What is the difference between heart disease, heart attack and heart failure?

Hi, I'm Sukh Nidja. I'm an interventional cardiologist working in London. We often get asked what the difference is between these different terms. Heart disease, heart attack and heart failure. These are actually three different heart conditions but can be mixed up together because in some cases one can lead to another issue. Heart disease is a generic term usually referring to the build-up of plaque within our heart arteries. This is a progressive condition that builds up slowly over time and is increased by risk factors such as having high blood pressure, having high cholesterol or smoking. Those people with a family history also have a higher risk of developing heart artery disease. Heart attacks on the other hand are where the arteries suddenly block. This occurs because plaque in the heart arteries may rupture and develop an area of clot which then can rapidly block the heart artery. This causes very severe chest pain, causes the patient to feel very uncomfortable and they will typically need to come into the hospital very promptly and it is a medical emergency. Heart failure on the other hand is a more progressive insidious condition that builds up slowly over time. The most common cause of heart failure in the United Kingdom is those patients who've had previous heart attacks and this is where any cause of weakness of the heart muscle progressively causes the heart to become weaker, less efficient in pumping and generally presents itself as a form of breathlessness on activity. Breathlessness when patients are lying down or in bed and even breathlessness at rest. This is typically diagnosed by performing sophisticated heart scans to look to see what the function of the heart is. Therefore there are three separate conditions by these terms but they can all be linked together. Heart artery disease can lead to heart attacks and that in itself can lead to heart failure. Thank you.