Heart disease

Heart disease is not one illness. It covers a range of conditions that affect the heart, and they fall into a few main groups:

• conditions where the blood flow to the heart is interrupted or reduced (coronary heart disease)
• heart failure
• problems with the rhythm of the heart
• conditions that can be passed on through your parents' genes (inherited)
• conditions that are present at birth (congenital)

Coronary heart disease

This is the term for what happens when the blood flow to the heart is interrupted or reduced. Angina and heart attacks often happen as a result of coronary heart disease.

Angina, chest pain and heart attack

Angina and heart attack each have their own symptoms and treatments. If you have chest pain, you need to know when to seek help, and that is a question for a doctor. Don't wait it out at home.

Heart failure

Heart failure means your heart cannot pump blood around your body as well as it should.

Heart rhythm disorders

A heart rhythm problem, also called arrhythmia, usually means your heart is beating too fast, too slow or irregularly. Several conditions come under this heading:

• atrial fibrillation
• heart block
• heart palpitations
• supraventricular tachycardia
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Each of these has its own symptoms and treatments.

Inherited heart conditions

These are sometimes called inherited cardiac conditions (ICC). They are a group of heart conditions passed on through your parents' genes.

Congenital heart disease

This is a condition or problem with the heart that is there from birth.

Women's heart health

Heart disease is a major cause of ill health and death for women in Scotland.