An inflammatory heart disease involves inflammation of the heart muscle or the tissue surrounding it. There are several types of heart diseases such as hypertension, alvular heart disease, ischaemic heart disease, etc. They are classified into myocarditis, pericarditis or endocarditis depending on the layer of tissue where the inflammation has occurred. When there is an infection in the body, automatically antibodies are produced to fight them. But in some cases the antibiotics start attacking the tissue within the body, for example the heart, this leads to an inflammation. If not treated on time, it may result in complications and permanent damage to the heart. In certain rare cases even death.
The following are the types of inflammatory heart disease –
1. Enocarditis – is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart or the heart valves
2. Pericarditis – is an inflammation of the pericardium which is the sac surrounding the heart.
3. Myocarditis – is an inflammation of the muscular part of the heart.
Causes –
The major causes of heart diseases are smoking, excessive drinking, obesity, less or no physical activities and excessive stress. Inflammation of the heart is also a common occurrence in rheumatic fever and Kawasaki disease.
Symptoms –
Here are some of the common symptoms of this disease –
1. The primary symptoms include chest pain and discomfort in the chest area.
2. Other symptoms include dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, swelling of feel and fatigue.
If you have any of these symptoms individually or together, it is best if you go to a doctor and get yourself fully checked. It is also important to have all the tests done to determine exactly what kind of a heart related condition you have, and how to get it treated. As seen above the symptoms are not always clear but should be kept in mind always.
Precautions –
It is good to have regular check ups if anyone in your family has heart related problems. If you are diagnosed with a heart condition the doctor will advice you to have a healthy diet, exercise regularly and quit smoking and drinking.
Treatment –
Inflammation of the heart can be treated with the help of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. All kinds of treatment methods need to be discussed with the doctor physician. If the medication does not show the needed changes, and if the condition has become severe, surgery is also performed. With the advanced technology surgeries today are minimally invasive and require a short recovery period.
An inflammatory heart disease involves inflammation of the heart muscle or the tissue surrounding it. There are several types of heart diseases such as hypertension, alvular heart disease, ischaemic heart disease, etc.