Heart Disease

What Is Heart Disease

Heart disease is a wide-reaching term to describe a range of conditions that affect the heart.  The term “heart disease” is often used interchangeably with “cardiovascular disease.” Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack (a sudden and sometimes fatal blockage of blood flow to the heart), chest pain (angina) or heart failure (the inability of the heart to pump blood asit should).Other heart conditions, such as infections and conditions that affect your heart’s muscle, valves or beating rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.  Over 25 percent of all deaths in the United States are caused by heart disease. According to the Cleveland Clinic, heart disease claims more lives each year than the next 4 leading causes of death combined—cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes mellitus.

There are dozens of heart diseases.  The following are the most common:

  • HYPERTENSION, or elevated blood pressure
  • Hypercholesterolemia, or HIGH CHOLESTEROL
  • ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, an abnormal rhythm of the heart
  • STROKE, or a decrease in blood supply to the brain
  • MYOCARDIAL INFRACTION (MI), or heart attack
  • CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE, which is a condition a person is born with
  • CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, or a narrowing of the blood vessels which supply the heart muscle itself
  • CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, or an inability of the heart to pump blood throughout the body as it should

Risk Factors For Heart Disease

Diagnosing Heart Disease

Symptoms of Heart Disease

Prognosis

Living With Heart Disease

Screening

Prevention

Complementary and Alternative Treatment

When To Contact A Doctor

Questions For A Doctor