Heart Foundation
Organisation
Organisation Profile
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About
The Heart Foundation saves lives and improves health through funding world-class cardiovascular research, guidelines for health professionals, informing the public and assisting people with cardiovascular disease.
While the work over the past five decades has helped reduce the number of deaths, cardiovascular disease remains one of Australia's most devastating health problems.
Phone: 1300 36 27 87 for free heart health information
Website: www.heartfoundation.org.au - Areas Of Interest Arteriosclerosis Cardiomyopathy Congenital Heart Disease Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Aboriginal Health Heart Attack Heart Failure Atrial Fibrillation High Cholesterol Hypertension/High Blood Pressure Angina Cardiovascular Disease
Answers contributed by Heart Foundation
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How many people in Australia have high cholesterol?
51% of adults have high blood cholesterol in Australia – that’s 6.4 million adults. Source: Information reproduced with permission from www.heartfoundation.org.au. © 2012 National Heart Foundation of Australia. read more -
How do unhealthy fats in the diet contribute to cholesterol?
Unhealthy fats include saturated fats and trans fats. Too much of these fats contributes to the build up of fatty material called plaque on the inside of your blood vessels and is a major cause ... read more -
Can I eat eggs if I have high cholesterol?
Yes you can. Eggs are very nutritious and contain good quality protein, lots of vitamins and minerals, and mostly the healthier polyunsaturated fat. The dietary cholesterol in eggs has only a small insignificant effect on ... read more -
Why is it important to lower cholesterol?
The higher your blood LDL cholesterol level, the higher your risk of heart disease. High blood cholesterol is a major cause of a process called atherosclerosis, which can gradually clog the blood vessels supplying the ... read more -
How do I lower LDL cholesterol levels?
There are several lifestyle changes that will help to lower blood cholesterol levels. The Heart Foundation recommends: Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Choose polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils and margarine spreads. Choose foods such ... read more -
How do I manage heart failure?
For more information on the management of heart failure contact the Heart Foundations Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87. read more -
What is heart failure?
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle has become too weak to pump blood through the body as effectively as normal. This causes blood to 'dam up' behind the heart and fluid to collect in ... read more -
What causes heart failure?
The most common causes of heart failure include cardiovascular disease, previous heart attack, long-term high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle). Less common causes of heart failure include heart valve disease ... read more -
How is heart failure treated?
There are many different types of medicines used to treat heart failure or chronic heart failure. If you think your medicine is not working, is causing you problems or you have any questions, talk to ... read more -
How is heart failure diagnosed?
A number of tests can diagnose heart failure: Echocardiogram This test uses ultrasound waves that come from a small hand piece placed on your chest wall. These waves bounce back to a detector and produce ... read more -
What are the symptoms of heart failure?
Common symptoms of heart failure or chronic heart failure include: shortness of breath tiredness loss of appetite swelling of the ankles or belly coughing weight gain dizziness Source: Information reproduced with permission from www.heartfoundation.org.au. © ... read more -
How is angina diagnosed?
Your doctor may use one or more of the below tests to diagnose angina. ECG An ECG is a simple, painless test that detects and records the heart’s electrical activity. An ECG also records the ... read more -
How can I manage angina?
Making lifestyle changes can help prevent episodes of angina. You can: Slow down and take rest breaks Avoid large and heavy meals Avoid stressful situations Be smoke-free Be physically active Take your medicines as prescribed ... read more -
What is the treatment for angina?
Treatments for angina include lifestyle changes, medicines, medical procedures, cardiac rehabilitation, and other therapies. The main goals of treatment are to: Reduce pain and discomfort and how often it occurs Prevent or lower the risk ... read more -
What are the symptoms of angina?
Pain and discomfort are the main symptoms of angina. The pain may feel like indigestion. Some people say that angina pain is hard to describe or they can't tell exactly where the pain is coming ... read more -
What is angina?
Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused by insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the muscle of the heart. In most cases the lack of blood flow is due to a narrowing of the coronary ... read more -
How is high blood pressure treated?
Lifestyle is very important in helping to control high blood pressure and its associated risks. You may be advised to: be smoke-free. reduce your salt intake. achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. undertake regular ... read more -
How do I manage high blood pressure?
There are several ways that you can help to keep your blood pressure under control and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Have your blood pressure checked regularly, as part of an assessment of your ... read more -
How is high blood pressure diagnosed?
There is no firm rule about what defines high blood pressure. For most people, the lower the blood pressure the better. However, the following figures are a useful guide: Normal blood pressure: generally less than ... read more -
What are the risk factors for high blood pressure?
The following factors increase the risks of serious problems associated with high blood pressure: Smoking. being overweight. having diabetes. having high blood cholesterol. Source: Information reproduced with permission from www.heartfoundation.org.au. © 2012 National Heart Foundation ... read more -
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
Often there are no symptoms or signs of high blood pressure. You may even have high blood pressure and feel well. Therefore, it is important that you have regular blood pressure checks. The only way ... read more -
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack happens when there is a sudden complete blockage of an artery that supplies blood to an area of your heart. As a result, some of your heart muscle begins to die. Without ... read more -
What causes a heart attack?
The underlying cause of a heart attack is coronary heart disease (CHD). Some people may not know they have CHD until they have a heart attack. For others, a heart attack can happen after weeks, ... read more -
How do I prevent a heart attack?
To reduce your risk and aid your recovery: be smoke-free. Manage your blood pressure and cholesterol. Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Enjoy healthy eating. be physically active. Maintain your psychological and social health. ... read more -
How is a heart attack diagnosed?
If you are rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack, your health care team will do a number of tests to find out if you are having a heart attack. These tests will help ... read more -
How is a heart attack treated?
There are various treatments for heart attacks which include: 1. Thrombolysis: This heart attack treatment involves the use of special clot-dissolving medicines that are administered directly into your blood stream. 2. Angioplasty and stent implantation: ... read more -
What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
Warning signs can vary from person to person and they may not always be sudden or severe. If you experience the warning signs of heart attack for 10 minutes, if they are severe or get ... read more -
What is the treatment for atrial fibrillation?
Treatments for atrial fibrillation include: Medicines or procedures to make your heart beat normally (cardioversion). Long-term medicines to maintain a normal heartbeat, slow your heart rate and/or thin your blood. Surgical procedures, used in rare ... read more -
Can atrial fibrillation increase the risks of other health conditions?
Atrial Fibrillation increases your risk of problems caused by blood clots, which can form within the atria when they aren't beating properly. Once a blood clot forms in the atria, all or part of it ... read more -
What are the causes and symptoms of atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is caused by a disturbance of your heart's electrical system. The problem starts in the upper chambers of your heart (the atria) and causes these chambers to quiver (or 'fibrillate'), rather than beat ... read more -
What is atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is one of a number of disorders commonly referred to as 'arrhythmias', where your heart does not beat normally. Source: Information reproduced with permission from www.heartfoundation.org.au. © 2012 National Heart Foundation of Australia. read more
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