Heart Conditions
Understand various heart conditions, from coronary artery disease and arrhythmias to valve problems and heart failure. These articles explain what's happening in your heart and what it means for your health.
An Enlarged Heart
For many people being told they have a suspected enlargement of the cardiac muscle can cause a lot of worry and concern, but for most the problem does not ca...
Aneurysm Causes & Treatments
The word aneurysm refers to a bulge or ‘pocketing’ of the wall or lining of a vessel commonly occurring in the blood vessels at the base of the brain, or...
Angina Symptoms & Treatment
Often called a warning sign angina is a pain that is felt in the chest and originates from problems with the heart muscle. It tends to be more common in men...
Aortic Stenosis Treatments Available
Within the complex anatomy of the heart lies the aortic valve connecting the left ventricle of the heart to the main artery in the body the aorta. The aorta...
Are You at Risk of Heart Disease?
There is so much information about concerning heart disease, heart attacks and the risk of lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, smoking and drinking. Bu...
Atherosclerosis, Hardening of the Arteries
Atherosclerosis is a condition that affects many people, several of whom do not know they have the condition until the effects have started to show consequen...
Causes of Peripheral Artery Disease
It is thought that around 5% of the retired population suffer with some degree of peripheral arterial disease. This occurs when the arteries, usually in the...
Congenital Heart Disease Explained
Congenital heart disease or CHD, is a name used to describe those heart disorders that have been present since birth. Usually relating to structural defects...
Explaining Heart Disease
Heart disease is a very wide term given to loosely describe many disorders of the heart, surrounding tissues and the blood supply, it is one of the leading c...
Heart Condition Dextrocardia Explained
In the average human body the heart is located in the chest just on the left side of the area but for some people it may be found towards the right hand side...
Heart Valve Disease
The heart muscle is made up of two upper chambers, the atria, and two lower chambers, the ventricles. Between the left atrium and left ventricle lies a valve...
Hole in the Heart
A term that often conjures up some very obscure images, a hole in the heart is not as uncommon as most people think. The correct terminology for this conditi...
How Anorexia Affects the Heart
People affected by anorexia have a psychiatric disorder that distorts their view of food and eating. Anorexia starts with the need to control body weight –...
Mitral Valve Stenosis
Sometimes called simply mitral stenosis this condition affects the mitral valve of the heart. This valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricl...
Palpitations Explained
A ‘palpitation’ is usually a term given to those who are aware of their heart rate and have a higher level of sensitivity to it's actions and can actuall...
Pericarditis, Inflamation of the Pericardium
A painful medical condition, pericarditis typically affects more men than women ands is most commonly seen in those between their early twenties and their ea...
Preventing Cardiac Death in Young Athletes
There can be no worse nightmare for a parent. The knock on the door, the ashen faces of the people forced to break the news, the world turned upside down by...
Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic heart disease occurs as a consequence of rheumatic fever, which is an inflammatory condition affecting many of the body’s tissues including the h...
Stable and Unstable Angina: What's the Difference?
Angina is a common problem that affects hundreds of thousands of older people in the UK. As many as 20 000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The condition i...
Suffering From Endocarditis
The inner layer of the heart is comprised of the lining of the heart known as the endocardium, the muscle itself and the heart valves. If this inner lining b...
Vitamin D & Heart Disease
Recent research has proved a link between a person's intake of vitamin D and heart disease. It has been known for a long time that vitamin D is important for...
What Are Heart Murmurs?
Heart murmurs can be a very common occurrence in children and can be diagnosed from birth. It is often first suspected after listening to the child’s chest...
What is Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)
Having severe chest pains is usually a reason to call an ambulance straight away as the person involved may be having a heart attack. Medically, a heart atta...
What is Atrial Fibrillation?
Although a normal heart beats in a pattern called sinus rhythm sometimes it can beat irregularly. The most common form of irregular beating is called atrial...
What is Atrial Myxoma?
The basic anatomy of the heart consists of two upper chambers called the atria and two lower chambers called the ventricles. The two upper chambers are divid...
What is Bundle Branch Block?
Often only diagnosed whilst performing routine tests or screening techniques or whilst investigating other conditions, bundle branch block is a relatively co...
What is Cardiogenic Shock?
This term is given when the blood supply to tissues becomes compromised leading to the demands of the tissues not being met. As blood carries oxygen and nutr...
What is Heart Block?
Heart block is a term given to a condition when the upper chambers of the heart do not send signals to the lower chambers of the heart properly or sometimes...
What is Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a serious heart condition but it doesn’t mean that your heart stops completely, as it does in a heart attack. The heart carries on working...
What is Myocardial Infarction?
Otherwise known as a heart attack or MI, a myocardial infarction occurs as the coronary arteries become blocked. It can lead to sudden death very quickly and...
What is Pericarditis?
Surrounding the heart and separated by a thin layer of fluid are two protective layers of tissue, called the pericardium. They serve to protect the organ fro...
What is Supraventricular Tachycardia?
SVT or supraventricular tachycardia is a name given to a fast heart rate that stems from an area located above the ventricles, which are the lower two chambe...
What is Ventricular Fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation, is a serious but treatable condition that does not normally endanger life. Ventricular fibrillation is more serious. It is a major reaso...
Why Do Palpitations Occur?
Palpitations are something that many of experience on a daily basis. These can be felt for a number of reasons, some serious, others not so significant. Many...
Why is High Blood Pressure Bad for the Heart?
Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the developed world. Having high blood pressure is one of the factors that contributes to heart disease. It is...
Wolffe-Parkinson-White Syndrome
This condition, which affects mainly the very young, causes a fast heart rate and irregular pattern of heart beats. It can be present at birth but may go und...