Definition
Heart disease is a series of conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. African American adults are more likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease, and they are more likely to die from heart disease. Although African American adults are 40% more likely to have high blood pressure, they are 10% less likely than their non-Hispanic White counterparts to have their blood pressure under control.
- More black men die from heart attacks associated with stress than any other ethnic group in the United States.
- Stoke is identified as being 67% higher in African American men than other ethnic groups and 88% more blacks are more likely to die from a stroke than whites.
- The American Heart Association says blacks are more than three times as likely to die from heart disease caused by high blood pressure as whites
- According to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2008 hospital readmissions within 30 days of initial treatment were 30% higher among black patients aged 40 years or above with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), compared to those in Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders and about 9% higher than in whites.
Alternative Names
Cardiovascular disorders
Causes
While cardiovascular disease can refer to many different types of heart or blood vessel problems, the term is often used to mean damage caused to your heart or blood vessels by atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries. This is a disease that affects your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. Healthy arteries are flexible and strong.
Over time, however, too much pressure in your arteries can make the walls thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues. This process is called arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is the most common form of this disorder. Atherosclerosis is also the most common cause of cardiovascular disease, and it’s often caused by an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking. All of these are major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis and, in turn, cardiovascular disease.
Symptoms
Early heart disease often doesn’t have symptoms; that’s why regular checkups with a healthcare provider are important. Your doctor will check things like cholesterol, a fat that can add to plaques in your arteries, and your blood pressure. He might also do a blood test for CRP (c-reactive protein). You might also have an ECG or EKG, an electrocardiogram. This is a test that looks at electrical activity in your heart.
Everyone should know the outward warning signs of heart disease.
Chest pain should be taken seriously. Pain in the chest, shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back can be a symptom of heart disease. If you have heart disease, you might feel chest pain during physical activity. But, it can have other causes too, so it is important to check with your doctor to learn what is triggering yours.
Other signs of heart disease include:
- A weak or numb feeling on one side of the face or body
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Shortness of breath
- Tiredness
- Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, stomach, and neck.
Some people who have a problem with their heartbeat may report a fluttering in their chest or the feeling that their heart is skipping a beat or beating too hard.
Exams and Tests
The diagnosis of heart disease begins with obtaining a history that the potential for coronary artery disease exists. Risk factors need to be assessed and risk stratification occurs.
Tests to diagnose heart disease can include:
- Blood tests. You may need to have your blood drawn and tested for substances that could indicate you have heart disease.
- Chest X-ray. An image is created by directing X-rays at your chest and positioning a large piece of photographic film or a digital recording plate against your back.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG). In this noninvasive test, a technician will place probes on your chest that record the electrical impulses that make your heart beat.
- Holter monitoring. A Holter monitor is a portable device that you wear to record a continuous ECG, usually for 24 to 72 hours.
- Echocardiogram. This noninvasive exam, which includes an ultrasound of your chest, shows detailed images of your heart’s structure and function.
- Cardiac catheterization. In this test, a short tube (sheath) is inserted into a vein or artery in your leg (groin) or arm.
- Heart biopsy. Sometimes a heart biopsy will be done as part of cardiac catheterization, especially if your doctor suspects you have heart inflammation and hasn’t been able to confirm that with other tests.
- Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan. This test is often used to check for heart failure or heart arrhythmias.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In a cardiac MRI, you lie on a table inside a long tube-like machine that produces a magnetic field.
Treatments
Heart disease treatments vary. You may need lifestyle changes, medications, surgery or other