Heart Diseases Summary If you’re like most people, you think that heart disease is a problem for others. But heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. It is also a major cause of disability. There are many different forms of heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease is narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself. This is called coronary artery disease and happens slowly over time. It’s the major reason people have heart attacks. Other kinds of heart problems may happen to the valves in the heart, or the heart may not pump well and cause heart failure. Some people are born with heart disease. You can help reduce your risk of heart disease by taking steps to control factors that put you at greater risk: Control your blood pressure Lower your cholesterol Don’t smoke Get enough exercise NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Related Issues African-Americans and Heart Disease, Stroke American Heart Association Air Pollution and Heart Disease, Stroke American Heart Association Air Pollution, Climate, and Heart Disease American Heart Association Alcohol and Heart Disease American Heart Association All about Heart Rate (Pulse) American Heart Association Aspirin American Heart Association Caffeine and Heart Disease American Heart Association Can Patients with Cardiovascular Disease Take Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs? American Heart Association Cocaine, Other Drugs and Heart Disease American Heart Association Cold Weather and Cardiovascular Disease American Heart Association Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Finding the Right Doctor American Heart Association Flu and Heart Disease and Stroke Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heart Disease Risk Factors Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heart Disease, Stroke, or Other Cardiovascular Disease and Adult Vaccination Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Hispanics and Heart Disease, Stroke American Heart Association Hospice Care American Heart Association How Does Smoking Affect the Heart and Blood Vessels? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Inflammation and Heart Disease American Heart Association Medication Interactions: Food, Supplements and Other Drugs American Heart Association Mental Health and Heart Health American Heart Association Minerals, Inorganic Substances American Heart Association On the Possible Link between Vitamin D Deficiency and Cardiovascular Disease American Heart Association Risk Factors Array Sexual Health Concerns in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease American Heart Association Single-Parent and Working-Parent Heart Health American Heart Association Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease, Stroke American Heart Association Stress and Heart Health American Heart Association Top 10 Myths about Cardiovascular Disease American Heart Association Travel and Heart Disease American Heart Association Treating Influenza (Flu) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Winter Weather Tips for Cardiac Patients American Heart Association Encyclopedia Aging changes in the heart and blood vessels Atrial myxoma C-reactive protein Cardiac amyloidosis Cardiac catheterization – discharge Coronary angiography CPK isoenzymes test Echocardiogram Heart and vascular services Heart CT scan Heart disease and intimacy Heart MRI Heart palpitations His bundle electrography Holter monitor (24h) Intravascular ultrasound Left heart ventricular angiography Myocardial contusion Nuclear ventriculography Pulse Pulse – bounding Right heart ventriculography Simple, heart-smart substitutions Stress echocardiography Swan-Ganz – right heart catheterization Ventricular assist device VLDL test Find an Expert American Heart Association American Heart Association Find an Interventional Radiologist Society of Interventional Radiology National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Array Aspirin and heart disease Being active when you have heart disease Blood flow Cardiac catheterization Cardiovascular system Electrocardiogram Exercise stress test Heart disease – risk factors Heart disease and depression Heart Disease Risk Questionnaire Siteman Cancer Center Understanding cardiovascular disease Warning signs and symptoms of heart disease Specifics Cardiac Amyloidosis American Heart Association Cardiac Sarcoidosis National Jewish Health Enlarged Heart Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Myocardial Bridge Texas Heart Institute Myocardial Ischemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Overview of Heart Tumors Merck & Co., Inc. Palpitations National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Silent Ischemia Texas Heart Institute Diagnosis and Tests Cardiac Catheterization National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cardiac Computed Tomography (Multidetector CT, or MDCT) American Heart Association Cardiac CT National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cardiac MRI National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cholesterol Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Coronary Angiography National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Diagnostic Tests and Procedures Texas Heart Institute Echocardiography National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute EKGs and Exercise Stress Tests: When You Need Them for Heart