Cardiovascular Disease

NeuroEndocrine Hyperplasia of Infancy (NEHI), also known as Persistent Tachypnea of Infancy, is a form of rare infant pulmonary diseases. The disease inhibits the lung's ability to undergo gas...

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, carotid artery stenosis is the cause of at least half of the annual strokes in the United States. Proper treatment with medication...

A clogged artery is a vascular condition that can be fatal if not treated in time. By recognizing the warning signs, one has a better chance of surviving or preventing this type of emergency.

More than 92 percent of Americans are at risk for cardiovascular disease, according to research from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted by the CDC and published in...

Sotalol is the generic form of a prescription medication used to treat arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. The medication is considered to be a part of the beta-blocker class of drugs.

The Polar Pacer heart rate monitoring system consists of a strap that monitors your heart rate and transmits it to watch-like wrist receiver. Other than monitoring your heart rate, the Pacer has...

According to the National Institutes of Health, a vast majority of people over the age of 50 have developed high blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure refers to the cardiovascular pressure...

Nothing is more frightening to a pregnant mother than hearing or believing that there might be something wrong with her baby. However, if heart disease or fetal heart abnormalities are common in...

According to MedlinePlus, ventricular fibrillation occurs when the muscles in the lower chambers of the heart twitch abnormally, a condition that prevents the heart from properly pumping blood...

Blood vessels become clogged with plaque and begin to harden in a condition called arteriosclerosis, a component of heart disease which leads to heart attack or stroke. Regular doctor visits and...

The arteries that lead directly into your heart and are responsible for blood flow are the coronary arteries. Some individuals develop buildup of the fatty substance called plaque, reducing blood...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In order to diagnose and treat heart...

Cholesterol is fat made by the body. Low density fats, called LDL cholesterol/”bad” cholesterol, are needed for good health, but too much of LDL causes plaque to build up in the arteries. ...

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a large deep vein, usually in a lower leg. Treatment for DVT prevents clots from getting larger, helps to dissolve them and prevents them...

Microvascular angina is a type of angina, or chest pain, that is not caused by any apparent coronary artery blockage. Instead, the pain is caused by smaller blood vessels in the body working...

Blood vessels are the conduits of your cardiovascular system. They provide nutrition and oxygen to the various tissues of the body. There are two major classes of blood vessels: arteries and...

At rest, the average human heart beats roughly 75 times and pumps roughly 5 liters of blood per minute. The heartbeat is strictly controlled by a critical electrical node, but sometimes this node...

An echocardiogram--or echo--is a diagnostic test used to take pictures of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. It is more detailed than an X-ray and uses sound waves versus radiation.

An echocardiogram, also referred to as a Doppler ultrasound of the heart, is a medical testing procedure that allows health care professionals to examine the heart with noninvasive equipment. A...

More American women die from heart disease than men. Heart disease in women is actually more prevalent than breast cancer. Having a healthy heart might mean a change in lifestyle. Believe it or...

Varicose veins are common problems in the elderly and obese, and they are caused by a single cardiovascular malfunction. Fortunately, they are easily treated and may not actually result in any...

A wide variety of tests help physicians and patients determine the extent and location of arterial disease. Early determination and action against clogged arteries can stave off amputation, heart...

According to a January, 2002 article in the Annual Review of Psychology, there is disagreement between some in the medical community and some in the psychological and behavioral communities about...

Tachycardia is a condition where your heart beats very rapidly--usually more than 100 beats per minute, but it is not from exercise or any normal external stimuli. Tachycardia starts in the upper...

Atherosclerosis is the name of the condition in which one's arteries have been clogged by fatty plaque deposits along the artery walls. It reduces the amount of blood and oxygen that is able to...

The American Heart Association has identified risk factors for coronary heart disease. Some risk factors, such as race, sex or heredity, can't be controlled. However, other risk factors, such as...

Rheumatic heart disease affects the heart valves. Heart valves are structures that regulate the unidirectional bloodflow through the four chambers of the heart. Along the way, valves open or close...

HDL cholesterol is also referred to as your "good" or healthy cholesterol, as opposed to LDL cholesterol. A high level of HDL cholesterol reduces your risk of future heart disease. You can...

Liver cysts are small growths that form beneath the surface of the liver. Individual cysts that grow in the liver are usually benign and cause almost no health risks. However, there are cases when...

Combined chest and jaw pain can be cardiac related and may indicate a heart attack. This type of pain originates in the chest area and radiates upwards to the left jaw. Chest pain that does not...

Of the three main types of muscle in the human body, cardiac muscle is perhaps the least understood. This muscle, unlike the smooth or striated muscles found in the arms and legs, never seems to...

Temporal arteritis, or an inflamed artery, refers to the inflammation and eventual damage of an artery---often the carotid---that supplies blood flow to the brain. An inflamed carotid artery is a...

There are medical tests each of us needs to get regularly at different stages of our lives to stay healthy. Early detection is the key to managing or reversing most diseases. I've researched the...

Congestive heart failure is a serious medical condition marked by failure of the heart to pump adequate blood to other parts of the body. It is a potentially fatal condition with a number of...

Plaques are buildups of fatty acids and cholesterol. Artherosclerosis develops when plaque accumulates in your arteries and causes them to harden. These plaques can also clog your arteries and...

Light swelling in the body can be a normal occurrence and usually fails to produce any red flags or warning signs. But excessive fluid retention; especially in the ankles, can be indicative of...

Lisinopril is a medication used for treating hypertension. It acts by inhibiting an enzyme that causes blood vessels to constrict.

Cardiac catheterization is a procedure used to evaluate or diagnose certain conditions such as congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, causes of heart failure or cardiomyopathy and...

The circulatory system is composed of the heart and the body's blood vessels, including veins, arteries and capillaries. The heart functions to pump blood to the body, while the blood vessels are...

If your arms and legs are constantly cold, cramped or numb, it may be a sign that you have poor blood circulation. When the blood doesn't flow well through your body, it invites a host of health...

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report as many as 27.1 percent of the deaths that occurred in the United States in 2005 were caused by heart disease. Of those...

A phlebolith, which derives from the Latin roots "phlebo," meaning vein, and "lith," meaning stone, is a small stone in a vein formed by the accumulation of calcium deposits. Phleboliths are most...

While many people are familiar with the dangers of high cholesterol levels, some are not aware of the dangers of another substance found in the bloodstream called triglycerides. But according to...

On average, the normal resting heartbeat of an adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute. Tachycardia, a type of cardiac arrhythmia, is when the heart beats at a rate of more than 100 beats per minute.

Coronary heart disease occurs when fatty plaque buildup causes the arteries to narrow, slowing or blocking blood flow to the heart. This can lead to chest pain and heart attacks, according to...

According to the Mayo Clinic, cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death in the United States. There are several things that point to increase risk of cardiovascular disease such as obesity...

When your doctor checks your cholesterol levels, you receive readings on your total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are a form of fat in your blood. They can become...

The acai berry is a fruit native to the Amazon rainforest. According to Diabetes Education, the berry constitutes 42 percent of the diet of the Caboclo people. Its popularity in the rest of the...

The Bebe Sounds Prenatal Heart Listener by Graco helps expectant parents monitor the sounds their baby makes while in the womb. Because the Heart Listener amplifies the natural sounds made by your...

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid, but in a slightly altered form. CLA can be found in dairy products as well as in beef, poultry, eggs and corn oil. CLA is...