Around the heart

Angina pectoris is a chest tightness with a feeling of tightness and pain in the middle chest area that occurs in coronary heart disease and can lead to a heart attack, arrhythmia or heart failure. Angina pectoris can be treated with medication, surgery and/or changes to a healthy lifestyle.

Coronary heart disease is a narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which is usually the result of long-term vascular disease (arteriosclerosis) and can lead to angina pectoris, a heart attack or even cardiovascular arrest. A healthy lifestyle, drug treatment and/or catheter intervention are treatment options.

Heart valves ensure the correct direction of blood flow. If one of the four heart valves (aortic, pulmonary, mitral, tricuspid) is narrowed or leaking, this is known as stenosis or insufficiency and can lead to severe strain on the heart and other organs. Diseases of the heart valves can either be congenital or caused by age, inflammation or radiotherapy (radiation). In rare cases, there are other causes, such as medication. A diseased heart valve can be treated by surgery or percutaneous intervention.

Heart failure refers to a cardiac insufficiency in which the heart's pumping capacity is impaired. It occurs as a result of various cardiovascular diseases and can reduce the performance of the entire body. Treatment with medication alleviates the symptoms, slows down the progression of the disease, improves quality of life and increases longevity.

Arrhythmias are cardiac arrhythmias and therefore heartbeats that are too fast, too slow or irregular. Common cardiac arrhythmias are extrasystoles (extra beats) and atrial fibrillation. The causes of arrhythmias are varied and include high blood pressure, obesity, alcohol consumption and snoring. Arrhythmias can be treated with medication; in some cases, cardioversion (electric shock), catheter ablation or pacemaker/defibrillator implantation is necessary.

Congenital heart defects can be diagnosed during pregnancy, in newborns or in adults. Not all heart defects need to be corrected surgically. In some cases, it is sufficient to observe these patients. Percutaneous interventions using so-called umbrellas or balloons/stents can also be used to treat many conditions. This can improve quality of life and alleviate symptoms. Regular cardiac check-ups are recommended with or without surgery or cardiac catheterization.

Inflammations and infections of the heart are called endocarditis (inner heart wall), myocarditis (heart muscle) or pericarditis (pericardium), depending on the part of the heart affected. The inflammation is caused by microorganisms (bacteria/viruses), but can also be immunological. Heart inflammation can have serious or even life-threatening consequences. A certain degree of prevention, for example through good dental hygiene, is therefore essential. Treatment options vary depending on the degree of infection and inflammation. In rare cases, inflammation can lead to sarcoidosis or so-called marrantic heart valve disease.

A considerable part of the risk of cardiovascular disease is due to hereditary factors. Hereditary heart diseases include heart muscle diseases (thick heart muscle, i.e. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), diseases of the aorta (artery), cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, coronary heart disease and lipid metabolism disorders. The time of onset of the first symptoms as well as their type and severity can vary depending on genetics. Depending on the genetic findings, a disease can also be ruled out or relatives with an increased risk can be identified.

The aim of preventive cardiology is the best possible prevention of heart attacks and other heart diseases. It involves controlling and positively influencing cardiovascular risk factors, i.e. factors that can lead to or have already led to a heart attack or other heart disease. The risk factors that can best be influenced include lipometabolic disorders such as hypercholesterolemia or elevated lipoprotein, smoking, stress, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes mellitus, lack of exercise, sleep apnea syndrome and an unhealthy diet.

Sports medicine in the field of cardiology deals with cardiological issues in connection with sport and exercise. The focus is on influencing the cardiovascular system with the help of exercise and sporting activities. In the case of health restrictions and existing risks, especially for competitive athletes, the possible scope of sporting activities must be defined. Personal fitness is therefore determined in detail with appropriate examinations and check-ups.

Heart disease is often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all, especially in women. The symptoms of a heart attack, for example, differ significantly between women and men. There is often too little knowledge about how a heart attack announces itself in women, which means that it is often recognized too late. All too often, this leads to serious consequences for women. Preventive measures and education are therefore a fundamental aspect of modern medicine.

Connective tissue refers to various tissues that surround and connect all the organs, muscles, tendons and other parts of our body. From a cardiac point of view, diseases of the connective tissue can cause enlargement of the aorta (aortic aneurysm), leakage of the heart valves (mitral valve prolapse) and/or a tendency to circulatory instability (dizziness on standing, POTS syndrome). Monitoring of the aorta and heart valves using ultrasound examinations and further investigations (genetics, orthopaedics, rheumatology, etc.) and consultations are therefore of great importance.