Heart Disease

"Heart Disease" is a name that applies to a number of factors that affect the cardiovascular system - the heart and blood vessels.

The heart is a four-chambered muscle (about fist-size), located just beneath the ribs under the left breast. Its role is to pump oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) blood to the lungs and oxygen-rich (oxygenated) blood to the rest of the body.

Blood in our body actually travels through two separate circulatory systems:
1. PULMONARY CIRCULATION - The part of the circulatory system governed by the right side of the heart (the circulation to and from the lungs).
2. SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION - The part of the circulatory system governed by the left side of the heart (the circulation of blood between the heart and the rest of the body).

Heart disease (or heart and blood vessel disease), also called cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes group of conditions affecting the structure and functions of the heart. There are more than 50 types of heart disease and the most common one is atherosclerosis which is a condition that develops when a substance called plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. An accumulation of plaque narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can stop the blood flow. This can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Some main forms of cardiovascular (CVD) disease are:
Atherosclerosis
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
Heart disease and heart attack
Stroke
Peripherial arterial disease (PAD)
Congestive heart failure
Congenital heart disease
Rheumatic heart disease
Heart valve problems
Abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias
Vascular disease (also known as blood vessel disease)
Cardiomyopathy (also known as heart muscle disease)

Many forms of CVD are interrelated and have elements in common. Cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors are the leading cause of death for both men and women in the North America and major contributors to global morbidity and mortality.

According to World Health Organization's Fact Sheet , an estimated 17.7 million people died from CVDs in 2015, representing 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.4 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.7 million were due to stroke.