Click on the term to link to additional information about each topic from the American Heart Association.
Angina is a recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when some part of the heart does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood.
Aortic Regurgitation is when the aortic valve leaflets do not close properly and there is leakage of blood back into the left ventricle.
Aortic Stenosis refers to a narrowing of the aortic valve opening. This is often due to an age-related thickening and calcification of the valve leaflets.
Arrhythmias / Heart Rhythm Disorders An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm.
Blood Pressure is the pressure of the blood against the walls of the artery.
Cardiac Catheterization is a procedure done on the heart in which a doctor inserts a thin plastic tube into an artery or vein in the arm or leg and advances it into the chambers of the heart or the coronary arteries.
Cardiomyopathy is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn’t work as well as it should.
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells.
Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to the body’s other organs.
Coronary Angiography is an X-ray examination of the blood vessels or chambers of the heart.
Defibrillation is a process in which an electronic device gives an electric shock to the heart to help reestablish normal rhythms.
Heart Murmur A heart murmur is a sound made by blood moving around the heart. Sometimes but not always this could be caused by a heart defect.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is defined in an adult as a systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher and a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher.
Mitral Valve Prolapse/Stenosis Prolapse is when one or both mitral valve flaps are enlarged, and some of their supporting “strings” may be too long. Stenosis is when a heart valve can’t open completely, so blood is pumped through a smaller-than-normal opening.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium, the heart muscle.
Peripheral Vascular Disease refers to diseases of blood vessels outside the heart and brain. It is often a narrowing of vessels that carry blood to the legs, arms, stomach or kidneys.
Pulmonary Stenosis refers to a defective pulmonary valve that doesn’t open properly.
Radiofrequency Ablation is a non-surgical procedure used to treat some types of rapid heart beating by heating and destroying abnormal heart muscle cells.
Sexual Activity and Heart Disease
Stent is a wire mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty.
Ventricular Fibrillation is a condition in which the heart’s electrical activity becomes disordered.
