Heart and Vascular Disease

While certain genetic factors may predispose you to possible heart or vascular disease, many symptoms of both are controllable. You should always be conscience of controllable symptoms and take the appropriate action, such as annual testing, to maintain the best health.

What is the difference between heart disease and vascular disease?
What are symptoms of heart and vascular disease? 
Am I at risk for heart and vascular disease? 

What is the difference between heart disease and vascular disease?

Heart disease refers to problems affecting your heart and coronary arteries.
Heart disease can affect heart rate, rhythm, valves, and the heart muscle.
Examples of heart disease:

• blood clots
• congenital heart defects
• heart attack
• irregular heartbeat
• heart failure

Vascular disease refers to problems affecting your blood vessels (arteries and veins outside the heart). Vascular disease often occurs because of narrowing of the vessels that carry blood to the legs, arms, kidneys and other vital organs.
Examples of vascular disease:

• carotid artery disease
• peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• stroke

What are symptoms of heart and vascular disease?

Signs and symptoms of heart disease (coronary artery disease):

You may not have any symptoms of coronary artery disease until a blocked artery becomes too narrow.

The most common symptom is chest pain, also called angina pectoris.

Angina occurs when your heart does not get enough blood flow to deliver oxygen to the heart muscle.

Angina may feel different with every person.  Some may experience crushing, tight or heavy pain.  You may also have discomfort in your neck, jaw, shoulders, back, or inner arms.  At times, it can simply feel like indigestion (burning sensation under the breast bone).

In addition to angina, women are more likely to experience other common symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Rest or medicine usually makes the pain go away.

Angina pain not relieved by rest or medicine is a warning sign that a heart attack may occur.  You should seek medical attention immediately!

Signs and symptoms of peripheral vascular disorders (also called Peripheral Arterial Disease or “PAD”):

Intermittent claudication: Most people diagnosed with PAD experience this symptom.  It is a painful cramping of the leg or hip, especially during activity, usually relieved with rest.

Burning pain in your hands, fingers, feet or toes relieved with rest or a warm environment.

Tight, shiny, cold skin with uneven hair growth.

A change in skin color such as white, red, blue, purple or black that is not normal for you.

Wounds or sores on your skin that do not heal.  Gangrene occurs when the tissues dies and turns cold, brown or black.

Tingling, decreased feeling or no feeling in your hands or feet.

Weakness in your extremities.

Risk Factors for Heart and Vascular Disease

Uncontrollable factors:

• Family history
• Age; men 45 and older and women 55 and older are at an increased risk
• If you are African American, Mexican American, American Indian or Native American decent

Controllable factors:

• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Weight/obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Stress