Understanding Heart Disease
Cardiovascular
- About Heart and Vascular Care
- Diagnostic Testing
- Medical and Surgical Treatment
- Level One Heart Attack Program
- Level One Vascular Emergency Program
- Prevention and Disease Management
Expand/Collapse
- Understanding Heart Disease
- Echoes for Athletes
- Innovations and Research
Heart disease comes in many different forms and can be difficult to understand how it affects you. This is why Indiana University Health Cardiovascular commits itself not only to providing outstanding patient care, but also to educating the community about heart disease.
Common Types of Heart Disease
Heart Failure
Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure (CHF), occurs when the heart is no longer strong enough to pump sufficient blood to the rest of the body. Heart failure doesn't mean your heart is about to stop working. Rather, CHF is a chronic disease that can be treated and managed, but in most cases, not cured.
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Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for men and women and is caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, which often results in a heart attack.
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Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital heart disease (CHD) refers to a problem with the heart's structure and function due to abnormal heart development before birth. Congenital means present at birth. CHD is a broad term that can refer to many different issues affecting the heart.
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Peripheral Vascular Disease
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) occurs in the blood vessels and is characterized by narrowing and hardening of the arteries that supply the legs and feet. This causes a decrease in blood flow that can injure nerves and other tissues. PVD is also known as arteriosclerosis of the extremities.
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Know Your Numbers
Understanding the numbers in your blood pressure reading, cholesterol levels and body mass index are an important part of preventing and managing heart disease.
Blood Pressure
When someone is checking your blood pressure, they are looking to see how much force is being put on your arteries as your heart pumps blood through your body.
Blood pressure is given in two numbers. For example: 110 over 70 or 110/70. The top number (110) represents the amount of pressure in your arteries as your heart beats. This is called your systolic blood pressure reading. The bottom number (70) represents the amount of pressure in your arteries in between heart beats. This is called your diastolic blood pressure reading.
In adults, the systolic pressure (top number) should be less than 120 and the diastolic pressure (bottom number) should be less than 80. Learn more about blood pressure.
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Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in all parts of the body. It is made by the body and also obtained from foods you eat. Having some cholesterol in your body is important because it's needed for several bodily functions. But, having too much cholesterol can put you at risk for coronary heart disease and for a stroke.
In general, you want your total cholesterol to be less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), because that level carries the least risk of heart disease. When the level is above 200 mg/dl, the risk for heart disease increases.
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Body Mass Index
Your body mass index (BMI) estimates whether you are at a healthy weight. Being overweight puts strain on your heart and can lead to serious health problems including heart disease. Your BMI estimates how much you should weigh based on your height.
Here are the steps to calculate it:
- Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
- Divide that answer by your height in inches.
- Divide that answer by your height in inches again.
Results:
- Below 18.5—Underweight
- 18.5 - 24.9—Healthy
- 25.0 - 29.9—Overweight
- 30.0 - 39.9—Obese
- Over 40—Morbidly obese
Women and Heart Disease
Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. Each year, nearly twice as many women die from CVD than the next 16 causes of death combined.
Heart attacks alone kill almost 250,000 women each year, and women under age 50 who suffer heart attacks are twice as likely as men in the same age group to die from them. Experts believe that one of the major reasons that women are less likely than men to recover from heart attacks is because until recently, treatment and diagnosis of CVD in women was based on what physicians knew about men. As a result, women were diagnosed later than their male counterparts, limiting their treatment options.
Now armed with specific information about women's CVD, health professionals are reaching women at risk with preventive information and treatment. By tailoring their approach to women's needs, they hope to lower women's CVD-related death rates.