Coronary heart disease

Classification of heart diseases

1. Hypertensive disease 2. Heart failure (cardiac insufficiency): Left ventricular failure  Right ventricular failure  Biventricular failure (global heart failure) 3. Coronary artery diseases (CAD) or ischemic heart disease (IHD): Stenocardia (Angina pectoris) Infarction of the myocardium Atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis  Sudden cardiac death  4. Heart diseases which occur as a consequence of diseases of the lungs: Pulmonary heart disease 5. Arrhythmias (heart dysrhythmia):        1. Extrasystolic arrhythmia        2. Paroxysmal tachycardia (supraventricular, ventricular)        3. Atrial fibrillation        4. Atrial flutter 6. Arrhythmias caused by the following circulation issues or heart blocks:        1. Atrioventricular block        2. Bundle branch blocks        3. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome        4. Fascicular blocks        5. Sinoatrial block        6. Intra-Hisian blocks and Infra-Hisian blocks 7.  Diseases caused by bacterial/viral infections:        1. Acute bacterial endocarditis       2. Eosinophilic myocarditis (various causes amongst which viral or bacterial infections)        3. Inflammatory cardiomegaly 8. Diseases caused by rheumatic fever (Rheumatic heart disease):       1. Acute rheumatic polyarthritis       2. Rheumatic endocarditis (acute, subacute, latent)       3. Acute rheumatic myocarditis 9.  Diseases caused by rheumatic or bacterial endocarditis:       Acquired heart defects:       1. Mitral stenosis        2. Mitral insufficiency       3. Aortic insufficiency       4. Aortic stenosis 10. Congenital heart diseases:       1. Tetralogy of Fallot       2. Interatrial or interventricular septum       3. Coarctation of the aorta       4. Pulmonary artery stenosis       5. Ebstein’s anomaly

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on
Medical Author: Dr. med. Diana Hysi, MD.

Articles for coronary heart disease

Introduction

Find out about coronary heart disease, which is a major cause of death both in the UK and worldwide. It's responsible for more than 73,000 deaths in the UK each year.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD) are chest pain (angina) and a heart attack. You can also experience other symptoms, such as palpitations and unusual breathlessness...

Causes

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries around the heart (coronary arteries). Your risk of developing atherosclerosis is significantly increased if you; smoke, have high blood pressure, etc.

Diagnosis

If your doctor thinks you may be at risk of developing CHD, they may carry out a risk assessment for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction or stroke . This may be carried out as part of a health check.

Treatment

Although coronary heart disease (CHD) cannot be cured, treatment can help manage the symptoms and reduce the risk of further problems. If you have been diagnosed with CHD, you can reduce your risk of further episodes by making simple lifestyle changes.

Recovery

After having heart surgery or problems like a heart attack, it is possible to resume a normal life. If you have heart surgery, a member of the cardiac rehabilitation team may visit you in hospital to give you information about your condition and the procedure you are having.

Prevention

There are several ways you can help lower your risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), such as reducing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You should limit the amount of salt you eat to no more than 6g (0.2oz) a day, as too much salt will increase your blood pressure.