Definition

Heart disease is any disorder that affects the heart's ability to function normally. Various forms of heart disease include:

• Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
• Aortic regurgitation
• Aortic stenosis
• Arrhythmias
• Cardiogenic shock
• Congenital heart disease
• Coronary artery disease (CAD) Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Endocarditis
• Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• Heart failure
• Heart tumor
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Idiopathic cardiomyopathy
• Ischemic cardiomyopathy
• Acute mitral regurgitation
• Chronic mitral regurgitation
• Mitral stenosis
• Mitral valve prolapse
• Peripartum cardiomyopathy
• Pulmonary stenosis
• Stable angina
• Unstable angina
• Tricuspid regurgitation

Heart, section through the middle
Heart, front view
Coronary artery blockage

Alternative Names

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The most common cause of heart disease is a narrowing of or blockage in the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle itself (coronary artery disease). Some heart diseases are present at birth (congenital heart disease). Other causes include:

• Hypertension
• Abnormal heart valve function
• Abnormal heart rhythm
• Weakening of the heart's pumping ability caused by infection or toxins

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Review Date:11/6/2006
Reviewed By: Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.