What is the root cause of a heart disease is the most frequently asked question. With an increasing number of people dying every day from heart attacks or tumor related cancer, it is obvious that one would want to know as to what is really going on and what is causing you or somebody you know with poor health, and how one can change it.

Heart disease is a term used to describe a vast range of heart problems. Some basic illnesses that fall in this category are strokes, high or low blood pressure and coronary artery disease. Some of the major heart diseases are discussed below which can really become a threat to a person’s life.

Atherosclerosis is also known as ASVD or Arteriosclerotic Vascular Disease. It is one of the most common factors of heart disease. This condition is a stage when the artery wall starts thickening due to the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol and triglyceride. Cholesterol is an organic molecule. It is an important constituent of an animal cell membrane that is required to maintain proper membrane permeability and fluidity. Triglyceride on the other hand is called TAG or triacylglyceride or TG or triacylglycerol. Atherosclerosis in layman’s language would mean narrowing and hardening of arteries

Atherosclerosis plaque can behave in the following ways:

• Some plaques can grow and stop. And they stay inside the artery wall. This kind of plaque sometimes never causes any symptom as they do not block the blood flow.
• Sometimes, they grow slowly and may cause various blockages in the blood flow. In this scenario, pain in chest or feeling exertion is a common symptom. 
• The worst of all scenarios is when the plaque ruptures. This sudden rupturing not only blocks the blood flow but also causes the blood to clot inside the artery. This may result in a severe heart attack. 

Atherosclerosis plaque can cause three types of cardiovascular diseases:

• Coronary artery disease - This may cause chest pain or exertion. In some cases, when plaque ruptures, it causes clotting preventing the blood flow and hence causing heart attack.
• Cerebrovascular disease- This causes rupturing of brain arteries and clotting the same. This may cause brain strokes and in worst-case scenarios, this may even damage brain permanently.
• Peripheral artery disease- This causes difficulty in walking or a slow wound healing. This is because leg arteries are narrowed or hardened, preventing or blocking the blood flow.

Contact the Cardiologists in your area if you are suffering from any heart related problem. Click here to search experienced cardiologists in your area 

Some causes of heart attacks

Heart attacks are caused when the arteries are blocked with calcified and fatty plaques. This results in narrowing and hardening of arteries. Some causes for heart attacks are as follows:

Age
Advancing years of your life increase the risk of heart attacks. In men, it is above 45 years and in women it is above 55 years.

Angina
This condition happens when the oxygen supply to heart is not sufficient. This too happens when the arteries are narrowed and hardened by fatty and calcified plaques.

Blood Cholesterol
The risk of heart attacks runs higher when you are found to have higher blood cholesterol levels. This is because the higher the blood cholesterol levels, the higher the risk of clotting in the arteries that clogs the blood flow.

Diabetes
People with diabetes are more prone to cardiovascular diseases or heart attacks as they develop conditions that contribute to raising the risk of heart attacks.

Diets
They say, you are what you eat. So if you are prone to unhealthy eating habits that include food high in animal fat or saturated fats, then the risk of heart attack automatically goes up.

Consult cardiologists near your area for life style changes you can do for better heart health. Click here to search experienced cardiologists in your area