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Conditions

Common heart
conditions
There are many different heart conditions
and problems which are collectively called
heart disease.

It’s always best to discuss your heart

condition with your health professional or
heart specialist who can advise you on the
correct diagnosis and name of your
condition and treatment plan.

Heart disease and different conditions

affect the heart’s ability to work efficiently.

It can be worrying and confusing to be

diagnosed with a heart condition, but
there's a lot of information and support
available to you. Sometimes
understanding what is happening can help
you worry less.

Coronary heart disease

The most common heart condition in
Scotland is coronary heart disease. This is
caused when the heart’s blood vessels -
the coronary arteries - become narrowed
or blocked and can’t supply enough blood
to the heart.

It can lead to angina and/or a heart attack.

Read more about coronary heart disease

Angina
Angina is a pain or discomfort in your
chest, arm, neck, stomach or jaw that
happens when the blood supply to your
heart becomes restricted because of your
arteries becoming narrowed. This clogging
is called atheroma. Angina is a symptom of
coronary heart disease, not an illness in
itself.

Angina is your heart’s way of telling you it’s

not getting enough oxygen when you’re
doing something strenuous or you’re
feeling under stress. Many people learn to
recognise how much activity will bring on
an angina attack - this is called stable
angina.

If you have unexplained chest pain, seek

urgent medical advice - you will need an
assessment of your overall health.

Unstable angina
Unstable angina can be undiagnosed
chest pain or a sudden worsening of
existing angina. It happens when the
blood supply to the heart is severely
restricted and angina attacks occur more
frequently, with less and less activity.

These attacks may even happen at rest or

wake you from sleep. They can last up to
10 minutes.

You should see your doctor urgently, and

you may be admitted to hospital.

Until tests confirm the diagnosis, this is

sometimes called Acute Coronary
Syndrome (ACS).

Read more about angina

Heart attack
A heart attack - also known as myocardial
infarction or MI - happens when the blood
supply to part of your heart muscle
becomes completely blocked. This is most
commonly caused by a piece of fatty
material breaking off and a blood clot
forms within a coronary artery. This can
cause damage to the part of your heart
muscle which that particular coronary
artery was supplying.

Read more about the symptoms of a heart

attack

Heart failure
If the heart’s pumping action can’t work
effectively, your heart muscle can’t meet
your body’s demand for blood and
oxygen, and your body develops various
different symptoms, like fatigue and
shortness of breath. This is called heart
failure because of the failure of your heart
to work efficiently.

Read more about heart failure

Arrhythmia (abnormal
heart rhythms)
The heart muscle has its own electrical
system which helps to stimulate the
heartbeat. If the electrical signals within
your heart are interrupted or disturbed,
your heart can beat too quickly
(tachycardia), too slowly (bradycardia)
and/or in an irregular way. This is called an
arrhythmia.

Read about arrhythmia  on the Chest

Heart & Stroke Scotland website

Valve disease 
The valves open and close to regulate the
flow of blood through the heart. Problems
with the valves can increase the workload
of your heart and can put a strain on your
heart muscle, leading to a range of
symptoms, like:

shortness of breath

swollen ankles

fatigue

chest pain (angina or palpitations)

dizziness or fainting

Read about heart valve problems  on

the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland website

High blood pressure

Another condition which can affect the
heart is high blood pressure or
hypertension. Although it’s not a disease in
itself, hypertension can lead to an
increased risk of developing serious
conditions such as coronary heart disease,
heart attacks and strokes.

Read more about high blood pressure and

reducing the risks to your heart

Congenital heart
conditions
Congenital heart conditions occur when
there’s an abnormality or defect with the
structure of the heart of a developing
foetus while inside the mother’s womb. A
baby may be born with only one defect or
with several defects. Some types of
congenital heart defects are life-
threatening, either immediately to the
newborn or over time.

Read more about congenital heart disease

Inherited heart conditions

Inherited conditions can be passed on
through families. They are sometimes
called familial or genetic heart conditions.

They can affect people of any age and can

be life-threatening. The first sign there’s a
problem is often when someone dies
suddenly with no obvious cause.

These conditions are different from most

congenital heart conditions, although
some congenital conditions can also be
inherited.

Read more about inherited heart

conditions

Source: Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

Last updated:
18 November 2022

Conditions

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