What is heart disease?

One of the commonest diseases to affect the heart is coronary heart disease (CHD). It's usually caused by atherosclerosis, a build up of fatty materials within the walls of the arteries.


Other heart diseases
Other diseases that commonly affect the heart include:
Infection: bacterial infections are much rarer these days thanks to antibiotics, but can damage the valves of the heart as well as other tissues. Viral infections can damage the heart muscle leading to heart failure, or cause abnormal heart rhythms.

Congenital heart disease: there's a range of structural abnormalities that can develop in the heart as a baby grows in the womb. These may cause abnormal flow through the heart (for example, through a septal defect or 'hole in the heart') or through the rest of the circulation, and put excessive strain on the infant's heart after it's born.

Cardiomyopathy: this is disease of the heart muscle and may occur for many different reasons, including CHD, high blood pressure, viral infection, high alcohol intake and thyroid disease.
For many people with heart disease, there are a combination of factors that can cause problems. For example, CHD (most adults have some degree of atherosclerosis, especially if they smoke) and high blood pressure are often found together.