Cardiovascular surgeon
Our team, two professors and one specialist, working in the Cardiovascular Surgery department in our medical center, evaluates our patients who have previously undergone heart surgery and patients who need surgery for cardiovascular or valve problems, especially leg vein occlusions and varicose veins.
Your heart is a powerful pump made of muscles. It pumps approximately 1500 liters of blood into your body every day. In order for the heart muscle to perform its function fully and correctly, it needs to receive an appropriate amount of blood. Your heart receives the blood it needs from the heart vessels (coronary vessels). Cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease) occurs as a result of partial narrowing or even blockage of the heart vessels. As a result of the blockage, the heart cannot receive enough nutrition and is left without oxygen and nutrients. Therefore, it may not work as it should. As a result, chest pain called angina may occur. If one or more of the heart vessels is completely blocked, a heart attack may occur. A heart attack causes damage to the heart muscles.
What Causes Narrowing of Heart Vessels?
Heart vessels are like tubes through which blood can flow freely. The walls of the veins are composed of smooth muscle and have an elastic structure. The blood vessels in the heart gradually become fatty, starting from your youth. As you get older, fat accumulates and damages the vascular walls. Veins secrete some substances to heal themselves. Thus, the veins become thicker. Substances such as protein, calcium, and some cells in the blood come and stick to this area. These substances and fatty deposits form plaques. Plaques grow and narrow the vessels. This phenomenon is called atherosclerosis.
What are the symptoms of cardiovascular disease?
The most basic symptom is chest pain. Chest pain can be described in many different ways, such as feeling of pressure, aching, stinging, burning and discomfort. It may be confused with indigestion or heartburn. Pain is usually felt in the chest, but may radiate to the left shoulder, arms, neck, back and jaw.
Other findings:
– Shortness of breath,
– Excessive increase in heart rate,
– Sweating,
– Irregular heartbeats,
– Fatigue or dizziness,
– Feeling of vomiting.
– What Does Treatment Include?
– Correction of risk factors,
– Diet and proper nutrition,
– Exercise training,
– Drug use,
– Revascularization and surgical methods.
What are the Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease?
There are some non-modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
These are: age, gender, family history (anyone in the family had this disease before the age of 50-55)
Modifiable risk factors are increased blood fat levels (for example, high cholesterol), high blood pressure (hypertension), smoking, eating fatty foods, obesity, very low activity level, excessive alcohol consumption and stress.
– Smoking doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease. Passive smoking also has the same effect.
– Obesity increases the risk of disease (especially if fat is concentrated in the abdominal area).
– The presence of obesity can be evaluated according to body mass index.
Body mass index = weight (kg) / [height (m2 )] If the body mass index is 25–29.9 kg/m2, it is considered overweight, and if it is 30 kg/m2, it is considered obese.
• High blood lipids and excessive alcohol consumption are also very important risk factors.
• Nutritional disorders: Not consuming fibrous foods and not taking vitamins C and E increases the risk.