Heart disease kills more people than you might think. Statistics show that about 17.9 million people die from it every year. In the USA, it causes the death of one person every 34 seconds and claims about 600,000 lives every year.
If you experience even the slightest chest pain, abnormally fast or slow heart rate, shortness of breath, or fainting spells, it is vital to see a Cardiologist immediately. Delaying the appointment could result in serious health complications.
A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in treating various heart-related conditions and blood vessels. They help you prevent cardiovascular problems and provide crucial information regarding your health like weight, blood pressure, sugar levels, and cholesterol.
If you have never visited a heart specialist before, you should. Some experts suggest visiting them even if you don’t have any symptoms to be on the safer side.
But what are some of the conditions they treat and services they provide? And more importantly, how can you choose the right vascular specialist to treat your veins (two veins are responsible for supplying your heart with blood)? Find out.
Contents
Some types of cardiovascular diseases
These are a few conditions related to the cardiovascular system you should know about.
Arrhythmia
It refers to an irregular heartbeat and occurs due to the improper working of electric signals responsible for rhythmic heartbeats. When you have this problem, your heart beats faster or slower than usual.
Coronary artery disease
It is known as coronary artery disease when your artery’s walls are blocked because of plaque build-up. The blockage affects the blood flow to the heart, causing its partial or complete blockage. Chest pain, weakness, and shortness of breath are some of its symptoms.
Hypertension
It is a silent killer because, unlike other diseases, it does not exhibit any symptoms. It is caused by high blood pressure, which, when left untreated, causes stroke, kidney failure, eye damage, and pregnancy complications.
Valvular heart disease
Valvular heart disease is caused by damage to one of the four valves in the heart. Some of its signs are palpitations, fatigue, weakness, difficulty breathing, and lightheadedness. Endocarditis, rheumatic disease, atherosclerosis, lupus, and radiation exposure are reasons behind its occurrence.
Carotid Artery Disease
When fatty deposits (called plaques) stop the blood vessels from supplying blood to your brain, it’s called carotid artery disease. It usually causes a stroke in patients and is characterized by sudden dizziness, numbness, and trouble speaking and seeing.
Cholesterol disorders
Having too many lipids or fats in your blood causes cholesterol disorders. Another name for it is hyperlipidemia. Even though your body requires lipids to function, too much of it builds up in your arteries and forms fatty deposits by combining with other substances present in your blood. It causes stroke, diabetes, etc.
Services offered by a cardiologist
A heart surgeon will treat all the diseases mentioned above, including others that affect the heart. These are some of the services or ways they do it.
Echocardiogram
A transducer device produces a visual image of the heart to enable the specialist to look for abnormalities or existing problems. The entire procedure lasts between 10 to 30 minutes.
Nuclear Stress Test
A heart physician uses an imaging machine, and radioactive material called a tracer to watch pictures showing your blood flow. They might ask you to do some exercise to determine the heart’s ability to respond to external stress. Tests of this type usually take between two to four hours.
Loop recorder implantation
The doctor places a loop recorder (a type of heart monitoring device) below your chest to look for issues like palpitations, irregular heartbeats, chances of stroke in the future, and fainting spells.
Choosing a cardiovascular specialist
You could ask them about the services and tests they provide at their clinic. It would also help if they used minimal invasive technology to treat venous diseases, whether deep or superficial.
Visiting their website and reading their patients’ feedback will give you some idea of the reputation they enjoy with their patients.
You should see an experienced cardiologist at the first signs of discomfort in your heart. They will diagnose the problem, conduct the necessary tests and provide comprehensive cardiovascular care while providing valuable advice on leading a healthy life.
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