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A heart attack happens when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked and the heart can’t get oxygen. If you think you or someone else may be having heart attack symptoms or a heart attack, call 9–1–1 for emergency medical care.

Heart conditions and other disorders, age-related changes, rheumatic fever, or infections can cause acquired heart valve disease. These factors change the shape or flexibility of once-normal heart valves. The cause of congenital heart valve disease isn't know.

Your doctor will diagnose a heart attack based on your signs and symptoms, your medical and family histories, and results from one or more tests: electrocardiogram (EKG), blood tests, and coronary angiography.

Lowering your risk factors for coronary heart disease—through heart-healthy lifestyle changes and ongoing medical care—can help you prevent a heart attack.

Lifestyle changes—including quitting smoking, losing excess weight, avoiding the use of alcohol and illegal drugs, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress—and ongoing care can help you manage cardiomyopathy.

Certain diseases, conditions, or factors can raise your risk for cardiomyopathy. Major risk factors include a family history, preexisting disease or condition, diabetes, diseases that can damage the heart, long-term alcoholism, and long-term high blood pressure.

Living with peripheral artery disease and its symptoms requires ongoing health care and heart-healthy lifestyle changes. Talk to your doctor about taking part in a supervised exercise program, maintain routine foot care and inspection for sores, and take all medicines as prescribed.

Many people who have peripheral artery disease do not have any signs or symptoms. When people do have signs and symptoms of peripheral artery disease, they can include intermittent claudication, weak or absent pulses in the legs or feet, sore or wounds on the toes, feet, or legs that heal slowly, a pale or bluish color to the skin, a lower temperature in one leg compared to the other leg, poor nail growth, and erectile dysfunction.

Mitral valve prolapse is a condition in which the flaps of the mitral valve are floppy, or prolapsed, which can prevent the seal from forming, which results in a backflow of blood in the left atrium as blood is pumped through the heart.

People at greatest risk for metabolic syndrome have high abdominal obesity, an inactive lifestyle, and insulin resistance. Some racial and ethnic groups in the United States are at higher risk for metabolic syndrome than others.