Various types of cardiovascular disease

Your heart and all your blood vessels make up your cardiovascular system. Some types of cardiovascular disease are congenital — we are born with them. Others we acquire from a lifetime of poor habits and lifestyle choices, like smoking, which damages your arteries and causes atherosclerosis.

Below are some specific forms of cardiovascular disease.

Stroke
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted (ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures (hemorrhagic stroke). Both can cause the death of brain cells in the affected areas. Stroke is also considered a neurological disorder because of the many complications it causes. Other forms of cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, increase your risk of stroke.

Coronary artery disease
The most common form of cardiovascular disease and the leading cause of heart attacks is coronary artery disease. It occurs when the coronary arteries become obstructed, reducing blood flow to the heart muscle, which can lead to other heart problems, such as chest pain (angina) and heart attack (myocardial infarction).

Hypertensive heart disease
Heart disease caused directly or indirectly by high blood pressure. The heart has to work harder to cope with high blood pressure and this can lead to thickening of the heart muscle and other symptoms. As well as affecting the heart's structure, the blood vessels and conduction system can be affected. Coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure are some examples of heart diseases that can be caused by hypertension.

Heart attack
A heart attack is an injury to the heart muscle caused by a loss of blood supply. Interrupted blood flow to your heart can damage or destroy a part of the heart muscle.

Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy simply means diseases of the heart muscle. Some types are genetic, others are less well understood. One of the most common types of cardiomyopathy is idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy — an enlarged heart without a known cause.

Congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease refers to a form of heart disease that develops before birth, and includes a wide range of diseases and conditions that can affect the formation of the heart muscle or its chambers or valves. While some congenital defects are apparent at birth, others may not be detected until later in life.

Aneurysm
An aneurysm is a weakness or bulge in an artery or vein wall, which usually gets bigger over time and has the potential to rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding. They most commonly occur in the abdominal aorta and the arteries at the base of the brain.

Valvular heart diseases
Valvular heart disease refers to diseases of the heart valves. Four valves in your heart keep blood flowing correctly. Valves can be damaged by a number of conditions resulting in narrowing (stenosis), leaking (regurgitation or insufficiency) or improper closing (prolapse). This disease can be congenital, or the result of damage by such conditions as rheumatic fever, infections, connective tissue disorders, radiation treatments for cancer and certain medications.

Pericardial diseases
Pericardial diseases are diseases of the sac that encases the heart. These include inflammation and fluid accumulation. These problems can occur alone or together. Causes vary.

Heart failure
Heart failure is a condition in which your heart can't pump enough blood to meet the needs of your organs and tissues — causing such symptoms as shortness of breath, fluid retention and fatigue. The term "congestive" heart failure refers to situations in which heart failure has led to fluid buildup in the body. Heart failure can develop suddenly or over a period of many years. It can be the result of other cardiovascular conditions that have damaged or weakened the heart.

Arrhythmias
Arrhythmias are heart rhythm problems that occur when the electrical impulses in your heart, which coordinate heartbeats, function improperly resulting in your heart beating too fast, too slow or irregularly.

AnginaAngina (an-JI-nuh or AN-juh-nuh) is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when an area of your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood. Angina may feel like pressure or squeezing in your chest. The pain also may occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. It can feel like indigestion.

Angina itself isn't a disease. Rather, it's a symptom of an underlying heart problem. Angina is usually a symptom of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease.

CAD occurs when a fatty material called plaque (plak) builds up on the inner walls of the coronary arteries. These arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart. When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis