What can go wrong with the heart?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide — and most of it follows four patterns: the supply-line failure of coronary artery disease, the pressure overload of hypertension, the electrical chaos of atrial fibrillation, and the pump exhaustion of heart failure. All four develop silently for years, all four are measurable before they announce themselves, and all four are treatable — the modern cardiology record is one of medicine's best. 🚨 The emergency rules below are the most important sentences on this page.
LDL-driven plaque accumulating in the heart's own arteries over decades — the supply-line failure behind heart attacks. Managed with statins, lifestyle, and revascularization when needed. Our high-cholesterol page maps the mechanism.
Chronic pressure overload that thickens and stiffens the left ventricle and accelerates every other cardiac disease. Highly treatable — our hypertension page covers the numbers, the DASH evidence, and the treatment ladder.
The atria fibrillating instead of contracting — an irregular, often rapid rhythm that raises stroke risk roughly five-fold and commonly announces itself as palpitations. Anticoagulation and rhythm or rate control are the treatment pillars.
The pump losing efficiency — breathlessness, fluid retention, fatigue. Once a death sentence; now a managed chronic condition with a modern medication ladder (including SGLT2 inhibitors) that measurably extends life.
Nightly oxygen dips and adrenaline surges that strain the heart — a major driver of resistant hypertension and AF. Loud snoring with witnessed pauses deserves a sleep study. Our sleep-apnea page teaches the connection in full.
Cardiovascular prevention is the best-evidenced prevention in medicine — every item on this list carries trial data: