Q. A person poisoned me in my childhood, now I have heart problems, which poison can cause heart disease over the years?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Secondmedic Expert

The types of poison that can cause long-term heart problems are the ones that have an adverse effect on the cardiovascular system, such as those containing lead, mercury, arsenic, or carbon monoxide. Poisoning with these toxins can cause damage to your heart muscle and arteries over time. It is difficult to determine if an individual was poisoned in childhood as this type of poisoning often has no symptoms until it is too late.

Lead poisoning is especially damaging to the cardiovascular system because it interferes with cell processes involving enzymes and hormones. The most common source of lead exposure is paint chips or dust from deteriorating paint. Mercury affects nerve cells in the body which affects things like memory and cognition but also causes intense pressure within blood vessels when found in high concentrations which leads to changes in blood pressure and atherosclerosis causing significant damage over time– this kind of damage may not be seen until several years later after exposure.

Arsenic contamination can result from pollution of rivers near industrial sites or agricultural runoff from the use of pesticides containing arsenic due to its presence in soil; inhalation or ingestion exposes people for prolonged periods leading to chronic heart disease particularly when levels exceed 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L). Carbon monoxide poisoning also impacts arterial functions leading to increased stress within them as well as decreased oxygen delivery into organs like the brain and heart due to its high affinity for hemoglobin therefore decreasing red blood cells’ ability transport oxygen throughout our bodies appropriately resulting in a variety of medical conditions especially beyond acute stages including cardiac arrhythmias, cognitive issues, memory loss amongst others that may take up years before they manifest surprisingly enough without any tangible signs beforehand making early diagnosis very difficult since no obvious symptoms will appear at start yet taking continuing steps would reduce future risks by ensuring proper ventilation minimizing direct exposure naturally occurring pollutants related sources potentially helping prevent developing persistent health effects associated with them all significantly..