Cardiovascular Pharmacology: Open Access

Short Note on Types of Heart Diseases

Eva Held^* Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
^*Correspondence: Eva Held, Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Email:

Received: 07-Feb-2022, Manuscript No. CPO-22-15284; Editor assigned: 10-Feb-2022, Pre QC No. CPO-22-15284 (PQ); Reviewed: 21-Feb-2022, QC No. CPO-22-15284; Revised: 28-Feb-2022, Manuscript No. CPO-22-15284 (R); Published: 07-Mar-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2329-6607.22.11.269

Description

There are many types of heart disease, and each one has its own symptoms and treatment.

Following are some most common types.

Coronary artery disease

CAD is the most common heart problem. CAD can cause obstruction of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply the heart with blood. This can reduce blood flow to the heart muscle and prevent from getting the oxygen needed. The disease usually begins as a result of atherosclerosis, sometimes called hardening of the arteries.

Coronary heart disease can give pain in chest, also called angina, and sometimes may lead to a heart attack.

Some risk factors of coronary artery disease are as follows

• Age

• Being inactive

• Having diabetes or metabolic syndrome

• Family history of coronary heart disease

• Genetics

• High blood pressure

• High levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol or low levels of HDL “good” cholesterol

• Obesity

• Smoking

• Stress

Heart arrhythmias

Arrhythmia is a condition when heart has an irregular beating pattern. Serious arrhythmias often develop from other heart problems but may also occur by itself.

Heart failure

In heart failure, the heart does not pump blood to meet the needs of the body. It is usually caused by coronary artery disease, but it can also be caused by thyroid disease, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, and several other conditions.

Heart valve disease

The heart has four valves that open and close to direct blood flow between all the four chambers of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Abnormalities can make it difficult to open and close the valves properly. In this case, blood flow may be blocked or blood may leak.

Causes of heart valve problems include rheumatic fever, congenital heart defects, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or as a result of a heart attack.

Heart valve diseases include endocarditis and rheumatic heart disease.

Pericardial disease

Any diseases of the pericardium, the sac around the heart, are called pericardial disorders. One of the most common illnesses is pericarditis, inflammation of the sac around the heart.

It is usually caused by a viral infection, an inflammatory disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or damage to the sac around the heart. Pericarditis often ends with open heart surgery.

Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle or myocardium. It stretches, thickens, and hardens. Heart may become too weak to pump well. There are many possible causes for this disease, including hereditary heart disease, reactions to certain drugs and toxins (such as alcohol), and viral infections. Chemotherapy can cause cardiomyopathy. In many cases, the exact cause cannot be found.

Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease occurs when something goes wrong with a baby who is still in the womb while the heart is forming. Heart abnormalities can cause problems shortly after birth, but they may not be any symptoms until adulthood.

Septal abnormalities are one of the most common congenital heart disorders. These are the holes in the wall that separate the left and right sides of your heart. Another type of abnormality is called pulmonary stenosis. Narrowing the valve reduces blood flow to the lungs. The valve can be opened or replaced by procedure or surgery.

In some babies, small blood vessels called ductus arteriosus do not close at birth as it should. When this happens, some blood flows back into the pulmonary arteries, straining the heart. Doctors can treat this with surgery, procedures, and sometimes medicine.