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Cardiovascular Disease: Frequently Asked Questions

How common is cardiovascular disease?

Very common, and moreso as people age. Many people have this disease and do not know it, because these disorders rarely cause symptoms in the early stages. 4.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease is a general term used to describe a disorder in your cardiovascular system. Your cardiovascular system is made up of your heart and all your blood vessels. Some examples of cardiovascular disease include: high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, atherosclerosis.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) describes any of the following conditions: high blood pressure, Coronary heart disease, Myocardial infarction (acute heart attack), Angina pectoris (chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle) and Stroke. (Adapted from americanheart.org)
Cardiovascular disease affects the heart or blood vessels. Among others it includes five serious conditions which share the same causes: angina heart attack (myocardial infarction) coronary heart disease stroke peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of the blood vessels, usually in the legs) Coronary heart disease and stroke cause two out of every five deaths in Scotland and elsewhere. They also cause a great deal of illness in middle and old age. ...
Cardiovascular disease includes diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Heart and blood vessel problems develop over time and occur when arteries that supply the heart or brain with blood slowly become clogged from a buildup of cells, fat and cholesterol. This buildup is called plaque. When the blood flow gets blocked, a heart attack or stroke often results (preventing oxygen and nutrients from traveling to the heart). ...
Cardiovascular Disease, or CVD for short, includes diseases of the arteries, including arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart attack (myocardial infarction), arahythmias, congestive heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure (hypertension), rheumatic heart disease and other dysfunctions of the cardiovascular system.

What is the burden of cardiovascular disease?

An estimated 17.5 million people die of cardiovascular diseases every year. 30 80% of the deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Who is at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease?

The following factors may increase your risk for cardiovascular disease: • Increasing age • Male • Post menopausal women • Heredity (including Race) • Tobacco smoke • High blood cholesterol • High blood pressure • Physical inactivity • Obesity and overweight: excess body fat especially around the midsection (waist) • Diabetes • Poor ability to adapt to stress • Excessive alcohol intake

What is heart and cardiovascular disease?

Heart disease refers only to diseases of the heart and the blood vessel system within the heart. Cardiovascular disease refers to diseases of the heart and diseases of the blood vessel system (arteries, capillaries, veins) within a person's entire body, such as the brain, legs, and lungs. "Cardio" refers to the heart and "vascular" refers to the blood vessel system.

What are the risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

There are several risk factors. And individual habits that may increase your chances for cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, many risk factors are within your control. Risk Factors Include: Family history of atherosclerosis (plaque inside the arteries, also called "hardening of the arteries") Family history of aneurysm Smoking Diabetes High blood pressure High cholesterol Being overweight Sedentary lifestyle Over age 50 Post-menopausal 6.

What is the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease?

According to the American Diabetes Association's Make the Link! Initiative, "Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or suffer a stroke than people without diabetes. " For more information on the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease visit the American Heart Associations Link For Life . For more information about Diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives click here .

What is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) health screening?

SafeHeart's cardiovascular screening teams use state-of-the-art ultrasound technology, as well as portable ECG machines and standard blood pressure cuffs, to screen for early risk of stroke, heart attack, peripheral vascular disease and abdominal aortic aneurysms. Our screens are convenient in that they are mobile and we come to your neighborhood, church, civic organization, senior center, and other community centers.

What causes cardiovascular disease?

There are many risk factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Some people are born with conditions that predispose them to heart disease and stroke, but most people who develop cardiovascular disease do so because of a combination of factors such as poor diet, lack of physical activity and smoking, to name just three. The more risk factors you expose yourself to, the higher the chance of developing cardiovascular disease. ...

How are diabetics affected by cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the US today and the leading cause of diabetes related deaths. Research indicates that cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetics share a common root - Insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the body does not produce enough or does not respond very well to it's own natural insulin. Insulin is a hormone (much like a key) that helps blood sugar to get into the cells of the body to be stored or converted into energy. ...

What are the warning signals of cardiovascular disease?

For some people, the first symptom is a heart attack. Warning signals of a heart attack can include pain (in the chest, neck, jaw, shoulder, arms or back), shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, or sudden fear or anxiety. These signals can be mild or severe. Click here to learn more about warning signals of a heart attack .

How can I reduce my risk for cardiovascular disease?

Regular physical activity can help you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Being active helps women take off extra pounds, helps to control blood pressure, lessens a diabetic's need for insulin, and boosts the level of "good" cholesterol. Some studies show that being inactive increases the risk of heart attack. Other ways to reduce your risk include: Quit smoking Cut back on foods high in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol Check blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels and keep them under control. ...

