About Heart Disease

The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as defined by the American Heart Association (AHA), include:

coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease)

stroke (brain attack)

high blood pressure (hypertension)

rheumatic heart disease

Approximately 61,800,000 Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Each year, cardiovascular diseases top the list of the country's most serious health problems. Coronary heart disease is the number one killer and stroke is the number three killer. Stroke is also the number one cause of serious, long-term disability.

Yet, studies show that nearly everyone can become heart healthy by:

following a proper diet.
following an appropriate exercise program.
following a routine health care plan.
eliminating tobacco products.

Most important to toppling cardiovascular diseases as the number one cause of disability and death, is early detection and early treatment.

To find out if you are at risk for heart disease, take our heart disease risk assessment quiz. Or, obtain additional heart healthy information and resources about risk factors, treatment and nutrition and recipes.

The heart team at The Ohio State University Medical Center has been taking care of people with heart disease for well over 50 years. Ohio State cardiologists were among the first in the nation to perform cardiac catheterizations and they were involved in the earliest development of Dobutamine, now a standard medication therapy for heart failure. OSU plans to keep the tradition of providing leading edge cardiovascular care by building central Ohio's first a hospital specifically focused on the heart – the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.

As one of the premier cardiovascular programs in the country, the Ross Heart Hospital offers you a level of heart care unsurpassed anywhere in the country. In partnership with the research team at the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute , the Ross Heart Hospital's heart care experts will be able to bring patients the most current heart disease diagnoses and treatments. We offer a variety of minimally invasive procedures including robotic assisted heart surgery, which results in a quicker recovery for patients.

See a list of heart services at OSU Medical Center or call (614) 293-5123 or (800) 293-5123 for more information.