Cardiology is the treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in treating heart conditions such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, coronary artery disease, congenital heart defects, and disease of the heart valves. A cardiologist can inform your doctor about new drugs or tests that may be beneficial to you.

Some heart conditions can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle, and can be fatal. Methods that cardiologists use to study heart conditions include stress tests, a monitor to record your heart rate and rhythm, a biopsy, which studies a tiny piece of heart tissue, and an echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to show a picture of how your heart works.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Blood Clot, Peripheral Vascular Disease, angioplasty, Hypertension, Heart Attack, Congestive heart failure, Angina, Atherosclerosis, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary heart disease, Pericarditis, Ventricular Tachycardia, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Cardiac Arrest, Bigeminy, Heart block, Myxoma, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Tricuspid valve disorders, and Aortic valve disorders.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Gastric Bypass Surgery, Open Heart Surgery, Valve Replacement, Valve Repair, Bypass Surgery, Carotid Artery Surgery, Catheter Ablation, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiac Bypass Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery, Laser Angioplasty, Valvuloplasty, Balloon Angioplasty, Atherectomy, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Coronary Angioplasty, Heart Transplantation, and Carotid Surgery.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Cardiac Stress Test, Holter Monitor, Echocardiogram, Blood Test, Sphygmomanometer, Cardiac Enzymes, IVUS, Electrophysiologic study, and Coronary Catheterization.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Illinois has 1,265 practicing cardiologists. Broken out by city, cardiology doctor density in Alton is 18, in Aurora is 14, in Belleville is 15, in Benton is 2, in Berwyn is 32, in Bloomington is 21, in Blue Island is 31, in Breese is 5, in Burbank is 5, in Calumet City is 2, in Canton is 1, in Carbondale is 6, in Carmi is 1, in Centralia is 5, in Champaign is 13, in Charleston is 1, in Chester is 4, in Chicago is 455, in Chicago Heights is 13, in Chillicothe is 1, in Clinton is 9, in Columbia is 2, in Crystal Lake is 8, in Danville is 8, in Darien is 1, in Decatur is 10, in Dekalb is 8, in Des Plaines is 19, in Dixon is 3, in Du Quoin is 1, in East Peoria is 2, in Edwardsville is 7, in Effingham is 17, in Elgin is 16, in Elmhurst is 18, in Eureka is 5, in Evanston is 34, in Fairbury is 4, in Fairview Heights is 4, in Freeport is 8, in Galesburg is 8, in Geneseo is 2, in Geneva is 9, in Granite City is 11, in Harrisburg is 2, in Harvard is 2, in Harvey is 12, in Herrin is 1, in Hickory Hills is 1, in Highland is 1, in Highland Park is 9, in Jacksonville is 1, in Joliet is 30, in Kankakee is 12, in Kewanee is 2, in Lake Forest is 7, in Lincoln is 2, in Litchfield is 1, in Lockport is 1, in Loves Park is 1, in Marion is 13, in Mascoutah is 2, in Mattoon is 4, in Mchenry is 4, in Mendota is 3, in Metropolis is 1, in Moline is 12, in Morris is 14, in Mount Vernon is 8, in Murphysboro is 1, in Naperville is 31, in Normal is 9, in North Chicago is 6, in Oak Forest is 2, in Olney is 4, in Palos Heights is 33, in Paris is 1, in Park Ridge is 28, in Pekin is 4, in Peoria is 45, in Pinckneyville is 1, in Pontiac is 5, in Prospect Heights is 1, in Quincy is 7, in Rochelle is 1, in Rock Island is 3, in Rockford is 39, in Salem is 2, in Sandwich is 9, in Silvis is 17, in Springfield is 46, in Sterling is 4, in Sycamore is 1, in Taylorville is 4, in Urbana is 21, in Vandalia is 1, in Waukegan is 4, in West Frankfort is 4, in Wood River is 1, and in Woodstock is 4.

Most people think that Chicago, because of its size and popularity, is Illinois’ capital city, but that distinction belongs to Springfield, home of the Abraham Lincoln Museum. Illinois has hundreds of museums, numerous yearly art and ethnic festivals, a lakeshore bordering Lake Michigan, and the many national forests and parks that offers visitors camping, horseback riding, biking, kayaking, and fishing. Chicago is home to the Sears Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other cultural opportunities and restaurants in the Navy Pier area.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Illinois has a population of 12,763,371. Of this population, 3,172,677 are under the age of 18 and 1,523,937 are at or above the age of 65.