How much do you care about your cardiovascular health? Cardiovascular health problems affect a large portion of the population, particularly individuals over the age of fifty.
There are numerous cardiology experts, such as the Dorset Cardiologist, providing patient-centered cardiovascular care. Cardiology clinics provide a variety of medical services for risk assessment, prevention, and evidence-based treatment of cardiovascular medical conditions.
Have a detailed look at some of the most common conditions and the services used in their treatment.
Conditions
Private cardiology clinics provide diagnostics and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions, including arrhythmia, arterial fibrillation, cardiac tumors, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, hypertension, heart valve disease, palpitations, etc. Arrhythmia refers to an abnormal or irregular heartbeat. The electrical system of the heart is responsible for triggering the heartbeat. A normal rhythm is between sixty and a hundred beats per minute.
Tachycardia refers to a fast heart rate that exceeds a hundred beats per minute. In contrast, bradycardia refers to a rate lower than sixty beats per minute. The interesting thing about arrhythmia is its silent nature, as it might not cause any symptoms at all. Nevertheless, cardiologists can detect it by listening to your heart and performing tests that monitor its rhythm. Some of the most common arrhythmia symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, breathlessness, etc.
Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent abnormality of the heart rhythm in the field of cardiology. Individuals tend to develop such a condition with age, especially after the age of sixty. After the age of sixty, the heart chambers commence a stiffening process or begin to stretch. Atrial fibrillation can be intermittent, persistent, or permanent. The symptoms tend to wake patients up in the middle of the night and leave them sweaty and anxious.
Another risk related to atrial fibrillation is the decrease in pumping action of the heart, particularly if it isn’t controlled over a long time period. Symptoms linked to atrial fibrillation include dizziness, chest discomfort, lack of energy, breathlessness, etc. Read more about the causes, types, diagnosis, and complications of atrial fibrillation.
Cardiac tumors are found within the heart or its valves. They are either malignant or benign. The majority of cardiac tumors are benign, but their size and location might disrupt the function of the blood-pumping organ.
Moreover, primary tumors have a tendency to originate from the cardiac muscle, whereas secondary tumors originate from somewhere else in the body and spread to this muscle. Myxoma is the most common tumor in the former category. Myxomas are more common in men compared to women. Fortunately, they are benign, just like other primary tumors, including fibromas, teratomas, lipomas, fibroelastomas, etc.
Secondary cardiac tumors are more common than primary ones. They migrate from other body parts like the stomach, breasts, kidneys, colon, liver, etc. Most patients are completely unaware of the fact that they have such a tumor. It’s usually discovered after doing an echocardiogram for another reason. There are some symptoms that indicate the presence of a cardiac tumor, such as light-headedness and breathlessness, which are caused by the disruption of the blood flow.
Cardiac tumors are best confirmed by conducting a computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance scan, or echocardiogram. The following link, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153201, explains how CT scans work. They usually cause blood flow obstruction within the cardiac muscle, which makes surgery the usual treatment. Nevertheless, the need for undergoing such surgery mainly depends on the tumor’s size.
Coronary artery disease is yet another condition treated at cardiology clinics. The coronary arteries are in charge of supplying the heart with blood. Consequently, coronary artery disease refers to the buildup of cholesterol within the artery walls, which might lead to blood vessel narrowing or blockage. When the blood-pumping organ is deprived of the necessary blood supply, it demonstrates symptoms of oxygen and nutrient deficiency.
Furthermore, the diagnosis of heart failure is performed by looking at the clinical history of patients in search of symptoms like chest pain, lethargy, palpitations, etc. Cardiologists also conduct a detailed physical examination by looking for signs of fluid accumulation in the lungs and legs. Other required tests might include a chest x-ray, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood tests, etc. Blood tests are usually required to check kidney function, thyroid function, cholesterol levels, and anemia.
Another common condition diagnosed and treated at cardiology clinics is hypertension, a term describing high blood pressure. When your blood pressure is higher than normal, the walls of your blood vessels are exposed to increased pressure. Hypertension has to be treated in order to prevent heart attacks, kidney disease, stroke, etc. For heart disease prevention you have to consult your doctor and take necessary preventions.
Diagnostics and treatment
Cardiology clinics provide various services for diagnostics and treatment of cardiovascular issues. For instance, ambulatory ECG monitoring is performed with a portable ECG recorder that patients should wear throughout the day and night. This device records the heart rhythm, and clinicians determine whether patients’ symptoms are caused by a heart abnormality.
Additionally, computed tomography coronary angiogram is a method of non-invasive nature used in the detection of potential blockages inside the coronary arteries. Advanced computed tomography technology is used to provide 3D images of the heart and blood vessels. By looking at these images, physicians can determine the calcium burden and plaque level within the artery walls.
Echocardiography refers to an ultrasound test whose role is to inspect the heart’s function and the function of its valves. This test is conducted by a cardiac sonographer whose job is to move a transducer over the chest area. Sound waves of high frequency are sent to the cardiac muscle and then transmitted to the ultrasound machine for the purpose of acquiring moving images.
Cardiac catheterization is an imaging procedure of invasive nature, which is used to evaluate the function of the heart. It’s used to assess the burden of the valve and coronary artery disease, as well as determine the need for bypass surgery.
A final note
Your cardiovascular health should be your number one priority.
Consult a cardiologist whenever you experience symptoms that indicate a cardiovascular problem!