Toni Braxton Heart Disease

Toni Braxton, 45, just before beginning the "Dancing with the Stars" in 2008, she came down with a heart disease called "microvascular angina", also known as cardiac syndrome X.

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While appearing on Season 7 of "Dancing with the Stars", Braxton revealed she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease).

People with microvascular angina suffer pain when doing strenuous workout. Other common symptoms of this heart disease are chest pain, anxiety, fatigue, fever, difficulty in breathing and swelling of legs, ankles and feet. Common medications include analgesics, antibiotics and antifungals. 




Braxton revealed to "E! News Now" that after hearing of her new diagnosis, she planned to take a year off to let her body and mind heal but she changed her mind.

It has to be noted that Braxton has previously suffered from pericarditis. Just in case you are not aware of this heart disease, "pericarditis" is an inflammation of the thin sac (membrane) that surrounds the heart called the pericardium. There is a small amount of fluid between the inner and outer layers of the pericardium. When the pericardium becomes inflamed, the amount of fluid between its two layers increases, compressing the heart and interfering with its ability to function properly. (Source: matercardiology.com)

There are many people who wonder if Toni Braxton's previous pericarditis caused her microvascular angina. The answer is that pericarditis could not have led to microvascular angina. 


Braxton realized that something was going wrong four years ago when she felt exhausted and short of breath, with "tightness" in her chest. She chalked it up to starring in "Aida" and to being a new mother to sons Denim and Diesel. At fist she speculated it was her childhood asthma recurring. Finally, during an "Aida" intermission,  (in Toni Braxton's own words) she felt the room "spinning a little bit." She wound up in the emergency room - and learned that she suffered from pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining of the heart. Because of the pericarditis, her heart flutters now. Also, Braxton discovered that she had high blood pressure: 160/105 without medication. 

Now Braxton takes a beta-blocker to lower it and walks on a treadmill at least 20 minutes a day. She also tries to cut off her salty favorite foods, like burgers with bacon. Instead she consumes "vinegary salads," asparagus and low-sodium chicken and jambalaya soups.




"You think it's some older guy, retired," Braxton was quoted as saying, who is now serving as a spokeswoman for Campbell Soup Co.'s GoRedWithCampbells.com. (The company is donating $1 to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign for every person who votes for his or her favorite red dress before January 30.) "You can be in your 30s, less than 115 pounds, exercise - and have heart disease," Braxton added.

Braxton wants to make a difference by educating people about the importance of identifying and reducing heart disease risk factors and also motivate others to take action to protect their health. 





When you take a look at Toni Braxton, you can't beleive that this woman suffers from a heart disease. 


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