Heart Disease

Your heart is made up of many parts working together to pump blood. In a healthy heart, all the parts work well so that your heart pumps blood normally. Then all parts of your body that depend on the heart to deliver blood also stay healthy.

Heart disease can disrupt a heart's normal electrical system and pumping functions. Diseases and conditions of the heart's muscle make it difficult for your heart to pump blood normally. Damaged or diseased blood vessels make the heart work harder than normal. Problems with the heart's electrical system, called arrhythmias, can make it difficult for the heart to pump blood efficiently.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Diseases and Conditions Index has information on the most common diseases and conditions of the heart.