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The heart is situated within the chest cavity and surrounded by a fluid-filled sac called the pericardium. This amazing muscle produces electrical impulses that cause the heart to contract, pumping blood throughout the body. The human heart is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes. A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, happens when a part of the heart muscle doesn’t get enough blood. The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart muscle. HEART&SLASH; is a fast paced brawler with roguelike elements, inspired in equal parts by Bayonetta, Megaman and ADOM. It is also a throwback to our earlier years as gamers, when playing games was all joy. Started as a personal part-time project (you can follow the development process here), Heart&Slash; has grown into something bigger than initially intended.

H eart&Slash Download NOW for PC, is a brawler in the purest 3D dungeon style, which tells the love story between robots, set in a world where machines are the last redoubt of human civilization. In Heart&Slash you play as Heart, a robot with feelings that struggles to escape the clutches of the evil and ubiquitous QUASSY quality control system.

Elena keeps an eye on her husband Frank to make sure he is taking care of his heart. But, she was surprised at a recent medical appointment when Dr. Reyes asked about her own family's history of heart disease. When Dr. Reyes heard that Elena's mother had died at age 58 after a heart attack, she told Elena that she, too, should be following a heart-healthy lifestyle. She said older women, as well as older men, can have heart problems. So now, Elena and Frank are both taking steps toward heart health.

How Does the Heart Work?

Your heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood to your body. A normal, healthy adult heart is about the size of your clenched fist. Just like an engine makes a car go, the heart keeps your body running. The heart has two sides, each with a top chamber (atrium) and a bottom chamber (ventricle). The right side pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side receives blood rich with oxygen from the lungs and pumps it through arteries throughout the body. An electrical system in the heart controls the heart rate (heartbeat or pulse) and coordinates the contraction of the heart's top and bottom chambers.

How Your Heart Changes with Age

People age 65 and older are much more likely than younger people to suffer a heart attack, to have a stroke, or to develop coronary heart disease (commonly called heart disease) and heart failure. Heart disease is also a major cause of disability, limiting the activity and eroding the quality of life of millions of older people.

Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels. For example, as you get older, your heart can't beat as fast during physical activity or times of stress as it did when you were younger. However, the number of heartbeats per minute (heart rate) at rest does not change significantly with normal aging.

Changes that happen with age may increase a person's risk of heart disease. A major cause of heart disease is the buildup of fatty deposits in the walls of arteries over many years. The good news is there are things you can do to delay, lower, or possibly avoid or reverse your risk.

Look up the definitions of unfamiliar heart health terms in the Heart Health Glossary.

The most common aging change is increased stiffness of the large arteries, called arteriosclerosis (ahr-teer-ee-o-skluh-roh-sis), or hardening of the arteries. This causes high blood pressure, or hypertension, which becomes more common as we age.

High blood pressure and other risk factors, including advancing age, increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis (ath-uh-roh-skluh-roh-sis). Because there are several modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis, it is not necessarily a normal part of aging. Plaque builds up inside the walls of your arteries and, over time, hardens and narrows your arteries, which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. Oxygen and blood nutrients are supplied to the heart muscle through the coronary arteries. Heart disease develops when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, reducing blood flow to your heart muscle. Over time, the heart muscle can become weakened and/or damaged, resulting in heart failure. Heart damage can be caused by heart attacks, long-standing hypertension and diabetes, and chronic heavy alcohol use.

As you get older, it's important for you to have your blood pressure checked regularly, even if you are healthy. This is because aging changes in your arteries can lead to hypertension. You may feel fine but, if not treated, high blood pressure could lead to stroke and problems with your heart, eyes, brain, and kidneys. To manage high blood pressure, exercise, dietary changes, and reducing your salt intake can help, but as aging changes in the arteries often cause high blood pressure in older age, medication is often necessary. It is not uncommon to need more than one medication to control your blood pressure.

Age can cause other changes to the heart. For example:

• There are age-related changes in the electrical system that can lead to arrhythmias—a rapid, slowed, or irregular heartbeat—and/or the need for a pacemaker. Valves—the one-way, door-like parts that open and close to control blood flow between the chambers of your heart—may become thicker and stiffer. Stiffer valves can limit the flow of blood out of the heart and become leaky, both of which can cause fluid to build up in the lungs or in the body (legs, feet, and abdomen).
• The chambers of your heart may increase in size. The heart wall thickens, so the amount of blood that a chamber can hold may decrease despite the increased overall heart size. The heart may fill more slowly. Long-standing hypertension is the main cause of increased thickness of the heart wall, which can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm problem in older people.
• With increasing age, people become more sensitive to salt, which may cause an increase in blood pressure and/or ankle or foot swelling (edema).

Other factors, such as thyroid disease or chemotherapy, may also weaken the heart muscle. Things you can't control, like your family history, might increase your risk of heart disease. But, leading a heart-healthy lifestyle might help you avoid or delay serious illness.

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis (ath-uh-roh-skluh-roh-sis), which is the buildup of fatty deposits, or plaques, in the walls of the coronary arteries over many years. The coronary arteries surround the outside of the heart and supply blood nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle. When plaque builds up inside the arteries, there is less space for blood to flow normally and deliver oxygen to the heart. If the flow of blood to your heart is reduced by plaque buildup or is blocked if a plaque suddenly ruptures, it can cause angina (chest pain or discomfort) or a heart attack. When the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen and blood nutrients, the heart muscle cells will die (heart attack) and weaken the heart, diminishing its ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.

Find out more about heart attacks.

Signs of Heart Disease

Early heart disease often doesn't have symptoms or the symptoms may be barely noticeable. That's why regular checkups with your doctor are important.

Contact your doctor right away if you feel any chest pain, pressure, or discomfort. However, chest pain is a less common sign of heart disease as it progresses, so be aware of other symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have:

• Pain, numbness, and/or tingling in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back
• Shortness of breath when active, at rest, or while lying flat
• Chest pain during physical activity that gets better when you rest
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Headaches
• Cold sweats
• Nausea/vomiting
• Tiredness or fatigue
• Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, stomach, and/or neck
• Reduced ability to exercise or be physically active
• Problems doing your normal activities

Problems with arrhythmia are much more common in older adults than younger people. Arrhythmia needs to be treated. See a doctor if you feel a fluttering in your chest or have the feeling that your heart is skipping a beat or beating too hard, especially if you are weaker than usual, dizzy, tired, or get short of breath when active.

If you have any signs of heart disease, your doctor may send you to a cardiologist, a doctor who specializes in the heart.

Your doctor will check your blood pressure and do a fasting blood test to check your cholesterol, a type of fatty substance that can contribute to plaques in your arteries. He or she might also do a blood test to check the levels of proteins that are markers of inflammation in the body and suggest you have an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This test looks at electrical activity in your heart. A chest x-ray will show whether your heart is enlarged or your lungs have fluid in them; both can be signs of heart failure. The doctor might do a blood test for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a hormone that increases in heart failure. If the cardiologist needs to determine your heart or valve function, he or she may order an echocardiogram, a painless test which uses sound waves to produce images of your heart in motion.

To learn more about heart disease, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

What Can I Do to Prevent Heart Disease?

There are many steps you can take to keep your heart healthy. Blasphemous download.

Try to be more physically active.Talk with your doctor about the type of activities that would be best for you. If possible, aim to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Every day is best. It doesn't have to be done all at once.

Start by doing activities you enjoy—brisk walking, dancing, bowling, bicycling, or gardening, for example. Avoid spending hours every day sitting.

If you smoke, quit.Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Smoking adds to the damage to artery walls. It's never too late to get some benefit from quitting smoking. Quitting, even in later life, can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer over time.

Follow a heart-healthy diet. Choose foods that are low in trans and saturated fats, added sugars, and salt. As we get older, we become more sensitive to salt, which can cause swelling in the legs and feet. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and foods high in fiber, like those made from whole grains. Get more information on healthy eating from NIA. You also can find information on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Patterns.

Keep a healthy weight. Balancing the calories you eat and drink with the calories burned by being physically active helps to maintain a healthy weight. Some ways you can maintain a healthy weight include limiting portion size and being physically active. Learn more about how to maintain a healthy weight from NIA.

Keep your diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or high cholesterol under control. Bronze age - hd edition. Follow your doctor's advice to manage these conditions, and take medications as directed.

High blood cholesterol levels can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries. Your doctor can check the level of cholesterol in your blood with a blood test. You must be fasting overnight or for 8 hours before this blood test. This will tell you your overall or total cholesterol level as well as LDL ('bad' cholesterol), HDL ('healthy' cholesterol), and triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood that puts you at risk for heart problems).

Don't drink a lot of alcohol. Men should not have more than two drinks a day and women only one. One drink is equal to:

• One 12-ounce can or bottle of regular beer, ale, or wine cooler
• One 8- or 9-ounce can or bottle of malt liquor
• One 5-ounce glass of red or white wine
• One 1.5-ounce shot glass of distilled spirits like gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or whiskey

Manage stress. Learn how to manage stress, relax, and cope with problems to improve physical and emotional health. Consider activities such as a stress management program, meditation, physical activity, and talking things out with friends or family. To learn more about stress management techniques, visit the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Ask your doctor questions to learn more about your risk for heart disease and what to do about it. Learn what you can do if you are at increased risk or already have a heart problem.

