attack is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot that develops in one of the coronary arteries. It can also occur if an artery suddenly narrows.

Most heart attacks occur in people with coronary artery disease, caused by atherosclerosis, as blood clots develop on the surface of the plaques that already narrow the coronary artery significantly.

Heart attack symptoms vary from person to person, and from one heart attack to another. The symptoms of a heart attack include:

Chest pain: the pain is usually located in the centre of the chest and feels like pressure, tightness or squeezing
Arm pain: the pain usually travels from the chest to the arms (most commonly the left arm, but it can affect both arms). Pain may also be experienced in the jaw, neck, back and abdomen.
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Anxiety
Light-headedness
Coughing
Vomiting
Wheezing

Many cardiac arrests happen because of a heart attack, because a person who is having a heart attack may develop a dangerous heart rhythm, causing a cardiac arrest.

Call the emergency services immediately if you suspect that you or someone else is having a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

The sooner you get help for a heart attack, the better the chances for recovery.

Heart failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart can’t pump blood around the body efficiently. The decrease in the amount of blood pumped by the heart, is not adequate to circulate the blood returning to the heart from the body and lungs, causing fluid to leak from capillaries.

High blood pressure can often cause heart failure, as can heart defects, cardiovascular disease, valvular heart disease, infections or cardiomyopathy.

Symptoms of heart failure may include:

Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath when lying flat
Swollen feet and ankles
Weight gain, over a short time period
Loss of appetite and abdominal swelling
Dizziness
Coughing
Being woken from sleep with severe breathlessness

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, consult your doctor.

Treatment for heart failure is to control symptoms and help those affected to live full and active lives, with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes.

Did you know?

Eighty-five percent of heart damage happens in the first two hours following a heart attack.