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If you know what causes heart disease, it would be easier to understand how to prevent it or at least reduce the possibility of suffering from it. For women, this includes being aware that menopause causes the female population to slowly catch up with the male population with regards to the risk of dying due to heart disease. What causes heart disease is an array of factors that are mostly avoidable if one desires to live a healthier life and these include hypercholesteremia, hypertension, diabetes, being overweight, stress, insufficient exercise, and smoking.

Knowing what causes heart attacks is also essential because heart disease in women is often misdiagnosed and undetected. While physicians have discovered that the indicators of heart attacks are similar for both men and women, men tend to be more accurate in describing what they are feeling.

Men usually describe the pain on the left part of the neck and the left arm and the feeling of a heavy weight on the chest. Thus, doctors immediately know they are suffering from a heart attack. On the other hand, women are often vague when describing the symptoms of a heart attack, often stating that they feel dizzy or nauseous or weak or they do not feel good. As a result, many heart attacks in women go unnoticed and therefore untreated.

Congenital heart disease is an inborn defect of the major blood vessels and the heart that results into an abnormal or obstructed flow of blood through the heart. This is one of the most prevalent congenital defects and it is also the top cause of deaths due to birth defects.

There are four major types of congenital heart disease and these are: obstruction defects; hypoplasia; cyanotic defects; and septal defects. In septal defects, blood may flow from the left part of the heart to the right part. Cyanotic defects are the result of insufficient oxygen in the body which is usually evident as bluish-gray skin. When the veins, arteries or heart valves are blocked or too narrow, there is an obstruction defect. Hypoplasia is the result of an underdeveloped left or right ventricle. These defects are quite different from the usual heart disease because they are inborn.

Coronary disease has been found to be the number one cause of death for women and not cancer. The number of women in the United States who succumb to stroke, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular diseases is almost double the number of women who die from all types of cancer. Many of the risk factors for heart attacks can be controlled such as obesity, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, too much stress, and smoking. Knowing what causes heart disease is therefore essential in the attempt to prevent it and thereby live a longer and healthier life.

Article Source: Ezine Article
URL: Knowing What Causes Heart Disease is an Important Step Towards Avoiding It

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