Which Factors Change the Heart Structure and Appearance?

Researchers applied their new imaging toolkit to look at the structure and texture of the heart in much greater detail than is possible using existing standard techniques.

Certain risk factors for heart disease are linked to common changes in the structure and appearance of the heart, suggests a new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London.

Current methods used to image the heart in hospitals are not able to fully reflect the complexity of the heart’s structure.

Diet, Lifestyle and Heart Disease
The correlation between diet, lifestyle and heart disease. The importance of balanced diet life style and exercise for controlling heart disease.

‘Risk factors for heart disease including male sex, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking were linked to a darker appearance of the heart muscle, as well as a change in its texture.’

To overcome this defect, researchers developed a new toolkit called radiomics in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, to get highly detailed information about the shape and texture of the heart.

Using their novel approach, researchers studied heart MRI scans from almost 30,000 people from the UK Biobank - a large-scale biomedical database and research resource – to look at the overall shape and structure of the heart in detail.

They found that for all the key risk factors studied the heart muscle was darker in appearance and had a smoother, less complex texture. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.

'Red Flags' You Should Look Out For
Any deviation from normal health can cause symptoms, some of which are ominous and need immediate attention.

Men were found to have larger hearts with the heart muscle appearing smoother and less texturally complex in comparison to women.

The heart muscle in healthy women was brighter than male hearts with a more complex appearance of the muscle architecture.

Does Oral Health Affect Your Heart?
Oral health has been noted as the key factor before and after experiencing heart diseases. Maintaining good oral health can help prevent risks of heart diseases.

These findings provide new insights into the impact of risk factors on the heart and identify differences in the size, structure, and appearance of hearts between healthy men and women.

The study forms part of our wider research program aimed at developing the radiomics imaging toolkit to transform patient care.

Diet for Heart Disease: Here's a List of Foods to Eat and Avoid
Increasing consumption of plant-based foods and reducing the consumption of salt and foods of animal origin lowers risk of heart disease. The quantity and frequency of consumption matters in reducing the risk of the disease.

This novel approach has the potential to provide a faster, more accurate diagnosis of heart disease, improve our estimations of future risk of heart conditions, and better understand the processes underlying cardiovascular disease.

Researchers are now exploring whether the observed changes in heart muscle translate to a higher risk of having significant heart problems, such as heart attacks.

Source-Medindia