Disease – and When You Don’t ABIM Foundation Electrocardiogram National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute hs-CRP Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry MR Angiography (MRA) Array Nuclear Heart Scan National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Optical Coherence Tomography Texas Heart Institute Picturing the Heart National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Radial Artery Catheterization American Heart Association Radiation from Cardiac Imaging Tests American Heart Association Stress Testing National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Transesophageal Echocardiography National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Treatments and Therapies Cardiac Medications American Heart Association Chelation Therapy for Heart Disease Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Herbal Supplements May Not Mix with Heart Medicines Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Implantable Medical Devices American Heart Association Medications: Myths Versus Facts American Heart Association Medicines to Treat Heart Disease and More Array Meditation and Heart Health American Heart Association MedlinePlus: Blood Thinners National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus: Heart Surgery National Library of Medicine Time to Talk: Five Things to Know about Omega-3s for Heart Disease National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Ventricular Assist Device National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Prevention and Risk Factors Cardiac Risk Assessment American Association for Clinical Chemistry CDC Vital Signs: Heart Age – Is Your Heart Older Than You? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Lipid Profile American Association for Clinical Chemistry MedlinePlus: Heart Diseases–Prevention National Library of Medicine Children Cardiovascular Conditions of Childhood American Heart Association Heart Disease Nemours Foundation Reference Desk Cardiovascular Glossary Texas Heart Institute Heart Anatomy Texas Heart Institute Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia American Heart Association How the Heart Works National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Statistics and Research CDC Vital Signs: Getting Blood Pressure under Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Vital Signs: Preventable Deaths from Heart Disease and Stroke Centers for Disease Control and Prevention FastStats: Heart Disease National Center for Health Statistics Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2014 Update American Heart Association Prevalence of Uncontrolled Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: United States, 1999-2010 National Center for Health Statistics Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiovascular Diseases National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Diseases National Institutes of Health Questions and Answers: The NIH Trial of EDTA Chelation Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease Array Living With Coping with Feelings American Heart Association MedlinePlus: Cardiac Rehabilitation National Library of Medicine Protein and Heart Health American Heart Association Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Heart Disease: A Clinical Practice Guideline American College of Physicians Genetics Genetic Testing for Inherited Heart Disease American Heart Association Genetics Home Reference: familial HDL deficiency National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Kearns-Sayre syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Tangier disease National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Williams syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome National Library of Medicine Health Check Tools Healthy Heart Quizzes American Heart Association Palpitations DSHI Systems Start Here Heart Disease Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heart Disease Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research What Are Heart Disease and Stroke? American Heart Association Your Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Men Heart Disease — The Top 10 Reasons Men Put Off Doctor Visits American Heart Association Men and Heart Disease Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Seniors Heart Health National Institute on Aging Women MedlinePlus: Heart Disease in Women National Library of Medicine Games Play the Electrocardiogram Game Nobel Foundation Journal Articles Heart Diseases Videos and Tutorials Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) OR-Live Transradial Approach for Cardiac Catheterization: The New Frontier of Coronary Intervention OR-Live Latest News Booze, High Blood Pressure a Dangerous Mix HealthDay Long Hours At the Office May Raise Your Heart Disease Risk HealthDay Skipping Meds Greatly Ups Heart Patients’ Risk of Stroke HealthDay U.S. Heart Disease Deaths Shifting South HealthDay PTSD May Stiffen Veterans’ Arteries, Boosting Heart Risks HealthDay Obesity in Teens Seems to Raise Risk for Illness, Death in Middle Age HealthDay Lonely, Isolated People May Be Prone to Heart Disease, Stroke HealthDay Building Muscle Could Boost the Body’s Most Important Muscle HealthDay Could a Low-Salt Diet Hurt Your Health? HealthDay Women, Men Share Similar Symptoms of Heart Disease HealthDay Expert Panel Reaffirms Daily Aspirin’s Use Against Heart Disease, Colon Cancer HealthDay