According to the CDC, heart (cardiovascular) disease is the leading cause of death in American for both men and women, causing over 600,000 deaths annually. There are many types of heart disease, 10 of the most common are:

1. Ischemic heart disease often results in a partial blockage caused by a lack of oxygenated blood to the heart (ischemia). This causes such symptoms as angina (chest pain), shortness of breath (SOB). If ischemia leads to a complete blockage, a heart attack will ensue.
2. Cardiac arrest also known as a myocardial infraction, happens when there is not enough oxygen flowing to the heart because of a blockage. Most heart attacks are a result of coronary heart disease (CHD).
3. Coronary heart disease develops when plaque builds up in the arteries (atherosclerosis), causing them to become hardened and clogged. Eventually these clogged arteries can lead to a heart attack because blockages don’t let enough oxygenated blood reach the heart.
4. Cerebrovascular diseases are conditions that adversely affect blood supply to the brain, one of the main types of cerebrovascular disease is stroke.
5. Heart failure happens when a person’s heart doesn’t pump strongly enough to circulate blood properly around the entire body, often not reaching the extremities which results in swelling in the legs and ankles, exercise intolerance and SOB. Heart failure can be caused by many things including a heart condition called cardiomyopathy or excess alcohol consumption.
6. Congenital heart disease is a structural abnormality of the heart resulting from a birth defect. These can be minor, or cause severe disability or even death if not properly surgically corrected.
7. Arrhythmia – An arrhythmia disrupts the heart’s normal electrical impulses causing irregular heartbeats. They range from mild to life-threatening. Some of the main symptoms include: dizziness, syncope (fainting or near-fainting), weakness, sensations of irregular beats.
8. Aneurysm is a condition whereby an artery wall weakens and abnormally expands. They can occur in different places in the body, but an aortic aneurysm happens in the heart’s major artery. If they burst they can cause pain, clamminess, shock, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure or vomiting.
9. Hypertensive heart disease occurs when a person experiences chronically elevated blood pressure which can eventually overburden the heart, leading to other types of heart disease or a cardiac episode.
10. Inflammatory heart disease happens when there is inflammation in and around the heart which can lead to deadly complications if left untreated.

There many are other types of heart disease such as rheumatic and vascular heart disease as well. It is important to seek emergency treatment if you are experiencing these symptoms, or any others that could be related to a cardiac emergency. Thanks for visiting DocChat!