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Fifty years ago the most common cause of death would have been an infection of some kind. Today in western countries cardiovascular disease is the number one killer, second only to cancer. Yet we also have a greater than ever arsenal of drugs, surgery and holistic advice aimed at treating heart disease. The most common and serious types of heart disease include:

Myocardial Infarction (heart attack) is the death of heart tissue as the result of a blood clot plugging up part of the blood vessels that supply the heart and preventing blood and oxygen from reaching heart muscle cells. Symptoms may include chest pain or pressure, pain radiating down the arm, jaw pain or headache, shortness of breath, sweating, upper back pain and a general feeling of illness. However, a quarter of all heart attacks are symptom-free, especially among diabetics.

Coronary Artery Disease, including atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries" as the result of fats and other substances building up on the lining of blood vessels. This reduces the flow of blood to the tissues. If the blood slows down too much, the tissues in that part of the body die. Symptoms include chest pain or a fatal disturbance of the heart rhythm. It may proceed to a heart attack.

Congestive Heart Failure, which is the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain life. This may result from heart valve disorders, diseases of heart tissue, a specific event such as a heart attack, or abnormalities in the heart's rate or contractions. An early symptom may be fatigue. Later, there may be swelling of ankles and legs, shortness of breath (caused by fluid in the lungs), sleepnessness, nausea and decreased appetite.

Procedures Used to Determine Heart Disease

An electrocardiogram (EKG) and chest x-ray will show whether there have been previous heart attacks, abnormalities in rhythm, or fluid in and around the lungs. An echocardiagram uses ultrasound waves to obtain a picture of heart muscle, valves and patterns of blood flow. This is useful in diagnosing heart muscle weakness, and possible causes such as previous heart attacks or severe valve abnormalities. http://www.johnmuirhealth.com/ index.php/publications54.html

Heart catheterization involves the use of a dye inside the blood vessels that can be seen using x-ray techniques. This enables the heart's arteries to be seen. Also the pressures in and around the heart can be measured and the heart's performance assessed.

Pathology Tests

Cardiac enzymes are substances that are released in to the bloodstream when the heart muscle is damaged. They can be measured in a laboratory to help diagnose a heart attack. The most useful of these is Troponin, and its level in the blood is considered the most important and specific indication of heart muscle damage. Within three to four hours after a heart attack, Troponin blood levels begin to increase and peak at about twelve to sixteen hours. They remain elevated for up to two weeks. Blood is usually taken from a patient arriving at a hospital with chest pain in order to check Troponin levels, and this is rechecked every four to six hours. http://www.everybody.co.nz/pag e-f461f3ae-29f9-4cad-bf00-8216 462ea5d4.aspx

Treatments Available

Surgical procedures include artery bypass grafts, angioplasty (a technique of widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel), stenting (an artificial support device placed in the coronary artery to keep the vessel open after angioplasty), surgery for heart valve

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