From restless.co.uk
According to the British Heart Foundation, over 8 million people are living with a heart or circulatory condition in the UK.
The term ‘heart and circulatory diseases (CVD)’ describes all conditions that affect the cardiovascular system, which is made up of the heart and blood vessels. Understanding the difference between these conditions can make all the difference in detecting issues early – especially as cardiovascular disease is responsible for more than a quarter, or around 170,000 deaths in the UK, each year.
Here, we’ll explore eight heart conditions to be aware of, including early warning signs, treatment, and how to reduce your risk.
Note: Several health checks are available to help detect health conditions, including CVD, early. For eligibility information, check out our article: 11 important health checks for over 50s.
8 heart conditions to be aware of
1. Coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of death in the UK. You may hear it referred to as ischaemic heart disease (IHD), coronary artery disease (CAD), or just heart disease.
CHD happens when the heart’s blood supply is blocked or narrowed due to a build-up of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries – a process known as atherosclerosis. These fatty deposits, called atheroma or plaque, are made up of cholesterol, fats, and other waste products.
If a piece of atheroma breaks off, the body may respond by forming a blood clot at the site to try to repair damage to the artery wall. If that clot becomes large enough, it can completely block the artery, cutting off blood supply to the heart and causing a heart attack.
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of CHD are chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, feeling faint, nausea, and neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm pain. However, because CHD develops slowly over time, it’s not uncommon for CHD to remain undiagnosed until someone has a heart attack. To learn more, check out our article: 12 possible warning signs of heart disease.
2. Heart attack
When blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot, it causes a heart attack. Heart disease is the leading cause of heart attacks.
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency, so knowing what signs to look out for is important. According to the NHS, heart attack symptoms can include…
- Chest pain – a feeling of pressure, tightness, heaviness, and squeezing across your chest
- Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- Pain in other areas of the body – it may feel as though the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back, and tummy
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or being sick
- An overwhelming feeling of anxiety, similar to a panic attack
- Coughing or wheezing
Note: While chest pain caused by a heart attack is often severe, some people may only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion. As a result, it’s important to call 999 immediately if you suspect you or someone else is having a heart attack.
3. Heart failure
Heart failure, sometimes called congestive heart failure, happens when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It doesn’t mean the heart has stopped, but rather it’s become too weak or stiff to function properly – often due to underlying conditions like CHD, high blood pressure, and valve problems.
According to the NHS, heart failure means the heart needs support to work more efficiently. While it’s not usually curable, many people can manage their symptoms and live well with the right treatment and lifestyle.
The main symptoms of heart failure include light-headedness, swollen legs and ankles, shortness of breath (whether during activity or at rest), and feeling unusually exhausted, especially after exercise. Symptoms can develop quickly (acute heart failure) or gradually over several weeks or months (chronic heart failure).
4. Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart rhythm condition where your heartbeat isn’t steady. It’s caused by a problem within the electrical system that makes your heart beat.
According to the NHS, symptoms of atrial fibrillation include an irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations, chest pain and tightness, and a heartbeat faster than 100 beats per minute when resting. That said, sometimes atrial fibrillation causes no symptoms and is diagnosed as part of a routine check-up.
Atrial fibrillation is currently incurable, but treatment (including medication and surgery) can help manage symptoms and reduce your risk of complications like stroke, blood clots, and heart failure.
5. Peripheral artery disease
Peripheral artery disease (PAD), also known as peripheral vascular disease (PVD), is a common condition where a build-up of fatty materials in the arteries restricts blood flow to the legs.
Many people don’t realise they have PAD, but the condition can cause a painful ache in the legs that usually disappears after a few minutes’ rest. Both legs are commonly affected at once, although symptoms in one leg may be more severe.
According to the NHS, PAD can also cause hair loss, numbness, and weakness in the legs and feet, brittle, slow-growing toenails, skin changing colour in the legs, and erectile dysfunction in men.
PAD isn’t immediately life-threatening, but if left untreated, it can lead to more serious complications, including coronary heart disease and critical limb ischaemia.
6. Aortic diseases
Aortic diseases are a group of conditions affecting the aorta – the body’s largest blood vessel responsible for carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
One of the most common aortic diseases is an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which happens when the aorta becomes weak and bulges outwards. According to the NHS, abdominal aortic aneurysms don’t usually cause symptoms until they get to a certain size. At this point, you may experience back and tummy pain or a pulsing in your stomach.
