Heart Diseases

If you're like most people, you think that heart disease is a problem for others. But heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. It is also a major cause of disability. There are many different forms of heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease is narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself. This is called coronary artery disease and happens slowly over time. It's the major reason people have heart attacks.

Other kinds of heart problems may happen to the valves in the heart, or the heart may not pump well and cause heart failure. Some people are born with heart disease.

You can help reduce your risk of heart disease by taking steps to control factors that put you at greater risk:

• Control your blood pressure
• Lower your cholesterol
• Don't smoke
• Get enough exercise (NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Also called: Cardiac Diseases

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Heart Disease in Women

In the United States, 1 in 4 women dies from heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease in both men…

Heart disease

A type of disease that affects the heart or blood vessels. The risk of certain heart diseases may be increased by smoking,…

Heart Conduction Disorder

A disorder affecting the conduction system that sends electrical signals in the myocardium.

Heart cancer

A rare cancer that develops in tissues of the heart. Also called cardiac sarcoma.

Heart Block by ECG Finding

An electrocardiographic finding of blocked cardiac electrical impulses along the fibers normally responsible for impulse conduction.

Heart Attack

Each year over a million people in the U.S. have a heart attack. About half of them die. Many people have permanent…