What Is Cardiovascular Disease?
Here is all that you need to know about cardiovascular diseases.
What is meant by cardiovascular diseases?
The circulatory or cardiovascular system supplies your body with blood. It includes your heart, veins, arteries and capillaries. Cardiovascular diseases involve various problems related to your heart or blood vessels or both.
Causes
The primary cause of cardiovascular diseases is atherosclerosis (the accumulation of fatty deposits in your arteries).
Damage to your circulatory system may also be caused by diabetes or other health disorders like an infection, a virus or an inborn structural problem.
High blood pressure may be both a cause and a result of cardiovascular problems.
Types
Cardiac (heart-related) diseases include:
- Arrhythmia (marked by irregular heartbeat)
- Congenital heart disease (inborn problem with heart structure or function)
- Coronary artery disease or CAD (affected arteries feeding your heart muscle)
- Cardiomyopathy (dilated or hypertrophic)
- Heart attack
- Heart failure (when the heart stops functioning properly)
- Rheumatic heart disease (may be a complication of strep throat)
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Mitral regurgitation
- Pulmonary stenosis
Vascular diseases (affecting the blood vessels) are:
- Atherosclerosis
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Peripheral venous disease
- Renal arterial disease
- Aneurysm
- Raynaud’s disease
- Buerger’s disease
- Stroke (a kind of cerebrovascular disorder)
- Blood clotting problems
- Venous blood clots
Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the specific condition. The most common symptoms are:
- Pressure or pain in your chest
- Discomfort or pain in your jaw, left shoulder, elbows, arms or back
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Cold sweat
- Nausea
- Fatigue in regular activities
- Light-headedness
- Fainting (syncope)
- Swelling in the lower limbs
- Erratic heartbeat
Risk factors
You may have one or multiple risk factors as follows:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol)
- Lung dysfunction and chronic obtrusive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- Radiation treatment
- Smoking
- Diets high in carbohydrates and fats
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Stress
- Lack of sleep
- Physical inactivity
- Air pollution
Treatments
The treatment required depends on the type of heart disorder you have.
Lifestyle changes
Control blood pressure
- Check cholesterol
- Quit smoking
- Eat healthy foods
- Manage diabetes
- Exercise for at least 30-60 minutes daily or as advised by your doctor
- Keep a healthy weight
- Quit alcohol consumption
- Get help for depression
- Manage stress
- Sleep sufficiently
- Maintain proper hygiene
Medications
ACE inhibitors and ARBs
- Beta-blockers
- Calcium channel blockers
- Aspirin (clot buster)
- Diuretics like Bumex (bumetanide) and Lasix (furosemide)
- Statins and nitrates
- Nitroglycerin and Ranolazine
Methods for support and coping
- Cardiac rehabilitation (involves nutritional counselling, monitored exercise, emotional support and education regarding lifestyle changes to decrease risks of heart problems)
- Support groups (talking about your problems with others experiencing similar difficulties on your doctor’s advice)
- Continued medical checkups (for a chronic or recurring heart condition)
Medical procedures or surgeries
- Heart valve surgery (for heart valve disorders)
- Pacemaker (for Arrhythmia)
- Coronary angioplasty and stent replacement, i.e., percutaneous coronary revascularization (for heart attack)
- Coronary artery bypass graft surgery or CABG (for heart attack)
- Carotid endarterectomy (for stroke)
When to call the doctor?
Seek immediate medical help if you have the following symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Fainting
