Types Of Heart Disease And Their Causes

Types of heart disease Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease, there are several other types.

Some of the other more common types of heart disease include :

1.   Irregular heart beats (arrhythmia)Your heart contains a natural pacemaker called the sinoatrial or sinus node that triggers electrical impulses to spread over the heart, causing it to contract (beat).

Any abnormal rhythm of the heartbeat is known as an arrhythmia

• Common causes include:electrical impulses coming from other areas of the heart instead of the sinus node that regulates heartbeat
• Electrical impulses coming from the sinus node but that take a different pathway through the heart
• Very fast heart rate (with either a regular or irregular rhythm)
• Combination of a regular and irregular heart rhythm.

2.   Heart failure (congestive heart failure, or CHF)
Occurs when the heart is not able to pump sufficient oxygen-rich blood to meet the needs of the rest of the body. This may be due to lack of force of the heart to pump or as a result of the heart not being able to fill with enough blood. Some people have both problems.

3.   Congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease is a heart abnormality that has been present from birth. Examples include failure to form the normal heart structure or holes between the chambers of the heart.
Almost one in every 150 babies born in the UK has some form of congenital heart disease, ranging from the minor to fatal.
In most cases the cause is unknown, but chromosomal disorders such as Down’s syndrome, rubella and viral infections can all increase the risk.
Some congenital heart conditions are genetic, being inherited by a baby from his or her parents

4.   Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. In CAD, the arteries carrying blood to the heart muscle (the coronary arteries) become lined with plaque, which contains materials such as cholesterol and fat. This plaque buildup (called atherosclerosis) causes the arteries to narrow, allowing less oxygen to reach the heart muscle than it needs to work properly. When the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen, chest pain (angina) or heart attack can occur.

5.   Heart valve problems
The heart is divided into four chambers, known as the right and left atrium and the right and left ventricles.

Each of these chambers has valves that prevent blood flowing backwards into the chamber it has just come from. These valves usually ensure blood moves forward through the heart.

Diseased heart valves that are damaged and do not open and close properly can allow blood to leak backwards (regurgitation or valve incompetence) or obstruct the flow of blood (valve stenosis).

Whatever the type of valve problem, the heart is put under extra strain, increasing the likelihood of heart failure.


6.   Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy means a disease of the heart muscle rather than the blood supply or the pacemaker.

There is often no obvious cause for it, although coronary heart disease and high blood pressure, viral infections, excessive alcohol intake and thyroid disease can all be triggers.
 There are four main types:

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (MCM), where the heart muscle thickens (high blood pressure can cause this)
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), when the heart muscle dilates (becomes large) and weakens
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), when chambers in the heart stiffen and restrict blood flow through the heart
• Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ARVC), when fatty tissue replaces muscle in the heart and affects the electrical impulses that regulate heart beat.

Having a degree of cardiomyopathy need not cause major symptoms