Heart disease symptoms: Would YOU know how to spot these five DEADLY types?
HEART disease is the second biggest killer in the UK, but would you be able to spot the signs of types including heart attack, heart failure and coronary heart disease?
Heart disease: It's the UK's second biggest killer
According to the British Heart Foundation there are many different heart conditions - collectively they are called heart disease.
Also known as cardiovascular disease, it covers conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.
Here are some of the main types and their symptoms.
Coronary heart disease
The condition - also called ischaemic heart disease - is deadly, killing 73,000 people in the UK every year.
It’s when your heart’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted by the build-up of fatty substances in the arteries which can worsen over time.
This build-up is called atherosclerosis which is known to be caused by lifestyle factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
The NHS reveal its main symptoms as chest pain, heart attacks and heart failure.
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According to the British Heart Foundation, every five minutes someone in the UK has a heart attack.
Heart attack
The serious medical emergency is when the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot.
According to the British Heart Foundation, every five minutes someone in the UK has a heart attack.
The NHS state: “A lack of blood to the heart may seriously damage the heart muscle and can be life-threatening.”
Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling weak or light-headed and having an overwhelming feeling of anxiety.
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of heart attacks.
Heart attack: Every five minutes someone in the UK has one
Heart failure
This is where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly.
According to the NHS, it’s usually because the heart has become too weak or stiff - usually due to old age.
It’s a long-term condition that gets worse over time, and while it can’t be cured, the symptoms can be controlled for years.
They include breathlessness, feeling tired for most of the time and swollen legs and ankles.
According to NICE around 900,000 people in the UK have heart failure.
Abnormal heart rhythms
Properly known as arrhythmia, it affects more than two million people a year in the UK.
Many sufferers can lead a normal life if it’s properly diagnosed, according to the NHS.
You’re more at risk of developing it if your heart tissue is damaged, sometimes from a heart attack or heart failure.
It can affect any ages, but a particular type - atrial fibrillation - is more common in older people, the overweight and those who drink to excess.
Symptoms can include palpitations, feeling dizzy, fainting and being short of breath.
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Congenital heart disease
According to the NHS it’s a general term for a range of birth defects that affect the normal workings of the heart.
It affects up to one in every 1,000 babies born in the UK.
In most cases there’s no obvious cause, however having Down’s syndrome, and the mother having rubella or poorly controlled diabetes, can increase risk.
Symptoms include a rapid heartbeat, excessive sweating and extreme tiredness.