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BayCare offers several convenient health care services that help get care you need to get back to feeling better.
About Heart Disease
Heart disease is a general term referring to a variety of diseases and conditions that affect a person’s heart. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), a narrowing of one or more of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Complications of various heart diseases can lead to a heart attack, stroke, pulmonary hypertension and damage to your kidneys or liver. Some of the more common heart diseases include:
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart failure
- Arrhythmias, also known as abnormal heart rhythms
- Heart valve diseases like aortic stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation
- Congenital heart disease like atrial septal defect or tetralogy of fallot
Signs and Symptoms
The heart is a complex organ and depending on the area of the heart affected, the symptoms of heart disease may vary. Some symptoms to look for are:
- Chest pain, commonly called angina
- Chest tightness
- Neck pain
- Lightheadedness
- Racing heart commonly called palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in the lower body
- Exhaustion
Heart disease may affect a person’s:
- Blood vessels like coronary artery disease
- Heart rhythm arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, tachycardia or bradycardia
- Heart muscle including cardiomyopathy
- Heart valves such as aortic stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation
- Heart structure such as different heart chamber walls
Need a cardiologist?
Call us at (855) 233-0888 or fill out the form to request a referral to a cardiac specialist.
Causes and Risk Factors
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC. However, you can take steps to reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
Making healthy lifestyle changes can significantly lower your risk of developing heart disease. If you are at high risk for a heart attack due to genetics, diabetes or high cholesterol, it’s important to talk with your doctor about other prevention approaches, like daily aspirin therapy. Additional risk factors may include:
- Age: As you grow older, your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and a weakened or thickened heart muscle increases.
- Sex: Men are generally at greater risk of heart disease. The risk in women increases after menopause.
- Family history: A family history of heart disease increases the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).
- Smoking: Smoking nicotine can raise triglycerides (fat) in the blood, lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and cause blood to thicken and clot.
- Unhealthy diet: Eating foods high in saturated and trans fats can contribute to high cholesterol and plaque buildup in your blood vessels.
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol: Having LDL levels 200 or more increases the risk of atherosclerosis which is plaque buildup on the artery walls. This can cause heart attacks and stroke.
- Diabetes: Over time, high blood sugar can hurt both the blood vessels and nerves in and around your heart, which can lead to heart failure.
- Obesity: Excess body weight makes your heart work harder.
- Stress: Stress increases inflammation in the body, which can lead to more plaque buildup in blood vessels and causes CAD.
- Poor dental health: Bacteria causing dental diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis can enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation that damages blood vessels and the heart.
- Insomnia: Not getting enough sleep can cause hormonal changes in the body that increase inflammation and blood pressure.
- Lack of exercise
If you experience chest pain along with pain in the arm, jaw, or below the breastbone, accompanied by sweating, nausea, or severe shortness of breath, you might be having a heart attack. Call 911 immediately.
Diagnosing Heart Disease
Many will live with undiagnosed heart disease until they have a heart attack, angina, stroke or even heart failure. With regular health checkups, heart disease can be found early. Your doctor may start with a physical exam, personal and family health history, and may order other diagnostic tests including:
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Blood Tests
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Cardiac MRI
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Chest X-ray
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Echocardiogram
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Electrocardiogram
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Heart CT Scan
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Holter Monitor
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Stress Tests
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Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization
Blood tests help your doctor check for different signs of heart issues or disease. There are several levels your doctor can look at or monitor including cholesterol (HDL and LDL), proteins like lipoprotein, fibrinogen and aminoterminal, pro-brain natriuretic peptide and amino acids (homocysteine). If your doctor has given you a lab order, schedule an appointment at a BayCare Lab near you.
Also called a heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, this takes detailed heart images using a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves with no radiation to gather a comprehensive analysis of the heart. An MRI can show the structure and functions of the chambers, valves and muscles of the heart, including blood flow throughout. There are several problems MRIs can diagnose like heart failure, heart valve diseases, congenital heart disease and others. Patients with certain types of medical devices may not be candidates for MRIs. If your doctor has given you an MRI order, these scans can be scheduled at a BayCare Imaging Center.
