There are a number of cardiovascular diseases. Some directly affect the heart's structure and ability to function. Others indirectly affect the heart by making it harder for blood to circulate through the blood vessels. Some people are born with heart or blood vessel defects (congenital), but most problems occur as a result of disease, lifestyle or age.
Some of the major cardiovascular diseases include:
Aneurysms: An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. They usually get bigger over time and can burst.
Angina: Chest pain resulting from reduced oxygen to the heart.
Arrhythmias: An irregular heartbeat. The heart can sometimes beat too slowly (bradycardia) or too quickly (tachycardia), or it can suffer from irregular contractions (fibrillation).
Cardiomyopathy: Disease or damage to the heart muscle, reducing its ability to pump blood.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF): CHF is when your heart does not pump as strongly as it should, so your body doesn't get the right amount of blood and oxygen. This weakened pumping action can cause fluid to back up in your lungs and other parts of your body.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) / Coronary Heart Disease (CHD): The most common form of heart disease, CAD/CHD occurs when fat and scar tissue block arteries in the heart (atherosclerosis), increasing the risk of angina and heart attacks.
Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction): A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is an injury to the heart muscle caused by a loss of blood supply. MIs occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood through a coronary artery.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): High blood pressure is an excessive force of pressure as your blood pumps through the vessels. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and kidney damage.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD): PAD occurs when the blood vessels in the legs and arms become clogged. This can lead to limb pain and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Stroke: Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, usually by a blood clot (ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures (hemorrhagic stroke). Both can cause the death of brain cells in the affected areas.
Valve Problems: The heart valves, which open and close in the four chambers of the heart, keep blood pumping in one direction in and out of the heart. They can become narrowed (stenosis) or unable to close properly (prolapse), or they can leak (regurgitation).
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