What Exactly is Heart Disease?
Cardiologists define heart disease as a collection of disorders that hamper the heart’s function of pumping blood or change the flow of blood through the vessels. Although coronary artery disease is the most known, it is not the only one. The other heart related diseases include cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and valvular heart disease.
Coronary artery disease leads to the arteries being squeezed with the formation of plaques, and hence the heart muscle gets less oxygen. The cardiac malfunction makes patients weaker as the heart cannot pump effectively. The severity of arrhythmias can be very different, they can be minor palpitations or a cause for immediate death. On the other hand, valvular disease changes the blood flow, therefore, requiring surgery. A cardiologist can help diagnosing these diseases, and suggest the method of treatment that would suit the best for the patient.