What is Heart & Cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing one person every 36 seconds.
Most people use the term Cardiovascular disease (CVD) to describe medical conditions that are associated with atherosclerosis, the thickening of arteries as a result of plaque build-up that prevents the blood from flowing freely through these vessels.
Cardiovascular disease is usually the reflection of chronic conditions that evolve over long periods of time. Nevertheless, cardiovascular disease may also trigger acute conditions such as strokes and heart attacks. These conditions occur unexpectedly when a blood vessel gets blocked and stops supplying the heart or the brain with blood.
Cardiovascular disease is a type of disease that affects the heart muscle or blood vessels. Heart and Cardiovascular Disease refers to several different conditions, such as heart failure, stroke, heart attack, and more. The most common type of cardiovascular disease in the US is Coronary Artery Disease.
Risk Factors
Cardiovascular is more frequent among people who have hypertension, who have high blood cholesterol, who are overweight, who lead a sedentary life, who smoke, or who have diabetes.
Several risk factors may contribute to cardiovascular disease.
The most common risk factors include:
- Family history of cardiovascular disease
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Overweight
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Unhealthy diet
- Diabetes
Therefore, public health services focus on keeping the CVD rate under control by recommending people to:
- Switch to a healthy diet
- Become more active by exercising regularly
- Avoid or quit smoking
- Keep their diabetes at bay by monitoring their blood sugar levels
Unfortunately, some risk factors are impossible to control, including family history, gender, and age. As the older one gets, the higher their risk of cardiovascular disease.
Men have a higher risk of heart disease; however, women’s risk also increases to equal that of males after menopause. A family history of coronary heart disease or stroke before 55 years of age for a male first-degree relative or before 65 years of age for a female relative increases the risk.
Type of Cardiovascular Diseases
Coronary heart disease and coronary artery disease – they may lead to various conditions such as angina, heart attack, congestive failure, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, peripheral vascular disease, blood flow obstructions, aneurysms, and even gangrene. Other types of conditions may affect either the heart or the blood vessels. You can find more information on these conditions in our Heart Disease and Vasculitis articles. Here are a few of these diseases:
- Congenital heart disease – malformation of the very structure of the heart occurring during development
- Valvular disease – defective valves (either congenital or acquired)
- Cardiomyopathy – weaker heart muscle
- Myocarditis – the inflammation of the myocardium (heart muscle)
- Vasculitis – the inflammation of blood vessels
- Thrombosis – blood clots occurring in the veins that can migrate to other parts of the body, causing embolism
- Atrial fibrillation – the irregular beating of the heart that can lead to severe medical complications such as blood clots, heart failure, and stroke
The WHO estimates that CVD is responsible for 30% of all global deaths. Over 80% of these deaths occur in middle- and low-income countries, where people are more exposed to risk factors and have poor access to proper health care and preventative measures. Since CVD is the leading cause of death at a global level, it is a major concern of all governments and international medical organizations worldwide. Careful monitoring of individuals at risk can help to control the disease and decrease the number of deaths.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Heart and Cardiovascular Disease?
There are different symptoms of different types of cardiovascular diseases. Some of the most common symptoms to look out for include:
- Chest pain, tightness, or discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Numbness, pain, cold, or weakness in your arms or legs
- Dizzy or lightheaded
- Irregular heartbeat
- Rapid or slow heart rate
How is Heart and Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosed?
While it's difficult to know for sure if someone has cardiovascular disease based on symptoms alone, it is possible to confirm the presence of some cardiovascular diseases with Cardiovascular blood tests. Other heart and cardiovascular tests used to diagnose heart disease may include cardiovascular CT scans, a coronary angiogram, ECG machine tests, and more.
There are several substances in your blood that can indicate whether or not you have heart trouble. For example, if you have high levels of bad cholesterol in your blood, it may suggest that you are at increased risk of having a heart attack. Other substances in your blood can help determine if you are at risk of developing plaques in your coronary arteries or if you have heart failure.
Heart health blood tests can also help your doctor diagnose and treat your heart problems. However, keep in mind that one blood test alone doesn't define your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lab Tests Used to Diagnose Cardiovascular Disease.
Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common illnesses. These include heart disease, stroke, and other heart and blood vessel disorders. Diagnostic blood testing will depend on the type and severity of the CVD.
Lab tests used to diagnose CVD may include:
- Complete Blood Count
- Lipoprotein (a)
- Lp-PLA2
- Apolipoprotein A1
- MTHFR Mutation
- APOE Genotyping
- Apolipoprotein B
- Homocysteine
- LDL Cholesterol
- Hs-CRP
- Fibrinogen
- Triglycerides
- Cardiac Risk assessment
