heart disease

The definition of heart disease is a problem with the heart or blood vessels of the heart that cause them not to function correctly.

Facts About Heart Disease

• The early Egyptians had a large base of knowledge on how the heart works, what can happen to it, how to spot the symptoms, and how to treat the problem.
• Heart disease is the major cause of death in the United States.
• Over 12 million people die each year from heart disease worldwide, while 599,413 died in the United States in 2010.
• Causes: Vitamin C and antioxidant deficiency, smoking, diabetes, lung disease, high cholesterol, obesity, hypertention, chronic stress, lack of exercise, air pollution, toxic chemicals, chlorinated water and pesticides

Types of Heart Disease

• Heart attacks - shooting pains in the left arm followed by heavy pains in the chest.
• Coronary heart disease - the most common of all types of heart disease. The arteries get smaller, because they are clogged or because of other issues.
• Cardiomyopathy - a deterioration of the heart muscle
• Cardiovascular disease - any disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. This type of heart disease claims the most deaths out of all the various types of heart disease.
• Congestive heart failure - the heart's ability to pump blood is so compromised that the supplied blood flow doesn't meet the body's needs.
• Inflammatory heart disease - inflammation of the heart muscle or the tissue surrounding it.
• Ischemic heart disease - reduced flow of blood to the heart.
• Arrhythmia - an irregularity in the rhythm that prevents the heart from getting enough oxygen-rich blood. Also called "heart murmurs."
• Hypertensive heart disease - high blood pressure
• Pulmonary heart disease - abnormal pressure on the lungs due to an improper flow of blood in that region.
• Rheumatic heart disease - valves of the heart work improperly.
• Tachycardia - heart starts to race at an extremely high pace.