Cardiovascular Disease

You may not be a cardiologist, but you can glean a certain amount of information from the lines on an electrocardiogram (EKG). Still, it's important to leave the true reading and diagnosis to...

Also known as a stress test, a treadmill test consists of exercising on a treadmill at a medical facility. A treadmill test helps the doctor assess the possibility of coronary artery disease, or...

Smoking damage tends to build up over years, coating the lungs in a thick black tar that makes breathing difficult. Smoking also increases the risk of serious chronic illnesses like emphysema or...

Heart disease is a leading killer of both men and women in the U.S. There are steps that you can take to avoid heart disease and if you already have it there are steps you can take to improve your...

It takes many years for plaque to gradually build up in your arteries, the "highways" that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. Arteries hardened by plaque greatly increase your chances...

Arterial plaque is a substance made up of a number of elements (LDL cholesterol being one of the main ones) that stick to the walls of arteries. A buildup of plaque in the arteries can narrow or...

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is considered healthier than low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps lower the total amount of cholesterol in your blood which...

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...

Weight management in congestive heart failure can be very challenging but is very important. Not only does a CHF patient have to manage their excess body fat, but they also have to limit excess...

Learn to live well with congestive heart failure. There are things that you can do to improve your quality of life and manage your CHF symptoms. If you are the caretaker of a heart patient, then...

Cardiovascular disease is a serious problem affecting many individuals today. During an angiogram, My 38 year old husband was diagnosed with a 95% blockage in his LAD (left anterior descending)...

You can keep your cholesterol count in the healthy range with the right diet and lifestyle. Everyone has cholesterol. It's a natural part of the body. It keeps the cells healthy and helps the body...

Chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, is a common disorder in which the veins in the legs are no longer able to properly pump blood back to the heart, resulting in a constant pooling of blood...

Varicose veins are large bulgy blue veins mostly found on the legs. They are caused by blood pooling in the legs. Treating varicose veins can be simple it their early stages and become more...

Venous insufficiency is the condition that causes varicose veins. The venous system is a one-way vascular system designed to return blood form the body to the heart. Blood is pushed through the...

Your feet may be edematous (swollen) for various medical reasons. There are some cases, such as with Lymph edema when your feet will be swollen evenly throughout the day. However, in most cases...

Myocarditis, although uncommon, is a serious disorder typically caused by viral infections, medication allergies, certain chemicals or inflammation diseases. The immune system releases chemicals...

Do you have a child that has to go through open heart surgery? I had to a few months ago and it is not easy.

Paroxysmal Supra Ventricular Tachycardia or PSVT is a non-fatal abnormality of the heart rhythm that mostly occurs in young men and women. It causes sudden pacing of heart without apparent...

Spider veins are small veins that have dilated as a result of an increase in venous pressure. Superficial veins are normally under low pressure and have a low tolerance for high pressure. Spider...

Heart block is a condition that occurs when the electrical impulses that regulate the heart rate have trouble passing from the heart's upper chambers (atria) to its lower chambers (ventricles)....

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat. Arrhythmias in children, including missed beats and changes in heart rate speed, are a sign that something is wrong with the internal electrical system that...

There are several different types of arrhythmias, each with its own diagnostic and treatment procedures. Arrhythmias can be caused by irregular electrical signals or abnormal tissue in the heart....

When plaque builds up on the lining of an artery, the resulting condition is known as atherosclerosis. This condition should be taken seriously, because as plaque builds up, blood flow becomes...

Coronary Artery Disease, known simply as CAD, can refer to many different types of heart problems. Coronary artery disease is one of the most serious health problems facing people today, and is...

Cardiac catheterization is a common diagnostic test for ruling out heart disease in coronary patients. Although the procedure is generally considered quite safe and routine, understanding the...

Your cardiologist will perform an echocardiogram to evaluate the size, shape and position of the structures of your heart. It's a painless test that takes 30 to 60 minutes to perform, and may be...