The 7 Main Types of Heart Disease

Heart disease is a collective term that describes a range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. It is sometimes referred to as cardiovascular disease and affects the organs that make up your cardiovascular system. 

Your cardiovascular system comprises your heart, blood vessels, and blood. It serves the important function of transporting blood, oxygen, and nutrients around your body. When this system is not functioning properly, it can seriously impact your quality of life and lead to serious illness or even premature death.

Some of the main types of cardiovascular or heart disease include:

• Coronary heart disease
• Heart failure and cardiomyopathy
• Atrial fibrillation (arrhythmias)
• Pericardial disease
• Heart valve disease
• Congenital heart disease
• Stroke.

Heart disease has been the leading cause of death worldwide for many years, with prevalence rates remaining relatively stable over time. Coronary heart disease, one of the most common types of cardiovascular disease, was the leading cause of death for Australian men and the second leading cause of death for Australian women in 2020. Diseases that affect the circulatory system were responsible for 27% of all deaths in 2017-18.

Heart disease doesn’t only lead to premature death; it also causes significant loss of healthy life and disease burden on Australians. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that 1.2 million Australians were living with some type of heart disease in 2017-2018. 

Who is affected by heart disease in Australia?

Around one in 20 Australians are affected by heart disease, with this number remaining consistent over time. Men are slightly more likely to experience heart disease than women, with a 5.4% and 4.2% prevalence, respectively in 2017-18. This trend has existed for many years, and the gap between rates of heart disease between men and women does not appear to be closing.

The likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease typically increases with age. In 2017-18, less than 5% of people aged under 55 had a heart disease diagnosis. These rates increased to about 25% of those aged 75 years and over. Collectively, heart diseases accounted for an estimated 8.7% of the Australian healthcare expenditure ($11.8 billion). The Australian government has recognised the urgent need for more research, prevention, and treatment options to support those affected by heart diseases in Australia.

What is Australia doing about cardiovascular diseases?

In response to the serious impact on mortality, well-being, and healthcare expenditure, the Australian government has formulated a response to help tackle heart disease. Strategies are focussed on improving the prevention, treatment, and management of cardiovascular conditions and funding further research, monitoring, and surveillance of these diseases. These strategies include:

• Maintaining the Medicare Benefits Schedule to pay for patient care, including Chronic Disease Management plans and Heart Health Check.
• Delivering the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which subsidises important medicines that help treat heart disease.
• Funding medical research through the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
• Supporting the Heart Foundation in partnership with the Stroke Foundation to develop a National Strategic Action Plan for Heart Disease and Stroke.
• Focusing on childhood heart disease through the National Strategic Action Plan for Childhood Heart Disease.

How is heart disease treated and managed in Australia?

Every cardiovascular condition is unique and requires a targeted, individual treatment approach. Your doctor is the best person to discuss your personal circumstances with and work together to find the best treatment and management options for you or a loved one living with heart disease.

For most people, their treatment journey begins with a visit to their primary health practitioners, such as a general practitioner or their family doctor. Some people may also visit a nurse practitioner or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker as their first point of care. No two people with heart disease are exactly the same, so your healthcare team will need to work with you to create a treatment plan that meets your needs.

Primary healthcare professionals will undertake regular checks and screenings to monitor your condition. They may also prescribe medicines, order pathology or imaging tests, refer you to specialists and help educate you about your condition and how to manage it at home. 

High blood pressure and abnormal blood lipids were some of the most common new conditions recorded by General Practitioners in 2019-2020. Getting regular checkups is one important way of detecting these diseases early so that you can slow their progression. Heart Health Checks are covered by Medicare and are a great way to check in on your cardiovascular well-being. Don’t wait until you start to notice symptoms before reaching out for help. Contact your doctor to learn more about the health of your heart today.

The 7 main types of heart disease in Australia

There are several types of heart disease that affect the heart, blood, and blood vessels. In Australia, seven main types of heart disease are the most common and prevalent. We’ll go over each of these types of heart disease below, explain how they affect the body, their impact on Australians, and the types of prevention and treatment strategies available.

