by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
Confused about heart disease terminology? Here are some basic definitions you need to know about women’s #1 health threat:
Heart disease (or cardiac disease) is any kind of disease that affects the heart, like:
- heart failure
- angina (any pain between neck and navel that typically comes on with exertion and goes away with rest)
- arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms)
- valvular heart disease
- coronary artery disease (CAD)
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not the same as heart disease. Cardio refers to the heart and vascular refers to blood vessels. CVD affects the heart and/or blood vessels:
- peripheral artery disease
- stroke
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
Sudden cardiac death is not a heart attack, but an electrical misfiring – an unexpected, sudden death within one hour of the onset of symptoms, caused by sudden cardiac arrest(loss of heart function). Causes include:
- abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia)
- a previous heart attack
- coronary artery disease
- congenital heart defects
Coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease and coronary atherosclerosis are the same thing, occurring when plaque builds up on the inside of coronary arteries. This is a very serious condition that can lead to:
- heart attack (acute myocardial infarction)
- stroke
- angina
Heart failure occurs when the heart doesn’t pump blood as efficiently and effectively as it should, caused by:
- untreated high blood pressure
- coronary artery disease
- valvular heart disease
- infections
Similar risk factors are responsible for developing all types of heart disease.
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See also:
- Why are women with atrial fibrillation treated differently?
- How women can have heart attacks without having any blocked arteries
- Is sudden cardiac arrest the same thing as a heart attack?
- Misdiagnosed: women’s coronary microvascular and spasm pain
- “The heart is a house with four rooms”
- Squishing, burning and implanting your heart troubles away
Concise, simple, easy to understand. Great heart-related links too. Thx Carolyn
dear heart sisters,
I am in year 10 at school and i am doing ICT DIDA as a subject. I was wondering if i was able to use your ‘Heart Disease 101′ picture for my project.
Thank you very much
Lindsey
All is not so simple. Thank you for helping to make these conditions a bit more clear.
This remarkable information on heart disease is so necessary.
Thank you for defining these heart related terms! You’ve made them so much easier to understand.
Nice site
Patty