Conditions
Below you can learn about heart conditions and find answers to your heart health questions
There are many causes of chest pain. If your chest pain is due to a problem with your heart, you may experience pain while walking. This is called angina and is due to narrowing of arteries which restricts the blood flow to your heart. It’s usually felt in your chest, but people also feel the pain in their arm, neck, stomach, back or jaw.
There are various tests we can use to determine the cause of your angina and your doctor will be able to advise which at your initial consultation.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/angina
ENQUIREOver time, a fatty material called atheroma can build up inside your coronary arteries. This process is called atherosclerosis. Eventually, your arteries may become so narrow that they can’t get enough oxygen rich blood to your heart.
If a piece of atheroma breaks off, it can cause a blood clot to form. This clot can block your coronary artery and cut off the supply of blood and oxygen to your heart muscle. This is known as a heart attack.
If you’re diagnosed with atherosclerosis, there aren’t any treatments that can get rid of it. You’ll have it for the rest of your life. However, there are medicines and treatments that can slow down its progress, reduce your symptoms and improve your prognosis so you can continue to live your normal life.
Our team can work together to assess the severity of your condition and help you to decide on the best course of action to manage the condition and minimise its potential effects.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/coronary-heart-disease
ENQUIREHeart failure is a condition where your heart can’t pump blood around your body as well as it should. It doesn’t mean your heart has stopped working but you may need support to help it work better.
This can happen for various reasons, including damage to the heart muscle from a heart attack, high blood pressure, or other health conditions that put extra strain on the heart. When the heart is unable to pump efficiently, blood and fluid can back up into the lungs and other parts of the body, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet.
If you have had a heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes or you have a family history of heart problems you may be at risk of developing heart failure.
There are various tests your specialist doctor can use to determine the cause and severity of your condition and many options for treatments to improve both symptoms and your prognosis.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-failure#diag
ENQUIREA heart murmur is an extra, unusual sound in your heartbeat. Many heart murmurs are harmless, but they can be a sign of a problem with your heart. It may indicate a potential problem such as a narrowed or leaking heart valve. Heart murmurs can also occur if there has been a family history of heart problems, called congenital heart disease. You might need treatment to keep your heart healthy.
Most heart murmurs are thankfully benign and of no long-term consequence, but it is always advisable to get your heart assessed by a specialist if you have any concerns.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-murmurs
ENQUIREYour heart has four valves that control the flow of blood. One of them is the aortic valve, which is like a one-way door between the heart and the main artery (aorta) that carries blood to the rest of your body. In aortic stenosis, the aortic valve doesn’t open as wide as it should. It becomes stiff or narrowed, making it harder for blood to flow from the heart to the rest of the body. Since the valve doesn’t open properly, the heart has to work harder to pump blood through this narrowed valve. Over time, this extra effort can weaken the heart.
Aortic stenosis can be caused by aging, wear and tear on the valve, or other medical conditions that affect the heart valves. Treatment can involve medication to manage symptoms, but in severe cases, a doctor might recommend surgery to repair or replace the damaged valve.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-valve-disease
ENQUIREYour heart has four valves that act like doors to keep blood flowing in the right direction. One of these valves is the mitral valve, situated between the left atrium and the left ventricle. In mitral regurgitation, the mitral valve doesn’t close tightly after the heart pumps blood from the atrium to the ventricle. This allows some blood to flow backward into the atrium when it should be moving forward. This backward flow means that the heart has to pump more to make sure enough blood gets pumped out to the body. Over time, this extra effort can strain the heart.
Mitral regurgitation can be caused by different things, like aging, heart conditions, or infections. It’s essentially a problem with the valve not closing properly. Treatment might involve medications to manage symptoms. If it’s severe, a doctor may recommend surgery to repair or replace the mitral valve, helping the blood flow in the right direction.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-valve-disease
ENQUIREPalpitations feel like your heart is racing, pounding, fluttering or like you have missed heartbeats. Palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer. You may feel this in your chest, neck, or throat.
Palpitations can happen at any time, even if you are resting or doing normal activities. Although they can be unpleasant, palpitations are common and often harmless, but they may also be caused by a cardiac arrhythmia.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/palpitations
ENQUIREAn arrhythmia is a disturbance of the normal heart rhythm and can be accompanied by other symptoms such as chest pain or fainting. It can also be difficult to diagnose. Arrhythmias can be benign with the symptoms being a nuisance, or they can be more dangerous particularly if accompanied by fainting or blackout. It can also indicate a condition called atrial fibrillation.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/arrhythmias
ENQUIREAtrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disturbance. Although it is classified as an arrhythmia it is such a common heart rhythm problem it has been given a category of its own. You may already have been diagnosed as having atrial fibrillation perhaps by your GP through a routine health check. Alternatively, you may be getting palpitations with your heartbeat feeling very irregular with atrial fibrillation as a possible diagnosis.
Atrial fibrillation happens when the electrical impulses in your top two chambers (the atria) fire chaotically when they should be steady and regular, causing them to quiver or twitch (fibrillation). If this happens you might feel an irregular and sometimes fast, heartbeat or pulse. Some people say it feels like their heart is fluttering or racing.
Atrial fibrillation might come and go (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation), but sometimes it doesn’t go away at all. It’s not life-threatening on its own, but it’s considered serious because it could create blood clots in the heart that may lead to a stroke.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/atrial-fibrillation
ENQUIREHigh blood pressure (hypertension) is very common. Although it often comes without symptoms, knowing you have high blood pressure and controlling it appropriately could prevent life-threatening complications like heart attack and stroke.
High blood pressure is a serious condition. Your arteries are normally stretchy, so they can cope with your blood pressure going up and down. But with high blood pressure, your arteries lose their stretchiness, becoming stiff or narrow. This narrowing makes it easier for fatty material (atheroma) to build up.
You may already have been diagnosed with high blood pressure but find that despite taking a number of medications for it your measurements are still high. Sometimes persistently high blood pressure can be due to other causes such as problems with the kidneys, adrenal glands or aorta.
There are a number of tests that can be done to try and identify the cause of raised blood pressure and we are able to provide specialist help to manage and control the condition.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-blood-pressure
ENQUIREIf you have passed out without a clear reason on a number of occasions you may have a heart condition causing this. The commonest reason for someone passing out is a simple faint (also called a vaso-vagal syncope). However other heart conditions can also cause fainting. You may have a heart rate that becomes excessively slow, or excessively fast.
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