Heart Disease

          

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The term "Heart Diseases" refers to diseases of the heart and the blood vessel system within it.

Some people are born with heart disease (known as congenital heart disease); others develop during a person's lifetime. Because there are so many heart disease types, it may be helpful to separate them into problems in the: 
  • Heart chambers
  • Heart muscle itself
  • Heart valves
  • Coronary arteries and coronary veins
  • Electrical system
  • Heart lining.

Types of Heart Diseases affecting the Heart Chambers

  • Congestive Heart Failure, also known simply as heart failure, including: 
    Diastolic dysfunction
    Systolic dysfunction  
  • Pulmonary Heart Disease, which is an enlarged right ventricle.

Types of Heart Diseases within the Heart Muscle

  • Cardiomyopathy, such as:
    Dilated cardiomyopathy
    Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
    Restrictive cardiomyopathy
  • Myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle.

Types of Heart Diseases affecting the valves

  • Mitral Stenosis: Narrowing of the heart's mitral valve.
  • Aortic Stenosis: Narrowing of the aortic valve.
  • Aortic regurgitation
  • Rheumatic heart disease, a condition in which the heart valves are damaged from rheumatic fever.

Types of Heart Diseases within Arteries and Veins

  • Angina
  • Heart Attack
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries

Types of the Heart Disease in the Elecrical System

Heart disease types that affect the electrical system are known as arrhythmias. They can cause the heart to beat too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia), or irregularly. These kinds of heart disease include:

  • Sinus tachycardia
  • Sinus bradycardia
  • Atrial Fibrillation
  • Heart block, including first-degree AV block, second-degree AV block, and complete AV block (third-degree heart block)
  • Ventricular fibrillation