1. Coronary heart disease (CHD)

Coronary heart disease, also known as ischaemic heart disease, is the most common type of heart disease affecting Australians annually. Coronary heart disease (CHD) occurs when the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood narrow or become blocked. The main two types of coronary heart disease are heart attack (also known as acute myocardial infarction) and angina. 

A heart attack or acute myocardial infarction is a life-threatening event caused by a sudden blockage of a blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart muscle. The most serious heart attack type is an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). STEMIs are almost always caused by a complete blockage of a major coronary artery, leading to a long interruption of blood supply. NSTEMI (Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction) is characterised by a partially blocked artery, severely reducing blood flow.

Angina is a type of chest pain caused by disrupted blood flow to the heart. Angina can be stable or unstable. Stable angina describes episodic periods of chest pain due to a temporary deficiency in blood supply to the heart. Unstable angina is more dangerous and involves an accelerating pattern of chest discomfort. Unstable angina is treated similarly to a heart attack.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single leading cause of disease burden in Australia, causing more death and loss of healthy life than any other disease. An estimated 571,000 adults (2.9%) self-reported living with coronary heart disease in 2020-2021. These rates increase dramatically with age, with coronary heart disease affecting around 11% of people aged 75 years and over.

Risk factors and causes of coronary heart disease

There is no singular cause of coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease occurs when arteries that supply your heart become blocked. Some risk factors increase your risk of developing coronary heart disease. These risk factors include the following:

• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Physical inactivity
• Social isolation
• Being overweight or obese
• Older age
• Being male
• Family history of coronary heart disease
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Depression.

Signs and symptoms of coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease is difficult to detect early because it can have little to no symptoms in its early stages. Some people don’t know they have coronary heart disease until they experience angina or a heart attack. Acute coronary heart disease symptoms can vary between people, especially between men and women.

Men and women can both experience:

• Chest pain
• Neck pain
• Pain in the left arm
• Feeling cold and sweaty
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue.

Women often experience less obvious or common symptoms, such as:

• Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or abdomen pain
• Shortness of breath with or without chest pain
• Pain in one or both arms
• Nausea or vomiting
• Cold sweats
• Light-headedness
• Dizziness
• Exhaustion
• Heart palpitations.

If you feel a sudden pain in your chest, or you are concerned that you may be having a heart attack, call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance — this is an emergency.

2. Atrial fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation, often called AFib or AF, is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. Arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation, occurs when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or with an abnormal rhythm. In people with AF, the heart does not pump blood regularly or work as efficiently as it should. 

It is not known exactly how many Australians live with atrial fibrillation. However, surveys estimate it affects around 2.2% of the general population. Atrial fibrillation (AF) and other arrhythmia types are often hard to detect. People with AF may not know they have it, and experience few or no symptoms. Others will notice signs like irregular pulse, heart palpitations, fatigue, weakness, discomfort, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

Some common causes of atrial fibrillation include sustained high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and valvular heart disease. Older people are more at risk of AF, as are people who are obese, have diabetes or CKD, people with obstructive sleep apnoea, and people who smoke or drink excessively. 

3. Heart failure and cardiomyopathy

Heart failure and cardiomyopathy are different conditions that often occur together.

Heart failure can occur suddenly, but it is usually a slow decline in the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body effectively. 

Cardiomyopathy is where the heart muscle is completely or partially damaged or weakened. Causes include coronary heart disease, hypertension, viral infections, and excessive alcohol consumption.

Signs and symptoms of heart failure can be very mild or nonexistent, depending on its severity. Moderate-to-severe heart failure can produce symptoms such as chronic exhaustion, lowered physical activity capacity, and shortness of breath. 

Treatment for heart failure depends on the severity and the underlying causes. Heart failure where the heart muscle experiences irreversible damage cannot be cured, but it can be managed if detected early. Some types of heart failure, such as those caused by heart valve defects, can be cured if detected early enough. 

Heart failure and cardiomyopathy affected around 102,000 adults in Australia in 2017-18. Two-thirds of affected Australians were aged 65 years and over. Heart failure and cardiomyopathy contributed to 14% of all deaths in 2019. This includes deaths directly from heart failure or cardiomyopathy and deaths where these conditions were a contributing factor, combined with other conditions like coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).

