Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as

your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors — such as family history,
sex or age — there are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take to reduce your
risk.

You can avoid heart problems in the future by adopting a healthy lifestyle today. Here are
seven heart disease prevention tips to get you started.

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco

Smoking or using tobacco of any kind is one of the most significant risk factors for
developing heart disease. Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels,
leading to narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis
can ultimately lead to a heart attack.

Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke replaces some of the oxygen in your blood. This
increases your blood pressure and heart rate by forcing your heart to work harder to supply
enough oxygen.

Women who smoke and take birth control pills are at greater risk of having a heart attack or
stroke than are those who don't smoke or take birth control pills, because both can increase
the risk of blood clots.

When it comes to heart disease prevention, no amount of smoking is safe. But, the more you
smoke, the greater your risk. Smokeless tobacco, low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes, and
secondhand smoke also can be risky. Even so-called social smoking — smoking only while
at a bar or restaurant with friends — can be dangerous and increase the risk of heart disease.

The good news, though, is that your risk of heart disease begins to lower soon after quitting.
Your risk of coronary heart disease significantly reduces one year after quitting smoking.
Your risk of coronary heart disease drops almost to that of a nonsmoker in about 15 years.
And no matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as
you quit.

2. Exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week

Getting some regular, daily exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease. And when you
combine physical activity with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight,
the payoff is even greater.

Physical activity can help you control your weight and reduce your chances of developing
other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high
cholesterol and diabetes.

In general, you should do moderate exercise, such as walking at a brisk pace, for about 30
minutes on most days of the week. That can help you reach the Department of Health and
Human Services recommendations of 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, 75
minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous
activity. For even more health benefits, aim for 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or
150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week. In addition, aim to do strength training
exercises two or more days a week.

However, even shorter amounts of exercise than these recommendations can offer heart
benefits, so if you can't meet those guidelines, don't give up. You can even get the same
health benefits if you break up your workout time into three 10-minute sessions most days of
the week.

And remember that activities such as gardening, housekeeping, taking the stairs and walking
the dog all count toward your total. You don't have to exercise strenuously to achieve
benefits, but you can see bigger benefits by increasing the intensity, duration and frequency
of your workouts.

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet

Eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease. Two examples of heart-healthy
food plans include the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan and the
Mediterranean diet.

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help protect your heart. Aim to eat
beans, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean meats, and fish as part of a healthy diet.

Avoid too much salt and sugars in your diet.

Limiting certain fats you eat also is important. Of the types of fat — saturated,
polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fat — try to limit or avoid saturated fat and trans
fat. Aim to keep saturated fat to 5 or 6 percent of your daily calories. And try to keep trans fat
out of your diet altogether.
Symptoms

Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease

The most common symptom of coronary artery disease is angina, or chest pain. Angina can
be described as a discomfort, heaviness, pressure, aching, burning, fullness, squeezing, or
painful feeling in your chest. It can be mistaken for indigestion or heartburn. Angina may
also be felt in the shoulders, arms, neck, throat, jaw, or back.

Other symptoms of coronary artery disease include:

 Shortness of breath
 Palpitations (irregular heart beats, or a "flip-flop" feeling in your chest)
 A faster heartbeat
 Weakness or dizziness
 Nausea
 Sweating

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

Symptoms of a heart attack can include:

 Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone
 Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
 Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)
 Sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness
 Extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
 Rapid or irregular heartbeats

During a heart attack, symptoms typically last 30 minutes or longer and are not relieved by
rest or oral medications. Initial symptoms may start as a mild discomfort that progresses to
significant pain.

Symptoms of Arrhythmias

When symptoms of arrhythmias, or an abnormal heart rhythm, are present, they may include:
  Palpitations (a feeling of skipped heart beats, fluttering or "flip-flops" in your chest)
 Pounding in your chest
 Dizziness or feeling light-headed
 Fainting
 Shortness of breath
 Chest discomfort
 Weakness or fatigue (feeling very tired)

Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a type of arrhythmia. Most people with AF experience one or more
of the following symptoms:

 Heart palpitations (a sudden pounding, fluttering, or racing feeling in the heart)

 Lack of energy
 Dizziness (feeling faint or light-headed)
 Chest discomfort (pain, pressure, or discomfort in the chest)
 Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing during normal activities)

Some patients with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms. Episodes may be brief.

Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease

Symptoms of heart valve disease may include:

 Shortness of breath and/or difficulty catching your breath; you may notice this most
when you are doing your normal daily activities or when you lie down flat in bed.
 Weakness or dizziness
 Discomfort in your chest; you may feel a pressure or weight in your chest with
activity or when going out in cold air.
 Palpitations (this may feel like a rapid heart rhythm, irregular heartbeat, skipped
beats, or a flip-flop feeling in your chest.)

If valve disease causes heart failure, symptoms may include:

  Swelling of your ankles or feet; swelling may also occur in your abdomen, which may
cause you to feel bloated.
 Quick weight gain (a weight gain of two or three pounds in one day is possible.)

Symptoms of heart valve disease do not always relate to the seriousness of your condition.
You may have no symptoms at all and have severe valve disease, requiring prompt treatment.
Or, as with mitral valve prolapse, you may have severe symptoms, yet tests may show minor
valve disease.

Symptoms of Heart Failure

Symptoms of heart failure can include:

 Shortness of breath noted during activity (most commonly) or at rest, especially when
you lie down flat in bed
 Cough that produces white sputum.
 Rapid weight gain (a weight gain of two or three pounds in one day is possible.)
 Swelling in ankles, legs, and abdomen
 Dizziness
 Fatigue and weakness
 Rapid or irregular heartbeats
 Other symptoms include nausea, palpitations, and chest pain.

Like valve disease, heart failure symptoms may not be related to how weak your heart is. You
may have many symptoms, but your heart function may be only mildly weakened. Or you
may have a severely damaged heart, with few or no symptoms.

Symptoms of Congenital Heart Defects

Congenital heart defects may be diagnosed before birth, right after birth, during childhood, or
not until adulthood. It is possible to have a defect and no symptoms at all. Sometimes, it can
be diagnosed because of a heart murmur on physical exam or an abnormal EKG or chest X-
ray in someone with no symptoms.

In adults, if symptoms of congenital heart disease are present, they may include:
  Shortness of breath
 Limited ability to exercise
 Symptoms of heart failure (see above) or valve disease (see above)

Congenital Heart Defects in Infants and Children

Symptoms of congenital heart defects in infants and children may include:

 Cyanosis (a bluish tint to the skin, fingernails, and lips)

 Fast breathing and poor feeding
 Poor weight gain
 Recurrent lung infections
 Inability to exercise

Symptoms of Heart Muscle Disease

Many people with heart muscle disease, or cardiomyopathy, have no symptoms or only minor
symptoms, and live a normal life. Other people develop symptoms, which progress and
worsen as heart function worsens.

Symptoms of cardiomyopathy may occur at any age and may include:

 Chest pain or pressure (occurs usually with exercise or physical activity, but can also
occur with rest or after meals)
 Heart failure symptoms (see above)
 Swelling of the lower extremities
 Fatigue
 Fainting
 Palpitations (fluttering in the chest due to abnormal heart rhythms)

Some people also have arrhythmias. These can lead to sudden death in a small number of
people with cardiomyopathy.

Symptoms of Pericarditis

When present, symptoms of pericarditis may include:

  Chest pain which is different from angina (chest pain caused by coronary artery
disease); it may be sharp and located in the center of the chest. The pain may radiate
to the neck and occasionally, the arms and back. It is made worse when lying down,
taking a deep breath in, coughing, or swallowing and relieved by sitting forward.
 Low-grade fever
 Increased heart rate

Treatment & Care

Things that you and your health care professional can do for heart disease can be all over the
map, from CPR, to high-tech surgeries, to caregiving. Chances are that you, or someone you
love, may need different types.

Treatment

1. CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- CPR -- is one link in what the American Heart
Association calls the chain of survival. Learn CPR for a loved one. You can use the
Internet to find classes near you
2. Heart Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Medical care is essential once heart disease is
diagnosed, to stabilize the condition immediately, control symptoms over the long
term, and cure the disease when possible.

