Heart disease is a problem with how the heart works that makes people sick.

Babies can be born with heart disease. This is called congenital heart disease. If people get heart disease later, it is called acquired heart disease. Most heart disease is acquired.

The three most common types of heart disease are:

• Coronary Artery Disease (acronym CAD) – This is a problem of the blood vessels that give blood to the heart muscle. If these blood vessels get very small, or if blood cannot flow through them well less blood goes to the heart muscle. If blood flow is bad, the heart muscle can get sick. It can even die.
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) – This is a problem from two things. Sometimes is is from weak heart muscle that does not push blood well. Sometimes it is from a heart valve that is bad. The valve may not let enough blood through. Or the valve may let blood flow back the wrong way.
• Bad Heart Rhythms – This is a problem with electricity in the heart. This makes the heart beat too fast or too slow. It can also make the heart not beat together. Very bad heart rhythms may make the heart stop.

A person can have heart disease and not feel anything is wrong. Some people with heart disease have symptoms. This is when there are changes or pain in the body to show a disease is there. Some symptoms of heart disease are:

• Pain in chest
• Trouble breathing
• Palpitations (a feeling that the heart is beating too fast, too hard, or not regular)
• Swelling of feet or legs
• Feeling weak (not strong)
• Cyanosis (blue color of skin)

Biology | Medicine | Diseases

Heart disease | Cardiopatía | Cardiopathie | Sakit jantung | 心臓病 | Srčana bolest