What is Heart Disease?

Your heart is made up of many parts working together to pump blood. In a healthy heart, all the parts work well so that your heart pumps blood normally. Then all parts of your body that depend on the heart to deliver blood also stay healthy.

Heart disease changes the way a heart works and makes it harder for it to pump blood normally. Damaged or diseased arteries make the heart work harder than normal, or prevent oxygen from reaching the heart. Problems with the heart's electrical system, called arrhythmias, can make it difficult for the heart to pump blood efficiently.

Heart disease includes several specific heart conditions. The most common in Washington, and the United States, is coronary heart disease. Some common forms of heart disease:

Atherosclerosis is a condition that affects the arteries, especially those that supply the heart (coronary arteries), the brain (carotid and cerebral arteries), and the legs (the peripheral arteries), as well as the aorta (the largest artery in the heart). Atherosclerosis is a common cause of heart attacks, many strokes, peripheral arterial disease, and dissection or rupture of the aorta.
Congestive heart failure, or heart failure, occurs when the the heart is not able to pump due to heart disease. It often leads to physical disability.
Coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease, is caused by blockage in one or more coronary arteries. It is often diagnosed following chest pain (angina pectoris) or a heart attack.