The graph of people suffering from heart diseases is growing everyday. The number of lives being claimed by cardiovascular diseases are more than all forms of cancer combined. The symptoms of cardiovascular diseases vary from person to person and mostly gets ignored by several people.

There are several types of heart diseases. Few people are congenital, which means they are born with some cardiovascular condition. Rest of the population develop these over the course of time.

Out of several cardiovascular diseases, we are going to list five most common heart diseases that have been explained by cardiologists in Kolkata.

1. Coronary Artery Diseases

As per cardiologists in Kolkata, it is the most common heart disease. In this condition, low density lipoprotein (LDL) or more commonly known as ‘bad’ cholesterol, develop plaque in heart’s arteries. As a result, the heart muscle don’t receive adequate amount of oxygen required for proper function.

During the early stages, it shows no symptoms. Its symptoms arise when the deposition of plaque is enough to block the blood flow. In case the plaque ruptures, blood clot forms and block the artery to the heart. This leads to oxygen deficiency in certain parts of the heart and it becomes susceptible to temporary or permanent damage.

2. Heart Failure

The condition of heart failure or congestive heart failure arises when the heart fails to pump sufficiently enough to meet the demands of the body. Even though the name itself contains the word ‘failure’, the heart still functions, but abnormally. During heart failure, the heart pumps blood at high pressure and it leads to back flow of fluid from heart to several other body parts such as lungs, abdomen, ankles and feet.

In the condition of heart attack, one might experience swollen feet and abdomen along with shortness of breath.

3. Heart Infections

Certain infection can cause damage directly to the heart. These includes virus and other germs. Heart infection can affect in two ways:

Endocarditis– This condition arises due to infection of inner lining of heart’s valves. This happens when a pathogen enters and settles into heart through bloodstream. This pathogen can either be a bacteria or fungus.

Myocarditis– In case of any infection, the body produces antibodies to fight against it. The condition of myocarditis arises when antibodies produced by the body enter the heart. These antibodies release chemicals inside the heart and cause damage to the heart by making it thick.

4. Arrhythmia

In this condition the heartbeat becomes irregular that is, either too fast or too slow. If the heart rate is above 100 beats a minute, it is called tachycardia. If the heart rate is below 60 beats per minute, it is called bradycardia. Symptoms of arrhythmia are unconsciousness, chest pain and shortness of breath.

5. Congenital Heart Disease

These heart defects are present at the time of birth. The problem lies in the structure of heart. The main symptoms are bluish skin and rapid breathing. The reason for this condition remains unknown in several cases. As per gynecologists in Kolkata, sometimes use of certain medication during pregnancy can cause this. Parents being closely related or the mother being under nourished or obese during pregnancy can also be contributing factor for the same.