Cardiovascular Disease
What is cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease is also known as heart and circulatory
disease, which covers all diseases that affect the heart and
circulation. This includes conditions such as coronary
heart disease (angina and heart
attack), and stroke.
What is coronary heart disease?
Coronary heart disease is caused by a gradual build up of fatty
deposits in the walls of your coronary arteries, which can cause
them to narrow. The medical term for this condition is
atherosclerosis and the fatty material is known as
atheroma.
Over time, the artery may become so narrow
that it can’t deliver enough oxygen to your heart, especially when
you’re exerting yourself. This can lead to angina – a pain or discomfort
in your chest.
If a piece of this fatty
material breaks away from the artery wall it can cause a clot
to form, starving your heart of blood and oxygen. This is
known as a heart
attack.
If you suspect that you or someone else is
having a heart attack, call 999 immediately.
What is a stroke?
Your brain is given oxygen and essential nutrients by the
arteries in your neck. If these arteries begin to narrow because of
a build up of fatty material, it can affect your blood supply to
your brain.
A stroke happens when the artery carrying
blood to your brain is blocked. Stroke can also be caused by
bleeding from an artery into your brain.
Stroke can affect the way your body works and the way you
think.
For more information on stroke and its symptoms visit the
Stroke Association
website or call 08450 3033100.
What causes cardiovascular disease?
The following things can increase your
risk:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Physical inactivity
- Being overweight or obese
- Diabetes
- A family history of heart disease
- Age – as you get older, your risk increases
- Ethnic group – some ethnic groups have a higher risk of heart
disease. For example, South Asian people living in the UK have
a higher risk that the rest of the UK population.
What can I do if I am worried about
developing cardiovascular disease?
Visit your GP or practice nurse who can assess your risk by
carrying out a health check.
Your GP or practice nurse will want to:
- Talk to you about your lifestyle
- Take your weight, height and waist measurements
- Take your blood pressure
- Have your blood tested for cholesterol
- Ask questions about your family history.
After your check, your GP or practice nurse may give advice to
help you make changes to your lifestyle to reduce your risk of
heart disease. You can find out more about heart health
checks in our booklet, Keep
your heart healthy.
How can I help prevent heart disease?
Making small changes to your lifestyle can reduce your risk of
developing cardiovascular disease. Even if you have the
condition the following will help to keep your heart healthy and
reduce risk of future problems:
Can cardiovascular disease be treated?
There is medication and treatments available that help
control the symptoms and reduce the risk of further problems.
More information
Find out more about preventing heart disease by
reading
Keep your heart healthy and
Looking after your heart (for south asian
people). You can also order our
Risking It DVD.
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