If you suffer from this disease, your body may turn bluish in colour. In these conditions, less red oxygenated blood comes from the lungs resulting more un-oxygenated bluish   blood is carried to the body, causing skin colour blue.  Usually, these conditions are detected early in childhood and corrective intervention is surgery. 

 

 At the exit of a heart chamber, you have a structure called “heart valve”. It consists of two or three cup shaped flaps.  In a healthy   heart, heart valve allows blood to flow out of the chamber and prevents it from washing back. We have four heart valves: aortic, pulmonary, mitral, and tricuspid. Doctor can hear opening and closing of the heart valves with a stethoscope. 

 

Sometimes heart valves may be too narrowed (stenosis) or be leaking (incompetence). In narrowing of the value, the heart has to work harder to pump blood. The leakiness makes the valve unable to prevent backwash of blood. A doctor can detect these conditions by listening to the swishing sounds known as murmurs with a stethoscope. Some conditions may be present from birth, while others we get throughout our lives.

 

One such condition develop in childhood is rheumatic heart disease occurring after rheumatic fever.  Rheumatic fever is an infection resulting from bacteria called streptococcus.  This bacterial infection leads sore throat.  A few days or weeks after sore throat, you may get swollen joints or skin rash with fever. The knees, ankles, elbows, and wrists are the joints most likely to become affected. If you get repeated episodes of sore throat due to rheumatic fever, you can be susceptible to get rheumatic heart disease due to permanent damage to heart valves. In rheumatic heart disease, all four valves may get affected but most commonly affected is mitral valve that leads to narrowing of the mitral valve (Mitral Stenosis) or a leakage from the blocked valve, Mitral Regurgitation. 

 

 

The mitral valve has two leaflets and in the case of this diseased condition, these two cusps will have an abnormal movement producing a sound which can be detected by the stethoscope. This is called as mitral valve prolapse. Severity of the condition may vary. Sometimes this condition is harmless.

 

 3.HOLE IN THE HEART 

 

The heart has four chambers. Two upper filling chambers are atria. The two lower pumping chambers are the ventricles. Blood that returns from the body to the right chambers are low in oxygen. Blood rich in oxygen is in the left chambers as oxygenated blood from lungs comes to left upper chamber. It is then pumped throughout the body from left lower chamber. Thin-shared walls called the atrial and ventricular septum, separate the right and left filling chambers.  Sometimes from birth, we may have holes in these walls. A doctor can detect hole in the heart by listening to the swishing sound known as murmur resulting from abnormal blood flowing in the heart with the stethoscope. Though some holes close with time in childhood, doctor will decide on need of surgery and further treatment.

 

 

Normally, heart beats in a consistent pattern. Sometimes, an electrical "short circuit" in the heart, results abnormal heart beats. Then heart beats too slowly, too quickly or irregularly. This is called arrhythmia.  It leads to inconsistencies in pumping to brain and rest of the body and you may feel fatigue, dizziness, palpitations (a feeling of fluttering or pounding in the chest), fainting and chest pain. Arrhythmias may be either temporary or permanent. They can be caused by several things or without any reason. Sometimes it can be congenital, meaning a person is born with the condition. This condition also can occur if you consume colas, caffeinated drinks, illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and on certain medication for asthma with thyroid problems. 

 

 

Your coronary arteries supply blood to your heart and this is very important for smooth functioning of your body. If there is a block in coronary arteries, one will be in severe pain with a condition called Angina/Myocardial Infarction. These conditions occur in mainly in adults. However, the changes in coronary arteries leading them, starts at your age because of unhealthy lifestyles. Coronary arteries get blocked due to cholesterol depositing in the arteries which can form due to bad habits like smoking, consumption of fatty foods, a lack of exercise, stress and also due to diabetes, hypertension or a family history of heart disease. In very rare cases, it could be due to congenital problems of the coronary arteries. 

 

 

Cardiomyopathy is a chronic disease in which the heart muscle (myocardium) is abnormally enlarged, thickened and/or stiffened. This condition may be progressive. The condition begins in the walls of the heart's lower chambers. The muscle cells and the surrounding tissues become damaged.  Eventually, the weakened heart cannot pump efficiently. You may experience breathing difficulties or breathlessness. Sometimes, this  may  related to inherited diseases.

 

 People with this condition should not to exert themselves too much or be involved in vigorous sports due to the risk of sudden cardiac deaths.

 

 

 

 

 

In your age, chest pain is mostly not due heart condition. It is usually caused by muscle, tendon or bone injuries, inflammation, lung infections or anxiety. This sort of non-cardiac pain could increase with movement of your hand, breathing and when bending.  

 

Differently, in  cardiac angina,  pain increases with activities such as walking or climbing steps. Further, pain is mostly felt in the central or lower areas of the chest. Pain can radiates to upper limb and jaw area.  It could increase when you’re lying down and is likely to feel like gastritis or acid reflux. It could worsen further if you are stressed or have bad habits that range from eating peppermints or drinking carbonated drinks.  However, cardiac-pain is not common at your age.

 

Heart palpitations are that you suddenly become aware of your heartbeat. You may feel like your heart is “pounding” or “racing.”  Or else  you   feel like a flutter, a skipped or extra beat, or a heartbeat that does not feel normal. Palpitations can be felt at any time. They can be felt in your chest, throat or neck. It may be startling for you.  Yet often they may not be serious or harmful. Sometimes, they may related to arrhythmia. Further, they can be  caused by excess intake of caffeine, anxiety, asthma treatment and thyroid disorders. 

 

You could break out into a sweat; have palpitations, fainting attacks and a sudden slowing of your heart. You will need to be seen by a doctor immediately if you have any one or series of these symptoms.  Sometimes, you experience these symptoms due to normal body reactions like   Vaso-vagal attacks occurring as a result of  prolonged standing. In Vaso-vagal attack, your heart rate could drop drastically causing you to have a blackout. 

 

4.DIFFICULTY BREATHING 

A situation where you feel a sudden and severe shortness of breath, or have difficulty in breathing is referred to as dyspnoea. This happens when you exert yourself during sports, brisk walking, climbing stairs and other situations of exertions including asthma attacks.