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What are the different
types of heart disease
There
are two types of heart disease: congenital and acquired.
Congenital heart disease is present at birth and is rare.
Acquired heart disease develops over time, usually beginning
during middle-age and affecting many older dogs.
The
most prevalent type of acquired heart disease, Chronic
Valvular Disease (CVD), is also known as mitral
regurgitation, mitral valve disease and valvular insufficiency,
among other names. In CVD, the heart valves gradually lose
the ability to close effectively, which causes abnormalities
in blood flow.
The
second most common kind of acquired canine heart disease,
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
(DCM), causes the muscular walls of the heart to
become thin and weak, and the chambers dilate.
Both
CVD and DCM result in the same serious condition, which
is called heart
failure.
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