A chest x-ray shows the condition of the lungs and heart. It can be used to look for fluid in or around the lungs and heart (a sign of heart failure) or heart vessel and valve problems. It can also be used to check the position of medical devices like pacemakers or internal cardiac defibrillators. If your doctor has ordered an X-ray, it can be scheduled at a BayCare Imaging Center.
Also called an “echo,” this ultrasound test uses waves to create detailed images of the heart in motion including blood flow through the heart and valves. The most common type, called a transthoracic echo, is noninvasive, uses no radiation, and is typically performed at an imaging center. It shows the four chambers of the heart, the four valves and blood vessels. Another type, the transesophageal echo, uses a thin tube placed down your throat to take detailed photos of the heart’s structure, especially the valves. Most echocardiograms can be scheduled at the following BayCare hospitals:
Also known as an ECG or EKG, these tests record the electrical signals in the heart to check its rhythm. Your doctor may perform an ECG or EKG if you are experiencing chest pain, irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias, or to check a pacemaker. Most EKGs are non-invasive and placed over the skin, but there are also implantable loop recorder options. Implantable loop recorders are a type of EKG that records your heartbeat for up to three years and may be recommended after severe cases of arrhythmias or strokes. These tests are often performed in your primary care or cardiologist’s office.
Also called cardiac CT, this scan uses a doughnut-shaped machine that rotates around the body while you lie flat on a table. This CT machine uses X-ray radiation to take 3D images of the heart including the coronary arteries, heart chambers, muscle and valves, pulmonary veins, thoracic aortic, and pericardium (sac around the heart). This test can be used to look for calcium buildup in the heart’s blood vessels, heart valve disease, or for tumors in the heart. If your doctor has given you a CT order this scan can be scheduled at a BayCare Imaging Center.
This is a portable ECG device worn to record the heart's activity during daily activities. This test can detect irregular heartbeats that aren't found during a regular ECG exam. A Holter monitor records all your heart's activities, while an event monitor record may only record irregular heartbeats when you push the button as symptoms arise. Holter and event monitors are usually available through your cardiologist’s office.
Stress tests usually involve physical activity like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike while the heart is monitored. These tests help show how the heart responds to stress and whether any heart disease symptoms occur during exercise. This test checks your blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, heart’s electrical activity (using an EKG), and how you feel. If extra imaging is done before and after exercise, it's called a nuclear stress test. For patients who cannot exercise safely, a pharmacological stress test may be used, where medication is given to mimic the effects of exercise on the heart. Stress tests can be performed at the following BayCare hospitals:
This procedure allows your cardiologist to test pressures inside your heart and look at how the coronary arteries are functioning. To see the arteries, a special test called coronary angiography is used. During this test, a contrast dye and X-rays help create clear images of the heart’s blood vessels as the dye moves through. The dye makes the arteries more visible on the X-ray. If needed, your doctor can also take a biopsy using the catheter to determine the cause of heart disease. Your doctor may suggest catheterization if you have CAD, congenital heart disease, heart failure, heart valve disease or other heart damage. The following BayCare hospitals perform diagnostic cardiac catherization:
Treatment Options
At BayCare, you can find all the heart services you need in one place, from advanced imaging procedures to complex surgeries to the therapies you need to help get you back on your feet. Our team oversees your care from beginning to end, ensuring that you have a seamless and smooth health care experience.
Once you have been diagnosed with a heart disease, your doctor will recommend a treatment or combination of treatments based on your specific condition and needs. Some heart disease treatments may include lifestyle changes, medications, surgeries, procedures or cardiac rehab.
Click here to learn more about other heart diseases and condition-specific treatments.
Additional Resources
Need a referral to a Primary Care Physician or Cardiologist?
Call us at (855) 233-0888 or fill out the form below.