Heart disease, such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease, is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. Prevention includes quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol, controlling high blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising.

Heart failure often develops because you have (or had) a medical condition affecting your heart, such as coronary artery disease, a heart attack or high blood pressure, which has damaged or put extra workload on your heart. These are the most common reasons why you may have developed heart failure. However, there are many other reasons why you may have heart failure, including heart blood pressure, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, heart muscle disease and arrhythmias.

Heart failure can develop at any age but clearly becomes more common the older you get. Around 1% of people under 65 years of age have heart failure, but 7% of 75-84 year olds have heart failure and this increases to 15% in people older than 85 years of age. It’s the most common cause of hospitalisation in patients over 65 years of age.

Although it’s called heart 'failure', it doesn't mean that your heart is about to stop working. However, it does mean that your heart is having difficulty working to meet the needs of your body (especially during activity).

There are many types of heart disease. Here's where to get quick facts on each one -- including warning signs and symptoms.
Heart Disease Warning Signs
Here's a fast, easy-to-understand guide to the symptoms of each type of heart disease.
When to Call the Doctor
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease is America's No.1 killer, affecting more than 13 million Americans.
Enlarged Heart (Cardiomegaly)
An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) can have various causes. But it's usually caused by high blood pressure (hypertension) or coronary artery disease.
Heart Attack
You know there's nothing funny about a heart attack. There's a lot more to learn. Get the facts here.
Irregular Heart Rhythm
Irregular heart rhythm -- arrhythmia -- is when your heart doesn't keep up a good beat. Learn what it means here.
Atrial Fibrillation
It's the most common kind of irregular heartbeat. Find out what is happening when your heart beats irregularly, and what to do about it.
Tool: Heart Rhythm Disorders
Irregular heart rhythms can cause the pumping function of the heart to fail. See how.
Heart Valve Disease
You may not know what a heart valve is -- until it stops working right. It's a common form of heart disease. Here's an illustrated guide.
Sudden Cardiac Death
This is the cause of half of all heart disease deaths. Find out why here.
Congenital Heart Disease
Not everyone gets heart disease. Some are born with it. Here are the facts on congenital heart disease.
Heart Muscle Disease (Cardiomyopathy)
Heart muscle disease -- what doctors call cardiomyopathy -- is as serious as it sounds. Here's a brief overview.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Symptoms of DC --dilated cardiomyopathy -- can appear at any age. Learn to recognize them here.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
HCM -- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- is a thickening of the walls of the heart. Here's a brief overview.
Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is the rarest form of heart-muscle disease. Here's an overview.
Pericarditis
Did you know that your heart is held by a little sac? That sac -- the pericardium -- can get infected. It's called pericarditis or pericardial disease. Here's more.
Pericardial Effusion
Fluid around the heart can be caused by various types of infection/inflammation or cancer, kidney disease or heart surgery. This fluid can impair heart function. Read more in this technical article written for doctors.
Marfan Syndrome
This inherited genetic defect weakens connective tissues, including those in the heart. Click here to learn more.
Heart Murmurs
Most heart murmurs are innocent: They are caused by blood flowing through healthy valves in a healthy heart and do not require treatment. However, heart murmurs can be caused by blood flowing through a damaged or overworked heart valve.

ACE Inhibitors
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are heart meds that widen, or dilate, your blood vessels to raise the amount of blood your heart pumps and lower your blood pressure.
Angiotension II Receptor Blockers
These heart drugs decrease certain chemicals that narrow blood vessels. That allows blood to flow more easily through your body. These drugs also decrease chemicals that cause salt and fluid to build up in the body.
Antiarrhythmics
These drugs treat abnormal heart rhythms caused by irregular electrical activity of your heart.
Antiplatelet Drugs
They are a group of powerful medications that prevent the formation of blood clots.
Aspirin Therapy
For more than 100 years, aspirin has been used as a pain reliever. Since the 1970s, aspirin has also been used to prevent and manage heart disease and stroke.
Beta-Blocker Therapy
Beta-blockers are one of the most widely prescribed class of drugs to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). They are a mainstay treatment for congestive heart failure.
Calcium Channel Blocker Drugs
These relax blood vessels and increase the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. They also reduce the heart's workload.
Clot Buster Drugs
Also called thrombolytic therapy, these are a type of heart medication given in the hospital through the veins (intravenous) to break up blood clots.
Digoxin
If you have heart disease, this is a medicine that helps an injured or weakened heart work more efficiently.
Diuretics
You may hear these called water pills. They help your body get rid of unneeded water and salt through urine. That makes it easier for your heart to pump. It also helps control your blood pressure.
Nitrates
These are meds that treat angina in people with coronary artery disease. They also help ease chest pain caused by blocked blood vessels of the heart.
Warfarin and Other Blood Thinners
These medicines help prevent clots from forming. Blood thinners treat some types of heart disease.

Exactly when do you go from having risk factors to having heart disease? These links take you to information on the tests a doctor uses to diagnose heart disease.
Heart Disease Diagnosis
The first step is getting a doctor's exam. Here's a description of what the doctor will do.
How Do You Know if You Have Heart Disease?
Here's how to know if you will need the essential medical care that comes with a heart disease diagnosis -- to stabilize the condition immediately, control symptoms over the long term, and cure the disease when possible.
The Basics of EKG
Whether you spell it EKG or ECG, it's an electrocardiogram. Learn the basics here.
Chest X-Ray
Why get a chest X-ray? What happens? Click here for quick answers.
Stress Test
Does your heart respond well to exertion? That's what a stress test looks for. Here's a straightforward description, including how to prepare for a stress test.
Tilt Table Test
The head-up tilt table test is used to help find the cause of fainting spells. Here's what you need to know.
Echocardiogram
There are several variations on the echocardiogram, or "echo," as doctors call it. Learn about these ultrasound-like tests of the heart -- and find out what to expect -- here.
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac catheterization -- also called a coronary angiogram -- means running a catheter into your heart. It's done to help doctors see what's going on in there, and whether they need to operate. Here's where to learn about it.
Electrophysiology Test
Electrophysiology -- the EP test -- takes measurements of your heart rhythm and records the electrical activity and pathways of your heart. Start preparing for it by clicking here.
CT Heart Scan
Computed tomography (CT scan) of the heart can visualize your heart’s anatomy. Calcium-score heart scan and coronary CT angiography are just a few types used to diagnose heart disease.
Myocardial Biopsy
A myocardial biopsy is when a doctor uses a special catheter to remove a piece of your heart tissue for examination. Click here to learn why it's done.
Heart MRI
A heart MRI is a great way for doctors to get a look -- from the outside -- at how your heart is working. Read about it here.
Pericardiocentesis
Pericardiocentesis -- also called a pericardial tap -- means using a needle to get a sample of the fluid in the sac surrounding the heart. Here's what you need to know.