1. What is my risk for heart disease?
2. What is my blood pressure?
3. What are my cholesterol numbers? (These include total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.) Make sure your doctor has checked a fasting blood sample to determine your cholesterol levels.
4. Do I need to lose weight for my health?
5. What is my blood sugar level, and does it mean that I'm at risk for diabetes?
6. What other screening tests do I need to tell me if I'm at risk for heart disease and how to lower my risk?
7. What can you do to help me quit smoking?
8. How much physical activity do I need to help protect my heart?
9. What's a heart-healthy eating plan for me?
10. How can I tell if I'm having a heart attack? If I think I'm having one, what should I do?

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

To learn more about making heart-healthy lifestyle changes, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The Future of Research on Aging and the Heart

Adults age 65 and older are more likely than younger people to suffer from cardiovascular disease, which is problems with the heart, blood vessels, or both. Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels that may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

To understand how aging is linked to cardiovascular disease so that we can ultimately develop cures for this group of diseases, we need to first understand what is happening in the healthy but aging heart and blood vessels. This understanding has advanced dramatically in the past 30 years.

Learn more about The Heart Truth®, a national heart disease awareness campaign for women from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Today, more than ever, scientists understand what causes your blood vessels and heart to age and how your aging cardiovascular system leads to cardiovascular disease. In addition, they have pinpointed risk factors that increase the odds a person will develop cardiovascular disease. They are learning much more about how physical activity, diet, and other lifestyle factors influence the 'rate of aging' in the healthy heart and arteries. The aging of other organ systems, including the muscles, kidneys, and lungs, also likely contributes to heart disease. Research is ongoing to unravel how these aging systems influence each other, which may reveal new targets for treatments.

In the future, interventions or treatments that slow accelerated aging of the heart and arteries in young and middle-aged people who seem to be healthy could prevent or delay the onset of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disorders in later life. Some interventions that we already know slow the rate of aging in the heart and arteries include healthy eating, exercise, reducing stress, and quitting smoking. The more we understand the changes that take place in cells and molecules during aging, for example, the closer we get to the possibility of designing drugs that target those changes. Gene therapies can also target specific cellular changes and could potentially be a way to intervene in the aging process. While waiting for these new therapies to be developed, you can still enjoy activities, like exercise and a healthy diet, that can benefit your heart.

Read about this topic in Spanish. Lea sobre este tema en español.

For More Information About Heart Health

American Heart Association
800-242-8721 (toll-free)
inquiries@heart.org
www.heart.org

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
301-592-8573
nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov
www.nhlbi.nih.gov

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
800-860-8747 (toll-free)
866-569-1162 (TTY/toll-free)
healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov
www.niddk.nih.gov

MedlinePlus
National Library of Medicine
www.medlineplus.gov

Smokefree60+
National Cancer Institute
877-448-7848
(877-44U-QUIT/toll-free)
cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov
www.60plus.smokefree.gov

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and up to date.

Content reviewed: June 01, 2018

• Signs & Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Resources & Support

Signs & SymptomsHeart & Vascular

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart fails to function properly. The terms 'heart failure' and 'congestive heart failure (CHF)' don't mean that the heart has actually 'failed' or stopped but mean one or more chambers of the heart 'fail' to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through them.

Heart failure is brought on by a variety of underlying diseases and health problems.

Heart Radio

Your condition may involve the left side, the right side or both sides of the heart. Each side has two chambers:

• An atrium or upper chamber
• A ventricle or lower chamber

Any one of these four chambers may not be able to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through it.

Two types of heart dysfunction can lead to heart failure, including:

• Systolic Heart Failure This is the most common cause of heart failure and occurs when the heart is weak and enlarged. The muscle of the left ventricle loses some of its ability to contract or shorten. In turn, it may not have the muscle power to pump the amount of oxygenated and nutrient-filled blood the body needs.
• Diastolic Failure The muscle becomes stiff and loses some of its ability to relax. As a result, the affected chamber has trouble filling with blood during the rest period that occurs between each heartbeat. Often the walls of the heart thicken, and the size of the left chamber may be normal or reduced.

Heart Attack Symptoms

The left side of the heart is crucial for normal heart function and is usually where heart failure begins. Earth 2160 download free. The left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it into the left ventricle, the heart's largest and strongest pump, which is responsible for supplying blood to the body.

After it has circulated through the body, blood returns to the right atrium and then travels to the right ventricle, which pumps it into the lungs to be replenished with oxygen. When the right side loses pumping power, blood can back up in the veins attempting to return blood to the heart.

Right heart failure may occur alone but is usually a result of left-sided failure. When the left ventricle fails, fluid backs up in the lungs. In turn, pressure from excess fluid can damage the heart's right side as it works to pump blood into the lungs.