Surgeries

1. Stents Get information about why they’re used and what types are available.
2. Angioplasty and Stents Angioplasty is a procedure that uses very little cutting to open
blocked heart arteries. Stents can be put in during angioplasty.
3. Heart Bypass Surgery This can treat heart disease when your coronary arteries are
blocked. Your doctor may treat the problem by giving the blood a new pathway to the
heart.
4. Valve Disease Treatment When your heart valve disease needs attention, it can be
treated by traditional surgery or by balloon valvuloplasty, which doesn't require as
much cutting.
5. Cardioversion For many people with heart disease, drugs alone won’t turn an
arrhythmia into a normal heart rhythm. These people may need a procedure called
cardioversion or electrical cardioversion.
6. EECP This can help stimulate blood vessels to develop small branches, creating a
natural bypass around narrowed or blocked arteries that cause chest pain.
7. Ablation It helps treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. The type of
arrhythmia and the presence of other heart disease will determine whether ablation
can be done surgically or nonsurgically.
8. Pacemakers It’s a small device that sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle to
keep up a suitable heart rate and rhythm. A pacemaker may also treat fainting spells
(syncope), congestive heart failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
9. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) An ICD, or implantable cardioverter
defibrillator, can treat abnormal heart rhythms.
10. Lead Extraction That’s removal of one or more leads from inside the heart. Leads that
are placed outside the heart during open heart surgery cannot be removed by this
procedure.
11. Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) It’s a kind of mechanical heart. A surgeon
would place it inside your chest. It would help the heart pump oxygen-rich blood
throughout the body.
12. Heart Transplant A person's diseased heart is replaced with a healthy donor's heart.
The donor is a person who has died and whose family has agreed to donate their loved
one's organs.

Medications

1. ACE Inhibitors Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are heart meds that
widen, or dilate, your blood vessels to raise the amount of blood your heart pumps
and lower your blood pressure.
2. Angiotension II Receptor Blockers These heart drugs decrease certain chemicals that
narrow blood vessels. That allows blood to flow more easily through your body.
These drugs also decrease chemicals that cause salt and fluid to build up in the body.
3. Antiarrhythmics These drugs treat abnormal heart rhythms caused by irregular
electrical activity of your heart.
4. Antiplatelet Drugs They are a group of powerful medications that prevent the
formation of blood clots.
5. Aspirin Therapy For more than 100 years, aspirin has been used as a pain reliever.
Since the 1970s, aspirin has also been used to prevent and manage heart disease and
stroke.
6. Beta-Blocker Therapy Beta-blockers are one of the most widely prescribed class of
drugs to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). They are a mainstay treatment for
congestive heart failure.
7. Calcium Channel Blocker Drugs These relax blood vessels and increase the supply of
blood and oxygen to the heart. They also reduce the heart's workload.
8. Clot Buster Drugs Also called thrombolytic therapy, these are a type of heart
medication given in the hospital through the veins (intravenous) to break up blood
clots.
9. Digoxin If you have heart disease, this is a medicine that helps an injured or
weakened heart work more efficiently.
10. Diuretics You may hear these called water pills. They help your body get rid of
unneeded water and salt through urine. That makes it easier for your heart to pump. It
also helps control your blood pressure.
11. Nitrates These are meds that treat angina in people with coronary artery disease. They
also help ease chest pain caused by blocked blood vessels of the heart.
12. Warfarin and Other Blood Thinners These medicines help prevent clots from forming.
Blood thinners treat some types of heart disease.

Care

1. Plant-Based Diet for Heart Health Early studies suggest it may have a number of
benefits.
2. Recovery After Heart Surgery There are things you should know when you or
someone you love comes back from heart surgery.
3. Finding Strength During Tough Times Caregivers should be mindful of the
psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of health and illness, as well as
the effects of these factors on themselves and their loved ones.
Definition

Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked

blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart
conditions, such as those that affect your heart's muscle, valves or rhythm, also are
considered forms of heart disease