What Causes Heart Disease? | South Denver Cardiology

Causes of Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)

Cardiovascular disease is an illness to the veins, arteries, capillaries or heart.

Atherosclerosis: A buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries that can block oxygen and other nutrients to and from your heart and the rest of your body.
Arteriosclerosis: Restriction of blood flow to your organs and tissues. Atherosclerosis is the most common form of cardiovascular disease and is often caused by an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and smoking.

Dr. Jeb Burchenal, an interventional cardiologist here at South Denver Cardiology discusses in this video, symptoms of a heart attack and what to do when signs or symptoms are present.

Symptoms of heart disease in women

Causes of Heart Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. A heart arrhythmia occurs when the electrical impulses in your heart that coordinate your heartbeats don’t work properly. There are many types of that may contribute to the development of an arrhythmia

High Blood Pressure: High blood pressure causes the heart chambers to pump and work harder, creating stress and strain on the heart muscle.

Heart Attack: A coronary attack occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough blood to the cells and the heart cells die.

Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is a condition when the heart muscle is weakened and/or enlarged.

Dilated: Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common type of cardiomyopathy. It is a condition when the heart is enlarged and weakened.

Causes of Heart Defects

Heart defects are usually presented at birth. These are caused by the improper development of the heart during fetal development.

Scientist identifies that some types of congenital heart defects can be related to an abnormality of an infant’s chromosomes, single gene defects or environmental factors.

Causes of Heart Infections

Heart infections happen when a bacteria, virus or chemical reaches the heart muscle. The most common causes of heart infections include:

Bacteria: Everyday activities such as eating, brushing your teeth or poor health can cause heart infections. That’s why having regular dental check-ups on clinics like the Appleton Dentist is invaluable.

Viruses: Influenza, gastrointestinal infections, mononucleosis and viruses associated with sexually transmitted infections can also cause heart infections.

Parasites and other diseases, including include lupus, connective tissue disorders, inflammation of blood vessels and rare inflammatory conditions, such as Wegener’s granulomatosis.

For more information on what causes heart disease, contact us today.