Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., it’s important to protect yourself – but what causes heart disease?
When you hear the term “heart disease”, it generally describes a whole range of conditions affecting the heart. Some of these conditions include blood vessel disease, heart rhythm problems, heart defects, heart valve disease, heart infection, and more.
Fortunately, many of these conditions can either be prevented or treated when you make healthy changes in your life. The following are different causes of heart disease and how they affect your health.
1. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
The most common cause of coronary artery disease is a buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries, causing atherosclerosis. Lifestyle habits that can lead to atherosclerosis include having a poor diet, a lack of exercise, smoking, and being overweight.
2. Heart Arrhythmia
Some common causes of arrhythmias include CAD, diabetes, drug abuse, excessive alcohol use, excessive caffeine use, and congenital heart defects. In addition, having high blood pressure, smoking, stress, valvular heart disease, and some medications and supplements may also cause arrhythmias.
3. Congenital Heart Defects
These usually develop while the baby is in the womb and may be due to medical conditions, medications, and genetics. However, congenital heart defects can also develop in adults, since your heart’s structure can change as you age.
4. Cardiomyopathy
There are three different types of cardiomyopathy: dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and restrictive cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common type and the cause is often unknown. It may result from damage after a heart attack, certain drugs, genetics, or infections.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is generally inherited but can also develop over time due to high blood pressure and aging. Finally, restrictive cardiomyopathy is the least common and can occur for no known reason. It may also be a result of certain disorders or abnormal protein buildup.
5. Heart Infection
Endocarditis and other heart infections are caused when germs reach the heart muscle. In fact, the most common causes of heart infections include bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
6. Valvular Heart Disease
Individuals may be born with valvular disease or their valves may be damaged by certain conditions. These conditions include rheumatic fever, infections, and connective tissue disorders.
The Outlook
While we use the term “heart disease” broadly, it actually refers to a variety of diseases that can affect you. However, for a lot of these, leading a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
In addition to exercising regularly and eating healthily, you can give yourself an extra boost by taking L-arginine Plus. It contains effective ingredients that promote your circulation, blood pressure, cholesterol, and more.
Give your heart health the support it deserves by preventing heart disease and taking L-arginine Plus.