Cardiology

Despite some healthy lifestyle improvements in eating habits, exercise and smoking cessation, men older than 40 have nearly a 50 percent chance of developing coronary heart disease at some point in their lives. 

Heart disease is a broad term that describes a range of diseases affecting your heart and, in some cases, your blood vessels. While cardiac disease can exist in different forms, it often shows no symptoms. This means that many men don’t even think about their hearts until something serious happens — and explains why heart disease is the #1 killer of men worldwide.

You can avoid long-term heart problems — and even save your life — by identifying cardiac disease at its earliest stage. Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital’s Cardiology Services excel in utilizing diagnostic cardiac testing to detect and treat problems with extreme accuracy. Our surgeons and specialists are among the best in Chicago and save lives each month through treatment in the nick of time.

The main types of heart disease Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital treats include:

• Coronary artery disease, also called cardiovascular disease. This occurs when narrowed, blocked or stiffened blood vessels prevent your heart, brain or other body parts from receiving blood. Coronary artery disease can cause heart attack, chest pain (angina), stroke, heart failure, aneurysm or other complications.
  
  
• Heart rhythm problems, also called arrhythmias. Abnormal heartbeats, or arrhythmias, occur when your heart’s electrical impulses don’t function properly. Your heart can beat too fast, called tachycardia; too slow, called bradycardia; or irregularly. These heart arrhythmias can be uncomfortable and sometimes life-threatening.
  
  
• Cardiomyopathy, or the thickening or stiffening of the heart muscle
  
  
• Congenital heart defects, or heart problems you have from birth

If you’re having a heart attack or any other complication from heart disease, we have experts with exactly the right tools to quickly find the problem. The advanced Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital allows our cardiac and cardiovascular specialists to detect and repair dangerous blockages when your life depends on it.

With the expertise of cardiac electrophysiologists, we can diagnose and treat irregular heart rhythms and manage the intricacies of pacemakers and defibrillators. And our renowned Cardiac Rehabilitation Program minimizes the effects of cardiac illness through monitored exercise, risk management and nutritional counseling.

Learn more about heart disease and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital’s Cardiology Services at the links below.

• Risk Factors for Heart Disease
• Diagnosing Heart Disease
• Treatment Options for Heart Disease
• Cardiac Rehabilitation

Find a Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital physician or cardiologist at our Online Physician Directory or by calling (847) 535-6171.