While most aneurysms don’t cause symptoms, there’s a risk they could rupture and cause internal bleeding. Because they also tend to grow over time, most people need regular scans to monitor them.
7. Strokes and TIAs
A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, happens when blood flow to the brain is disrupted due to a blood clot or a burst blood vessel. A lack of blood flow to the brain means less oxygen, causing brain cells to die within minutes. If not treated quickly enough, strokes can lead to lasting brain damage, long-term damage, and sometimes death.
The two main types of stroke are ischemic and haemorrhagic. This includes transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as mini strokes, that occur when a blood vessel is temporarily blocked.
According to the Stroke Association, around 100,000 people in the UK have a stroke every year, and it’s the UK’s fourth-leading cause of death. For this reason, knowing the warning signs is key. To learn more, you might like to read our article: Stroke – warning signs and 6 ways to reduce your risk.
8. Inherited heart conditions
Inherited heart conditions (IHCs) are passed down through families. Examples include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Brugada syndrome, and familial hypercholesterolaemia.
For many people, the first sign that a heart condition runs in their family is when someone dies suddenly, with no obvious cause. This is known as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).
If you’re a relative of someone who’s been diagnosed with an IHC, it’s important to speak to your GP, who’ll likely refer you to a specialist centre to see if you have the faulty gene, which could lead to IHC. The British Heart Foundation has more information on IHCs if you’d like to read more.
What are the main risk factors for heart and circulatory diseases?
The exact cause of CVD isn’t always clear. However, there are various risk factors which can increase your risk. Luckily, many can be modified with treatment and lifestyle changes.
We’ll explore some of the most common below.
High blood pressure (hypertension)
According to the British Heart Foundation, high blood pressure is the leading modifiable risk factor for CVD in the UK, linked with around 50% of strokes and heart attacks. At present, an estimated 16 million UK adults are living with high blood pressure.
For practical next steps, you might like to read our article: 10 natural ways to lower blood pressure.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a significant risk factor for CVD, linked with one in 10 CVD-related deaths in the UK.
According to research, adults with diabetes are three to five times more likely to die from CVD than those without the condition. This is because high blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels.
Taking steps to manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes can help reduce your risk.
High cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that circulates in our blood. While we need a certain amount to stay healthy, too much cholesterol can clog arteries and increase the risk of health issues, including CVD.
According to the British Heart Foundation, high LDL (bad) cholesterol is linked with one in five CVD deaths in the UK.
Check out our 5 tips to help lower cholesterol to learn more.
Smoking
Statistics estimate that at least 80,000 deaths each year are linked with smoking, including at least 18,000 CVD-related deaths.
Luckily, research shows that once you quit, the body begins to repair itself, with some benefits almost immediate. If you’d like to stop smoking, you might find our article, 7 tips for quitting smoking, useful.
Air pollution
Poor air quality has been found to significantly impact heart and circulatory health, with around 9,000 CVD deaths in the UK attributed to particulate matter each year. Among other things, air pollution can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammation.
Poor diet, a lack of exercise, and being overweight or obese
Eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly can make all the difference in maintaining a healthy weight, which is key to reducing your risk of CVD.
Carrying excess body fat, particularly around your midsection, can increase cholesterol and blood pressure and, as a result, is associated with around one in nine CVD-related deaths in the UK.
Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet can reduce your CVD risk in other ways, too. For example, high-fibre diets are linked with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, but statistics show that over 90% of UK adults don’t eat enough fibre. Most of us eat just 60% of the daily adult recommended fibre intake of 30g.
Similarly, being physically active can reduce your risk of developing CVD by as much as 35%, but more than one in three UK adults doesn’t achieve the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week.
Other risk factors
According to the NHS, other risk factors that can increase your risk of developing CVD include impaired kidney function, age, sex, family history, and ethnicity.
For example, people of South Asian, Black African, or African Caribbean background have a higher risk, and men are more likely to develop CVD at an earlier age than women.
Final thoughts…
Heart or circulatory conditions are a leading cause of death in the UK, so taking steps to boost your heart health is one of the best decisions you can make. Luckily, many CVD risk factors are modifiable, so even small changes can make all the difference.
For further reading, head over to our heart health section.
