Heart Disease

Conditions that affect the function and structure of the cardiac muscle is heart disease. It is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S.

It is important to learn about heart disease so you can reduce your risk or treat any conditions that you might have.

When people think of heart disease, they usually think of coronary artery illness but this is only one condition. Heart disease included a variety of conditions. These illnesses are very serious sand can be life threatening. They include:

• Coronary artery disease - this is a hardening of the arteries that can lead to a heart attack
• Arrhythmias - the rhythm changes that increases or decreased the rate of beats or causes abnormal beats
• Failure - the organ does not work at full capacity - it does not mean that it has stopped beating
• Valve disease - one of the four valves are affected in some way
• Congenital disease - type of defect that occur before birth.
• Muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) - the organ is enlarged or thickened
• Pericardial disease - an infection of the surrounding lining
• Aorta disease and Marfan syndrome - the aorta to widens or tears increasing the risk of life threatening illnesses
• Vascular disease (blood vessel disease)

Healthy habits are the best way to avoid getting this illness. Start early and make it a lifelong commitment.