• Heart disease is also called cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), and coronary artery disease.

• The term "heart disease" can be used to describe any disorder of the cardiovascular system that affects the heart's ability to function normally.

• The heart is the muscular organ in the chest that maintains the circulation of blood throughout the body.

• Blood that has traveled through the body returns to the heart and is pumped into the lungs, where it absorbs oxygen.

• Oxygen-rich blood returns from the lungs, enters the heart, and then is pumped through the aortic valve into the main artery of the body (aorta) and smaller arteries that travel to the head, arms, abdomen, and legs.