Heart failure usually is a chronic, or long-term, condition that gradually gets worse. By the time most people notice and see a doctor about their symptoms, the heart has been 'failing,' little by little, for a long time.

Heart&slash Full Game Download

This is a good reason to have regular health checkups. During a routine physical examination, your doctor may detect signs of heart failure long before you experience symptoms. Heart failure rarely occurs suddenly except after a major heart attack, severe heart valve problem or period of seriously high blood pressure.

Symptoms

People who experience any of the symptoms associated with heart failure, even if they are mild, should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Once a person is diagnosed, it's important to keep track of symptoms and report any sudden changes.

Typical signs of heart failure include:

• Breathlessness or Shortness of Breath (Dyspnea) When the heart begins to fail, blood backs up in the veins attempting to carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. As fluid pools in the lungs, it interferes with normal breathing. In turn, you may experience breathlessness during exercise or other activities. As the condition worsens, shortness of breath may occur when at rest or asleep. These periods of breathlessness may leave you feeling exhausted and anxious.
• Fatigue As heart failure becomes more severe, the heart is unable to pump the amount of blood required to meet all of the body's needs. To compensate, blood is diverted away from less-crucial areas, including the arms and legs, to supply the heart and brain. As a result, people with heart failure often feel weak (especially in their arms and legs), tired and have difficulty performing ordinary activities such as walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
• Chronic Cough or Wheezing The fluid buildup in the lungs may result in a persistent cough or wheezing, that may produce phlegm (a thick, mucous-like substance) that may be tinged with blood.
• Rapid or Irregular Heartbeat The heart may speed up to compensate for its failing ability to adequately pump blood throughout the body. Patients may feel a fluttering in the heart (palpitations) or a heartbeat that seems irregular or out of rhythm. This often is described as a pounding or racing sensation in the chest.
• Lack of Appetite or Nausea When the liver and digestive system become congested they fail to receive a normal supply of blood. This can make you feel nauseous or full, even if you haven't eaten.
• Mental Confusion or Impaired Thinking Abnormal levels of certain substances, such as sodium, in the blood and reduced blood flow to the brain can cause memory loss or disorientation, which you may or may not be aware of.
• Fluid Buildup and Swelling Because blood flow to the kidneys is restricted, the kidneys produce hormones that lead to salt and water retention. This causes swelling, also called edema, that occurs most often in the feet, ankles and legs.
• Rapid Weight Gain The fluid build-up throughout the body, may cause you to gain weight quickly.

These symptoms occur as the heart loses strength and the ability to pumped blood throughout the body. In turn, blood can back up and cause 'congestion' in other body tissues, which is why heart failure sometimes is called 'congestive.' In addition, excess fluid may pool in the failing portion of the heart and the lungs.

American Heart Association

At the same time, the heart as well as other parts of the body attempt to adapt and make up for the deteriorating pumping ability. For example:

Heart Symbol

• Heart Grows Larger The muscle mass of the heart grows in an attempt to increase its pumping power, which works for a while. The heart chambers also enlarge and stretch so they can hold a larger volume of blood. As the heart expands, the cells controlling its contractions also grow.
• Heart Pumps Faster In an attempt to circulate more blood throughout the body, the heart speeds up.
• Blood Vessels Narrow As less blood flows through the arteries and veins, blood pressure can drop to dangerously low levels. To compensate, the blood vessels become narrower, which keeps blood pressure higher, even as the heart loses power.
• Blood Flow Is Diverted When the blood supply is no longer able to meet all of the body's needs, it is diverted away from less-crucial areas, such as the arms and legs, and given to the organs that are most important for survival, including the heart and brain. In turn, physical activity becomes more difficult as heart failure progresses.

Although the body's ability to compensate for the failing heart initially is beneficial, in the long run these adaptations contribute to the most serious cases of heart failure. For example:

• An enlarged heart eventually doesn't function as well as a normal heart, and the extra muscle mass adds stress to the entire cardiovascular system.
• The organ systems from which blood has been diverted may eventually deteriorate because of an inadequate supply of oxygen.
• Narrowing of the blood vessels limits the blood supply and can contribute to conditions such as stroke, heart disease and clogged or blocked blood vessels in the legs and other parts of the body.
• Pumping blood too fast for too long can damage the heart muscle and interfere with its normal electrical signals, which can result in a dangerous heart rhythm disorder.

Eventually, the heart and body are unable to keep up with the added stress. If patients wait until they experience obvious symptoms of heart failure before seeing a doctor, the condition already may be life-threatening. If you experience any of these symptoms, consult your doctor as soon as possible.

UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.