by Chelsea Padget

Created on: October 30, 2010

Heart disease is a general term that covers about 50 different diseases of the heart. The heart is made up of four ventricles, four valves, lining, muscles and an electrical system. This intricate system works together to keep the heart beating between 60-80 beats per minute and keeping the blood flowing to our important body organs and our brain.

The chambers of the heart are made up of the right and left atria and ventricles. Blood flows into the right atrium and dumps the oxygen depleted blood there. The blood then goes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. The tricuspid valve closes tightly to avoid having blood leak back into the atrium. Once the tricuspid valve is closed, the right  ventricle contracts (squeezes) pumping the blood out through the pulmonic valve and into your lungs. Here, your blood is re-oxygenated by your lungs. The oxygenated blood is then sent to your left atrium. The left atrium pumps the blood into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. The mitral valve closes and the left ventricle pumps the oxygenated blood out to your body and organs through the aorta.

This blood flow through the heart is continuous, unless interrupted by disease. Disease can effect every area of your heart. There are many different types of heart disease. Let's start by looking at the diseases that effect the blood flow through your arteries and your heart:

• Coronary Artery Disease (CAD):

Coronary artery disease is the number one killer in the U.S. CAD is caused by high cholesterol. The cholesterol in the blood is too high, causing the cholesterol to break through the coronary arteries and stick to the artery lining. This causes a plague (cholesterol) buildup inside your coronary arteries. This buildup of plaque causes an obstruction of blood flow to your heart, causing your heart to "choke". This continuous "choking" of the heart, can cause chest pain (angina), and ultimately a risk for a heart attack.

• Heart Attack:

A heart attack can happen when the blood flow to the heart is blocked. This happens mainly because of a lifetime of high cholesterol and plague buildup in the arteries.

• Myocardial Ischemia:

This happens when the myocardium (heart wall muscle) is not getting enough oxygenated blood. The heart has to work harder for the oxygen, causing chest pain (angina), fatigue and shortness of breath.

• Aneurysms:

The arteries of the heart are supposed to be pliable,elastic, muscular and thick. When the arteries

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