Cardiovascular Disease

What are the most common cardiovascular diseases?

Heart disease actually includes several conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels, including:

• Coronary artery disease
• Heart valve disease
• Peripheral artery disease
• Heart arrhythmias
• Congenital heart defects
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Cardiomyopathy
• Myocarditis

The Gulf Coast Cardiology Group team provides comprehensive testing and treatment for your heart and/or blood vessel condition.

What are the symptoms of cardiovascular disease?

Symptoms vary depending on the kind of cardiovascular disease you have. The symptoms can include:

• Chest pain
• Chest pressure
• Fluttering in your chest
• Shortness of breath
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Numbness in your legs or arms
• Swollen legs or abdomen
• Racing heart
• Persistent dry cough
• Skin rashes
• Dizziness
• Leg pain
• Pain in your neck, throat, jaw, upper abdomen, and back

Call Gulf Coast Cardiology Group PLLC as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms. They’ll schedule a comprehensive evaluation.

What puts me at risk of developing cardiovascular disease?

Many of the things that cause heart disease are controllable, including the lifestyle you choose. Others, you can’t control.

These include:

• Age
• Obesity
• Stress
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Unhealthy diet
• Smoking
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• High cholesterol levels
• Family medical history

Heart disease shows up in men more often than women. Women’s risk rises after menopause. Your dental habits play a role too. When your teeth and gums aren’t healthy, bacterial infections can get into your bloodstream, make their way to your heart, and affect your heart valves.

How is cardiovascular disease diagnosed and treated?

Several tests can be used to diagnose your condition. In addition to blood tests and a chest X-ray, your provider can also order the following tests:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG)
• Echocardiogram (echo)
• Nuclear cardiology test
• Ultrasound (sonogram)
• Treadmill stress test
• Cardiac catheterization
• Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan
• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Your doctor explains each test’s use to help you understand the process of diagnosing your condition.

Treatments include making lifestyle changes, taking prescribed medications to control your heart disease, and medical procedures or surgery. Your treatment is based on what kind of cardiovascular disease you have and how much damage it’s done.

To consult with the team at Gulf Coast Cardiology PLLC about cardiovascular disease, call the friendly office today or book your appointment online.