Your Heart Is in Great Hands

Your heart is your body’s engine. Any disease, abnormality or malfunction can leave you exhausted or even in serious danger. If you or your loved one live with a heart condition such as angina, coronary heart disease, hypertension, atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) or atherosclerosis, many treatment options are available. Palm Beach Health Network is nationally recognized for quality and offers innovative heart and vascular care that may help improve your well-being and quality of life, either through surgical or nonsurgical treatment.

Start taking control of your heart health today. Talk to a cardiologist in Palm Beach Health Network to learn more.

Why Take Care of Your Cardiovascular Health?

The heart pumps blood throughout your body and supplies oxygen and nutrients that other organs need to function properly. Sadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that one person dies from heart disease every 36 seconds in the United States, making it the leading cause of death in the country.  One of the best ways to protect your heart and keep it healthy is with regular heart screenings, scheduling an appointment with a cardiologist in Delray Beach, exercising regularly, consuming a heart-healthy diet and more.

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease is an umbrella term that refers to various types of heart conditions such as the following:

• Arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat
• Atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries
• Cardiomyopathy or the hardening or weakening of the heart’s muscles
• Congenital heart defects or heart irregularities that are present at birth
• Coronary heart disease (CAD) or ischemic heart disease
• Heart attack
• Heart infections

What Causes Heart Disease and What Are Its Risk Factors?

The cause of heart disease may vary depending on the specific type of condition. For instance, a person may suffer from coronary heart disease due to a plaque buildup in the wall of the arteries, while a heart infection may be caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses. On the other hand, a person who has or experiences the following risk factors are more prone to suffer from heart disease:

• Overweight
• Clinical depression
• Unhealthy diet
• Excessive alcohol use
• Excessive stress
• Family history of heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Insulin resistance or diabetes
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking

What Are the Symptoms of Heart Disease?

Heart disease may remain silent for some time which is why we recommend regular heart screenings for early detection and prevention. Also, you may not know that you have a heart disease unless you experience its symptoms such as follows:

• AnxietyBack pain
• Chest pain
• Cold sweats
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Jaw pain
• Nausea
• Palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Vomiting

Please see a cardiologist in Palm Beach as soon as you experience any symptom of a heart condition to keep it from getting worse and causing complications to other parts of the body.

How Does a Heart Doctor Diagnose Heart Disease?

To determine if your symptoms are caused by heart disease, our Florida cardiovascular specialists may conduct an initial risk assessment that involves a physical exam, checking your blood pressure, doing a blood test and asking about your medical and family health history. If your results lean toward a heart condition, your cardiologist may also request one or more of the following tests:

• Computerized tomography (CT) scans
• Coronary angiography
• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Exercise stress test
• Further blood tests
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
• Radionuclide tests

What Are the Treatment Options for Heart Disease?

Our Palm Beach Health Network cardiologists may recommend various treatment options based on your specific condition which include any of the following:

• Lifestyle changes (i.e., regularly exercising, eating healthier, avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption, etc.)
• Prescription medicines (i.e., blood thinners, statins, nitrates, diuretics, etc.)
• Heart surgery and procedures (i.e., angioplasty, heart bypass, heart transplant, etc.)

Choose the Experts With a Heart

At Palm Beach Health Network, we have surgeons, cardiology specialists, nurses, imaging specialists and staff who are committed to providing safe heart and vascular care, close to home. With routine screenings, stress tests, heart surgery and cardiac rehabilitation, our goal is to help our patients improve their heart health and live the rest of their lives to the fullest.