Heart
This incredible four-chambered central station for our blood and oxygen supply keeps us active and alive. Listen to your heart—and heartbeat—to know if you're overdoing it, feeling chill, or falling in love.
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Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a serious condition in which your heart no longer pumps enough blood for your body’s needs. CHF makes it hard to breathe, and interferes with kidney function. Changing your lifestyle and taking medications can help slow the disease.
Arrhythmias are irregularities in the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. They are caused by changes in the electrical signals that make the heart beat normally. Different types of arrhythmias have different treatments—and there are ways to lower your risk of having one in the first place.
When blood stops flowing to the brain because of a clot or rupture (hemorrhage), it’s called a stroke. This is extremely dangerous because blood carries essential oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Learn about the three types of strokes and why you need to get to the ER as fast as possible.
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is sometimes called a mini-stroke. It is actually your body warning you that you are at risk for a stroke. Unlike a stroke, it is not long-lasting.
A heart attack in a woman is a life-threatening event caused by a disruption in the blood flow to the heart. Women tend to have "silent" attacks and show unusual symptoms.
Infective endocarditis is a rare but life-threatening bacterial infection that attacks the lining of the heart and heart valves. People with heart conditions may be more at risk for endocarditis, but it can occur whenever bacteria enters the bloodstream.
Valvular Heart Disease is a diagnosis for a problem with any of the four heart valves. Usually the disease affects the valves on the left side of the heart. There is no cure. But certain lifestyle changes and medication can help you live a longer, fuller life. When symptoms become too serious, surgery to repair valves may be necessary.
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular, often rapid heart rate that commonly causes poor blood circulation with shortness of breath, fatigue, and palpitations as symptoms.
A dissection (tear) in the aorta, the large artery that delivers blood throughout your body, causes sudden, intense chest or back pain—and getting diagnosed and treated quickly can be a matter of life or death.
Symptoms of heart issues
Long QT Syndrome
Long QT syndrome is an electric heart rhythm disorder that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. Severe symptoms are sudden fainting and seizures.
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Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Why It Happens, Types, & Emergency Treatment
Sudden cardiac arrest is an emergency condition that is described by when the heart suddenly stops beating. Symptoms include a loss of consciousness, lightheadedness or dizziness, or a lack of pulse or breathing. Treatment includes trying to restore the heartbeat via defibrillation.
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Carotid Artery Dissection
Carotid artery dissection is a separation of the layers of the artery wall that supplies oxygen-bearing blood to the head and commonly causes strokes in young adults.
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Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
A thoracic aortic aneurysm, or TAA, is a bulge in the wall of the aorta. TAA's can lead to a dissection or rupture of the aorta, leading to a life-threatening condition.
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Heart palpitations are sensations in your chest caused by a racing, slow, or erratic heartbeat. They’re often nothing to worry about, but they can also be a sign of serious medical conditions such as heart problems. Here’s how to tell the difference.
You can dramatically lower your risk of heart disease by staying on top of your risk factors, like being overweight and high cholesterol.
Sick sinus syndrome is a condition in which the normal pacemaker of the heart is unable to keep the heart beating at a normal rate to deliver blood to the body.
Aortic stenosis occurs when the heart's aortic valve stiffens and narrows. This can disrupt blood flow and cause dizziness or chest pain. There are usually no symptoms at first. Left untreated, aortic valve stenosis can lead to serious heart problems.
Stress-induced cardiomyopathy is a condition that is poorly understood, but mimics symptoms of a heart attack such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, and palpitations.