Heart diseases are the most common cause of illness and death today. Although its frequency increases with age, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, fat in the waist region, and sedentary life are the most important risk factors. Its frequency increases with the increase in risk factors. As a result of risk factors, it appears as a sudden heart attack or as an advanced atherosclerotic disease with age. Istanbul Okan University Hospital Cardiology Specialist Dr. Instructor Its member, Ceyhan Türkkan, talked about how diseases in the heart show symptoms on the skin.
Atherosclerosis, in the simplest terms, is the accumulation of fat on the vessel wall and is a progressive disease in which many factors such as genetics, nutrition and movement play a role. Atherosclerosis affects all the vessels in the body, primarily the brain vessels, leg vessels, kidney and intestinal vessels, together with the heart vessels. The order of priority also differs from person to person. Diseases affecting the heart muscle or heart valves other than the vessels may also appear as heart failure or rhythm disorders.
All these diseases can sometimes give us visibly clues. Recognizing these can enable us to diagnose early, reduce risk factors, and slow or stop the course of the disease. So what are they?
1. Fat deposits around the eyes: In the presence of high cholesterol, some people may have irregularly circumscribed, yellowish-colored fat deposits around the eyes, which is associated with atherosclerosis and increased risk of heart attack.
2. Fat belly: Weight gained from the belly is associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and an increased risk of heart attack in everyone.
3. Post-meal abdominal pain: Abdominal pain that develops after meals, regardless of the weight of the person, continues for a while and then passes, may be a symptom of atherosclerosis disease.
4. Swelling in the legs and feet: Swelling that develops in both legs, leaves scars when pressed, stretches the skin, and sometimes causes itching, can be a sign of heart failure, being unilateral is usually seen in venous diseases.
- Hair loss: Although the mechanism of baldness that occurs at an early age is not clear, it may be the result of the insufficiency of the thin vein feeding the hair follicles, which may be a symptom of general vascular disease.
- Reduction in leg hair: Stenosis and blockage in the leg veins as a result of atherosclerosis can cause a decrease in blood flow to the legs and loss of leg hair, it is usually accompanied by leg pain with walking.
- Redness on the cheeks: It is missed in heart valve diseases, especially mitral valve stenosis and indicates that the disease may have progressed.
- Bruising on the lips: Bruising on the lips can be seen as a result of the mixing of dirty and clean blood, which is seen especially in congenital heart diseases, increases with crying in infancy, becomes evident as a result of effort in later ages.
- Decreased sexual functions: Erectile dysfunction can be a symptom of vascular disease as a result of atherosclerosis, it is closely related to smoking.
- Prominent or irregular heartbeat: It can be seen in heart rhythm disorders, with heart valve diseases or as a result of high blood pressure. The risk of stroke increases with age.
Source: (BHA) – Beyaz News Agency
