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Heart Disease Facts & Resources from Health Issues Today
We hope that these pages will help you in your fight against heart disease and its grip on our world today. There are many resources listed here to enlighten you and help you build your health library, please take advantage of them. You can get a free ebook about heart disease by signing up using the form on the left side of this page. God bless and good luck in your battle against heart disease. congenital heart diseaseAuthor: encyclopedia heart disease Related: Pathology any of several abnormalities of the heart and its function in maintaining blood circulation. Heart disease is the cause of approximately half the deaths in the United States each year. Among the most common causes of heart disease are degenerative changes in the coronary blood vessels, infectious diseases, and congenital heart disease . Congenital defects result from abnormal development of the fetal heart, commonly in the valves or septa. Such defects can be precipitated by environmental conditions in the uterus, such as the presence of the rubella virus, or they can be inherited. Infectious diseases acquired after birth, such as rheumatic fever , syphilis , and endocarditis , can also damage the valves of the heart. In addition, the heart muscle itself can be affected: hypertensive heart disease (see hypertension ) can cause it to enlarge, and it can become inflamed by rheumatic fever. Arteriosclerotic depositions in the coronary arteries result in the narrowing of these vessels, causing insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle, a condition known as coronary artery disease . The characteristic radiating chest pain, angina pectoris , is the most prominent symptom of this condition. Coronary arteries already narrowed by arteriosclerosis are made susceptible to blockage by a clot (coronary thrombosis ), causing the death of the heart muscle supplied by the affected artery, a life-threatening event called a myocardial infarction , or heart attack. Hypertensive, coronary, congenital, and other forms of cardiovascular disease, either singly or in combination, can lead to a state in which the heart is unable to expel sufficient blood for the metabolic demands of the body, ultimately resulting in congestive heart failure . Disturbances in the normal heartbeat, called arrhythmias , can occur by themselves or in conjunction with other heart problems, for example infarction affecting the area of the heart that controls the heartbeat. ...
Heart Disease Additional Information
Heart is like any muscle. It needs a constant and permanent supply of oxygen and nutrients. They are carried to it by the blood in the coronary arteries. In some particular situations, coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits, and they are not able any more to feed the heart with enough blood This process is called atherosclerosis and leads to coronary heart disease (CHD). Heart is like any muscle. It needs a constant and permanent supply of oxygen and nutrients. They are carried to it by the blood in the coronary arteries. In some particular situations, coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits, and they are not able any more to feed the heart with enough blood This process is called atherosclerosis and leads to coronary heart disease (CHD). See entire summary of Heart Disease and Heart Attack Articles |
