What are the different types of cardiovascular diseases?

Cardiovascular disease is the most common type of illness that causes majority of deaths worldwide. Any disease of the heart or its blood vessels (capillaries, veins or arteries) that affect the functioning of its blood circulatory system and thus, affecting another parts of the body like kidney, brain or other organs is known as cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease or heart disease is basically an umbrella term, which includes several conditions that affects the function or structure of heart, some of them are genetic, and many of them are the result of lifestyle changes. Hence, listed below are a few types of heart diseases that you must know:

1- Coronary heart disease: This is one of the most common forms of heart diseases. This disease affects the blood vessel that supplies oxygen to the heart muscle. These blood vessels are known as Coronary blood vessels. Coronary heart disease is usually the cause of peripheral heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. Some of the major risk factors include unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, diabetes, advancing age, high blood cholesterol, tobacco use, and inherited disposition.

2- Heart Attack: Also known as myocardial infarction, this happens when blood flow to the heart is severely cut off due to the narrowing or hardening of the coronary arteries. This narrowing or hardening occurs due to the formation of cholesterol, fat, and other substances, known as plague. Therefore, results in the damage or death of parts of the blood vessel. The prominent symptoms of heart attack include shortness of breath, chest pressure or pain, feeling weak or light headed, chest pressure and pain or discomfort in the arms, neck, back, shoulder or jaw.

3- Arrhythmia: This is a condition where your heart beat is irregular. Though, this doesn't necessarily means that your heart beat is too slow or fast. It just means that it is out of its normal rhythm. So, in such cases, the heart doesn't beat normally and is not able to pump blood effectively to the brain, lungs, and other organs of the body and thus, causes them to potentially shut down or become damaged.

4- Congenital heart disease: This is basically a category of heart disease in which congenital heart defects are present from birth. Such defects occur during foetus development and may produce symptoms at birth, while others aren't discovered until the person is an adult. Here are the causes of a congenital heart disease:

• Chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome.
• Maternal viral infection in the first trimester of pregnancy.
• Alcohol abuse during pregnancy or certain medications.

Over and all, if you suspect any of these above mentioned conditions, then the best-kept advice is to visit a doctor who can recommend screening or diagnostic tests; there are several hospitals that offer one of the best cardiologists in India, such as Apollo Hospitals.