Everyone should be concerned about heart disease. As the leading cause of death in the US, heart disease is a collection of conditions that impact the heart and blood vessels. More than 650,000 people die of heart disease each year. It’s never too early or too late to take care of your heart health.
Board-certified by the American Board of Nuclear Cardiology, Sam Morayati, MD, is devoted to helping individuals live healthy, happy lives. If you have heart disease, it’s important to work closely with a health care provider to manage your condition. For those who don’t have heart disease, you can take steps to protect your heart health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
In this post, our experts discuss four of the most common types of heart disease.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death among men and women in the US. In most cases, CAD is preventable. Your heart receives its own blood supply from the coronary arteries, which are two major arteries that branch off from the aorta.
CAD occurs when the coronary arteries become stiff, thick, and narrow. This disrupts the flow of nutrient-rich oxygen to the heart. CAD develops very slowly, typically over the course of decades. This gives you a window of opportunity to make the changes necessary to prevent coronary artery disease.
Heart failure develops when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. In some cases, the heart is unable to fill up with enough blood, and in other cases, the heart is too weak to pump blood efficiently.
This does not mean that your heart has stopped working. Heart failure may develop suddenly or the heart may get weaker over time. In most cases, heart failure is caused by an underlying condition that affects the heart, such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat.
Your heart relies on valves to keep blood flowing in the right direction. The heart has four valves: mitral, tricuspid, pulmonary, and aortic.
The valves have flaps that open and close each time the heartbeats. Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the heart valves don't work as they should. Problems with the heart’s valves can cause blood to flow backward and leak back into the chambers instead of flowing forward in the right direction into the heart, or an artery.
There are many types of cardiomyopathy, which refers to diseases of the heart muscle. Most commonly the heart muscle becomes enlarged, thick, and stiff. Over time the heart muscle weakens and is unable to pump enough blood through the body, which can lead to heart failure. Some people are born with cardiomyopathy, while in other cases it develops due to other issues.
You have the power to protect your heart health. Many people with heart disease live long, healthy lives. Your provider can help you lead a heart-healthy lifestyle. To get started, call our office and speak with one of our knowledgeable team members to schedule a visit with Dr. Morayati, MD, or book online today.
