Heart Disease Other Conditions and
Related Terms

Angina

Heart disease other conditions and chest pain or discomfort occurs when the heart muscle is not getting enough blood. Angina may feel like pressure or a squeezing pain in the chest. The pain may also occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back, and it may feel like indigestion.

Angina is a symptom of coronary heart disease. Angina may be stable or unstable. Stable angina is chest pain that occurs on physical exertion or under mental or emotional stress. Unstable angina is chest pain that occurs even while at rest, without apparent reason.

Heart disease other conditions: Acute Coronary Syndrome

A term that is sometimes used to describe people who have either an acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina.

Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection

A condition where the aorta stretches or dilates (aneurysm) and ruptures (dissection). A ruptured aneurysm is an emergency situation.

Heart disease other conditions: Arrhythmias

Irregular, or abnormally fast or slow, beating of the heart. The heart beat is controlled by electrical impulses. When the timing or frequency of these electrical impulses are disrupted, arrhythmias develop. Some arrhythmias are quite serious. An example is ventricular fibrillation, a severely abnormal heart rhythm that causes death unless treated right away by providing an electrical shock to the heart (called defibrillation).

Others are less severe but can develop into more serious conditions over time. A particular concern is atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is rapid, irregular beating of the upper chambers of the heart. The chambers can quiver instead of beating in a regular pattern. Blood is not fully pumped out of them and may pool and clot.

Cardiomyopathy

A weakening of the heart muscle or a change in heart muscle structure. It often results in inadequate heart pumping or other heart function abnormalities. These can result from various causes, including prior heart attacks, viral or bacterial infections, and others.

Heart disease other conditions: Congenital Heart Disease

Malformations of heart structures, present during pregnancy or at birth. These may be caused by genetic factors or by adverse exposures during pregnancy. Examples include holes in the walls that divide the heart chambers, abnormal heart valves, and others. Congenital heart defects can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defect.

Heart disease other conditions: Heart Failure

This may also be called congestive heart failure or chronic heart failure. Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to meet the needs of other body organs. Heart failure does not mean that the heart has stopped, but that it cannot pump blood the way that it should. Heart failure is a serious condition. There is no cure for heart failure at this time, except a heart transplant. Once diagnosed, medicines are needed for the rest of the person´s life.

Heart disease other conditions: Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the arms and legs. PAD is usually the result of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque and narrowing of the arteries. Blood flow and oxygen to the muscles in the arms and legs can be reduced or even fully blocked. Painful leg muscles, numbness, swelling in the ankles and feet, and weak pulse in the feet are some of the signs and symptoms of PAD.

Heart disease other conditions: Rheumatic Heart Disease

This condition is damage to the heart valves and other heart structures due to inflammation and scarring caused by rheumatic fever, which occurs from streptococcal infection.

Heart Disease Other Conditions and Related Terms