4. Stroke

A stroke occurs when blood supply to parts of our brain is reduced or interrupted. This deprives brain tissue of the nutrients and oxygen necessary for its survival. Within minutes, the cells start to die, impeding our brain functions.

There are 2 main forms of stroke — ischemic and hemorrhagic. Some people may also experience a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

An estimated 1.3% of the population, or 387,000 Australians, reported experiencing a stroke at some time in their lives in 2018. In the same year, there were more than 100 strokes happening around the country every day. 

There are many risk factors that can increase our stroke risk. Some are non-modifiable factors such as age and family history, while others are lifestyle factors we control. Modifiable risk factors for stroke include the following:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Smoking
• Being overweight or obese.

Strokes are more likely with age, and older people experience greater rates of strokes than younger people. Read more about strokes here.

5. Pericardial disease

The pericardium is the sac that contains and protects your heart. Pericardial disease describes any condition that affects the pericardium, including pericarditis. Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac covering your heart and is often caused by an infection such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. It can also be caused by a heart attack.

Signs and symptoms of pericardial conditions include mild fever, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness or fatigue, nausea, dry cough, and swollen legs or abdomen. Your doctor will diagnose pericardial disease by performing a physical examination and listening to your heart. They may do blood tests and perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) or chest x-ray for more clarification. 

6. Heart valve disease and rheumatic heart disease

Your heart has four valves that work to keep your blood flowing in the right direction. When one or more of these valves is dysfunctional, it can disrupt the blood flow to your heart. Heart valve disease describes any condition that affects your heart valves.

Heart valve disease can be present at birth (congenital) or arise in adulthood due to other heart diseases or infections. Common heart valve problems include regurgitation, stenosis, and atresia.

Risk factors for heart valve disease include older age, history of heart conditions or infections that can affect the heart, congenital heart disease, and general heart risk factors like high blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes.

Rheumatic heart disease is also associated with damaged heart valves. Rheumatic heart disease can occur after experiencing acute rheumatic fever (ARF). Rheumatic heart disease can damage any part of the heart, including the valves, heart muscle or the heart’s lining. The most common impact of rheumatic heart disease is on the heart valves, especially on your left side.

Rheumatic heart disease is most prevalent in rural and remote Aboriginal communities. Risk factors include poverty, crowded living conditions and poor access to appropriate medical care. The best way to prevent rheumatic heart disease is to treat and prevent acute rheumatic fever. 

Some people don’t experience many symptoms of rheumatic heart disease. However, some symptoms include the following:

• Chest pain
• Heart palpitations
• Breathlessness during exertion
• Difficulty breathing when lying down (orthopnea)
• Waking up with the need to sit or stand
• Swelling
• Fainting 
• Stroke
• Fever.

Rheumatic heart disease is typically diagnosed using medical examinations, including chest x-rays, electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiograms.

7. Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is any condition that is present upon a baby being born, where the heart has not developed properly. There are many different types of congenital heart disease, with some being mild and others very serious and severe. Congenital heart disease is the most common type of birth defect, affecting about 1 in 100 babies. Some types of congenital heart disease include the following:

• A hole in the heart (atrial or ventricular septal defect) which can disrupt oxygen flow
• Problems with the blood vessels (such as being too narrow or not in the right location)
• Problems with heart valves (such as being too narrow and obstructing blood flow).

Babies and children with congenital heart disease are treated by paediatric cardiologists (heart specialists that work with children). They may also be treated by a paediatric heart surgeon. Depending on the type and severity, a person with congenital heart disease may require treatment for the rest of their life. Fortunately, medical advancements mean more treatment options are available than ever before, and many babies born with congenital heart disease lead normal lives.

How Homage can help

If you or a loved one live with heart disease or a cardiovascular condition, you are not alone. We understand how important it is to you to keep living a fulfilling, normal life, even if you have a health condition or care for someone who is ill. Our team of highly trained, compassionate, and experienced Care Professionals has a range of services that can support you.

We can help with transportation and provide medical escorts to appointments and scans. We can also offer caregiving and nursing support from the comfort of your own home, including administering medication and supporting you to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Have an obligation-free conversation with our Care Advisory team today and learn why thousands of families trust Homage to deliver the best care in their homes.