You can check for heart disease at home by measuring your pulse rate and your blood pressure if you have a blood pressure monitor. You can also monitor yourself for symptoms of heart disease, such as: Chest pain, pressure, discomfort, or tightness.
A normal pulse measures between 60 and 100 beats a minute, and if your heart beat rate is above or below the regular count, it's time that you seek medical consultation. Doing aerobic exercises can also help in determining your heart health.
Stage A (pre-heart failure) means you're at a high risk of developing heart failure because you have a family history of congestive heart failure or you have one or more of these medical conditions: Hypertension. Diabetes. Coronary artery disease.
Heart failure can progress, so researchers have identified four stages of the disease — A, B, C and D. Health care professionals also classify heart failure when it has progressed to stages C and D. This classification measures a patient's overall heart function and severity of symptoms.
The symptoms – chest pain, tightness, and shortness of breath – can be similar, though. Sometimes, when arteries become completely blocked, a new blood supply develops around the blockage. This new blood supply, called collaterals, won't deliver as much blood to your heart.
The most common types of blood tests used to assess heart conditions are: Cardiac enzyme tests (including troponin tests) – help diagnose or rule out a heart attack. Full blood count (FBC) – measures different types of blood levels and can show, for example, if there is an infection or if you have anaemia.
A health care provider might use an electrocardiogram to determine or detect: Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) If blocked or narrowed arteries in the heart (coronary artery disease) are causing chest pain or a heart attack.
Coronary artery disease and heart attack.
Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart failure. The disease results from the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. The deposits narrow the arteries. This reduces blood flow and can lead to heart attack.
Heart disease—and the conditions that lead to it—can happen at any age. High rates of obesity and high blood pressure among younger people (ages 35–64) are putting them at risk for heart disease earlier in life.
Electrocardiogram. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. The ECG reflects what's happening in different areas of the heart and helps identify any problems with the rhythm or rate of your heart. The ECG is painless and takes around 5-10 minutes to perform.
Get to your doctor. You may have trouble breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swollen legs, neck veins that stick out, and sounds from fluid built up in your lungs. Your doctor will check for these and other signs of heart failure. A test called an echocardiogram is often the best test to diagnose your heart failure.
Symptom-free (asymptomatic) heart failure: There are no symptoms, but certain tests can detect that the heart isn't performing as well as it should. Mild heart failure: More strenuous physical exercise like climbing stairs or walking uphill causes symptoms like exhaustion or shortness of breath.
An echocardiogram is a common test. It gives a picture of your heart using ultrasound, a type of X-ray. It uses a probe either on your chest or down your oesophagus (throat). It helps your doctor check if there are any problems with your heart's valves and chambers, and see how strongly your heart pumps blood.
Cardiac catheterization and angiogram.
X-rays help guide it. Dye flows through the catheter. The dye helps blood vessels show up better on the images and outlines any blockages. If you have an artery blockage that needs treatment, a balloon on the tip of the catheter can be inflated to open the artery.
In a “mini” heart attack, blood flow to the heart is partially blocked. Symptoms include chest pain and are similar to those of a heart attack, but there is less damage to the heart. The technical term for a “mini” heart attack is a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
Heart block occurs when the electrical signal is slowed down or does not reach the bottom chambers of the heart. Your heart may beat slowly, or it may skip beats. Heart block may resolve on its own, or it may be permanent and require treatment.
In general, more than half of all people diagnosed with congestive heart failure will survive for 5 years. About 35% will survive for 10 years. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic, progressive condition that affects the heart's ability to pump blood around the body.