What exactly is cardiovascular disease, and what are the risk factors?

The term cardiovascular disease covers both heart and blood vessel disorders. To prevent these diseases, you must understand and be willing to modify the risk factors for them. These include: Cigarette smoking High blood cholesterol High blood pressure Diabetes Obesity Lack of exercise

What factors increase my risk of cardiovascular disease?

Listed below are factors that increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Talk to your doctor about how to address these factors to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. • High blood cholesterol • High blood pressure • Diabetes • Tobacco use • Poor Diet • Physical Inactivity • Obesity • Excessive Alcohol Use • Family history of cardiovascular disease

How common is cardiovascular and coronary artery disease in the United States?

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in this country, almost double that of the combined death rate from all cancers. Over one million people in the U.S. will have a heart attack this year. Sudden death is the first sign of any cardiovascular disease in 150,000 people each year.

How does one get cardiovascular disease?

There are really two primary reasons that people will develop heart disease, more material coming into the system than the body can effectively utilize and then accumulation of that material on the insides of the vessels through which it transported. Eating more calories than one expends in a day is going to cause an accumulation of energy stores, the currency of excess energy is fat, that is what makes more than 50% of the population of our country overweight. ...

When are women more likely to get a cardiovascular disease?

Women are more apt to get cardiovascular diseases after menopause. As a woman gets older, her body produces lesser amounts of estrogen. Estrogen helps the female body maintain lower levels of "bad" cholesterol and higher levels of "good" cholesterol, and reduces blood pressure.

What are the preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

Major preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease include: tobacco smoking high blood pressure high blood cholesterol overweight physical inactivity nutritional factors Type 2 diabetes See the Cardiovascular Disease home page for more information or for summary data, go to Statistics . See the Risk Factors home page for more details

Can Extremen help prevent cardiovascular disease?

Yes. Extremen that contain Maca can help to prevent cardiovascular disease by helping to remove and control LDL (bad cholesterol that found in your body) therefore, your chances of developing atherosclerosis are reduce.

How many persons suffer from cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease currently accounts for 44% of total deaths, 30% of these due to myocardial infarction and 31% to stroke. In industrialized countries like Italy cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death: every year 36 thousand persons die from acute myocardial infarction.

Is it possible to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease?

Yes, it is. The best way to cut down your risk factors is to adopt an healthier lifestyle. First of all you can quit smoking. It has been shown that smokers have more than twice the risk for heart attack of non-smokers. Second, you can follow a balanced diet in order to take less cholesterol and saturated fat and to keep your weight under control. Being overweight is likely to increase both your blood pressure and cholesterol and the risk for heart disease increases as your total amount of "bad" cholesterol increases. ...

Is cardiovascular disease a serious problem in Canada?

Yes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Canada - responsible for 37% of all deaths. 1 One of the reasons why people develop coronary artery disease is high cholesterol. The Heart and Stroke Foundation surveyed Canadians and found that 45% of men and 43% of women have high cholesterol levels, which can cause CAD as well as stroke. This makes it very important that cholesterol levels be checked regularly and treated, if necessary. ...

Can Visudyne be given to someone with known cardiovascular disease?

Visudyne was studied in clinical trials in which all patients were over the age of 50, many of whom had hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and/or cardiovascular disease. 2 While no specific comparisons were made to assess the efficacy of Visudyne in such patients, there were no significant safety problems seen amongst any patient types across the study populations—and there are no contraindications for Visudyne use in these patient types. ...

How Is C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Associated With the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease?

back to top Several major studies have shown that C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels in apparently healthy men and women are strongly predictive of the future risk of heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death as well as the development of peripheral arterial disease. In patients already suffering from heart disease, doctors can use CRP levels to determine which patients are at high risk for recurring coronary events. ...

Is C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Specifically Related To Cardiovascular Disease?

back to top Because C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels increase in response to a variety of stimuli in the form of major trauma or infection, there has been some concern about whether hs-CRP levels are truly related to the risk of heart disease specifically. However several studies have now shown that measurement of high-sensitivity CRP in stable individuals is in fact highly predictive of cardiovascular events. ...

How is cardiac catheterization used to diagnose cardiovascular disease?

Cardiac catheterization is a test used to evaluate your coronary arteries and heart valve function, It will identify the size and location of plaques that may have built up in your arteries from atherosclerosis, the strength of your heart muscle, and the adequacy of valve function. To start the cardiac catheterization, the interventional cardiologist threads a catheter (thin flexible tube) through a blood vessel in your arm or groin and into your heart. ...
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