Types of heart conditions

Coronary artery disease

An inflammation of the lining of the arteries that feed oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Over time, plaque - consisting mainly of cholesterol - builds up in the lining of the arteries, narrowing the arterial passageway. This increases blood pressure and strains the artery walls. Eventually, the inner walls become rough, frayed and weakened. While heart disease can be hereditary or caused by an infection, it is most often attributed to lifestyle factors, such as diet and lack of activity. This type of inflammation of the arteries - often referred to as atherosclerosis - is not limited to the heart, and is often widespread throughout the body.

Angina

An episodic mismatch between the supply and demand of oxygen that often happens with physical exertion. In some cases, this warning can be a sign of an imminent heart attack. People with narrowing coronary arteries can experience angina because not enough blood can reach the heart muscle to meet the increased demand on the heart.

Heart attack

A heart attack occurs when a tear occurs in the inner walls of the artery, releasing plaque into the bloodstream. When the breakage occurs, the body's natural defence system kicks into action, mistakenly recognizing the tear in the artery as a cut that needs to be repaired. As tiny biological patches in the blood, known as platelets, bond together to close the wound, they, in effect, block the artery. This results in a stoppage of blood flow to the heart muscle, which is called a myocardial infarction, commonly referred to as a heart attack.

Congestive heart failure

Patients are diagnosed with this condition when their heart's pumping capacity drops below normal. The normal heart has an ejection fraction (the fraction of blood pumped from a ventricle during a heart beat) of 60 per cent or more. In heart failure, the ejection fraction is often less than 40 per cent. There are a number of causes for this condition, including heart defects and high blood pressure. But in many cases, congestive heart failure follows a heart attack, in which a significant portion of the heart muscle dies off, reducing its capacity to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body and remove waste.

Cardiac arrest

Cardiologists often refer to this as an "electrical storm of the heart." When the heart comes under stress, often as a result of a heart attack, the electrical system controlling the contractions of the heart muscle fails and the heart stops beating. It shorts out just like an overloaded electrical breaker with too many electronics drawing power. A person suffering a cardiac arrest is effectively dead unless the heart's electrical system can be restarted with a defibrillator.

Risk Factors for Heart Conditions

Here is a list of some of the major risk factors for heart disease:

• Diabetes
• Diets high in saturated fats and salt
• Not enough exercise
• Stress at work or at home
• Smoking
• Too much alcohol
• Too little sleep

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	About Wave Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books. Read the Summer 2010 issue of Wave