How Is Heart Disease Detected And Treated?

19 November, 2009 No Comment

Heart disease is probably the number one killer in recent times and owes it origin to sedentary lifestyles, inadequate diet, high stress levels, high cholesterol levels and hereditary factors.

Modern day technology makes use of various sophisticated tools and devices to evaluate the condition of one’s heart and detect heart disease. Contemporary science has also blessed us with various treatment for heart disease that enable heart patients to move on with their lives efficiently.

How is heart disease detected?
There are several tests that can help detect heart disease and enable you to take timely action to prevent it.

ECG: This is also known as electrocardiogram or EKG and is a stress exercise test. Here the patient is required to run on a treadmill and is scrutinized for any changes or abnormalities in the heart rhythm with the help of an electrocardiogram. Any changes in the electrical activity of the heart determine specific heart problems such as constrained flow of blood to the heart.

MRI: This is also known as magnetic resonance imaging and is a technique that makes use of powerful magnets to see the internal condition of the heart.

Radionuclide imaging: This technique helps detect heart disease by injecting radioactive markers into the bloodstream. These markers reach the heart in regions with sufficient blood flow. Highly sensitive cameras determine if the heart is properly functioning or not.

How is heart disease treated?
Today there are various treatment options for available for effectively combating heart disease. These include heart surgery, diet alterations, exercises and medications. Utmost significance is given to smoking cessation, low –fat diet consumption and regular exercise.

Individuals at a high risk for cardiovascular disease are often recommended to take half an aspirin tablet everyday. This is because aspirin has an anti-clotting effect, thereby preventing blood platelets from sticking to arterial plaques and forming clots. However, too much aspirin can have an adverse effect on the body and may increase the risk of stroke and result in ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Balloon angioplasty: This is a surgical solution for treating heart disease in which a catheter with an inflatable balloon is passed through the artery in order to widen it and clear the blockage. Once the balloon reaches the site of blockage, it is widened with the help of water pressure or normal blood pressure to get rid of the fatty plaque.

Coronary bypass surgery: This is one of the most common types of heart surgeries known to be performed over 500,000 individuals every year. Almost 50% of individuals on whom bypass surgery is performed are below the age of 65 years.

This surgery is performed to alleviate angina and to decrease the risk of death caused by coronary artery disease. In a coronary bypass surgery, a healthy blood vessel is removed from another part of the patient’s body and is grafted to the coronary arteries in order to bypass the blockage.