There are numerous distinct disorders that relate to heart.
These include arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis, angina,
heart attack, and heart failure, arrhythmias, myocarditis,
cardiomyopathy, heart murmurs, rheumatic heart disease, valvular
disease, mitral valve prolapse and high blood pressure or
hypertension. Like any muscle, the heart needs a constant supply
of oxygen and nutrients that are carried to it by the blood in
the coronary arteries. When the coronary arteries become
narrowed or clogged and cannot supply enough blood to the heart,
the result is coronary heart disease. The most common type of
heart disease is coronary heart disease (CHD), also called
coronary artery disease. It is the No. 1 killer in America,
affecting more than 12 million Americans. Coronary heart disease
develops when one or more of the coronary arteries that supply
the blood to the heart become narrower than they used to be.
This happens because of a buildup of cholesterol and other
substances in the wall of the blood vessel,