What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease (which includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease) affects the heart by narrowing the arteries and reducing the amount of blood the heart receives, which makes the heart work harder. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death across all racial and ethnic groups accounting for more than 40% of all annual deaths in the U.S.

Cardiovascular conditions often come without pain or obvious symptoms. For that reason, it often goes untreated. This can lead to even more serious health issues, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney damage. What is especially dangerous about cardiovascular disease is that you can have more than one condition at the same time without even knowing it.

Some conditions associated with cardiovascular disease include:

High Blood Pressure or Hypertension: This condition often begins without symptoms. It occurs when the blood pressure against the blood vessel wall is consistently above normal.

Hardening of the Arteries, or Arteriosclerosis: This disease process leads to the hardening of the arteries and occurs as we grow older. The arteries frequently “harden”, or become less flexible, making it more difficult for the blood to flow through them.

Clogging of the Arteries, or Atherosclerosis: Arteries get clogged when their protective lining is damaged, allowing substances to build up inside the artery wall. This buildup is called plaque, and it is made up of cholesterol, waste materials from cells, fatty materials, and other substances.

Heart Attack: A heart attack occurs when a clot blocks part or all of the blood supply that goes directly to the heart muscle. When the blood flow is cut off completely, the heart muscle begins to die.

Stroke: A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is partially or completely blocked resulting in impairment of the brain due to reduction of the blood flow. Impairment of the brain in turn results in loss of body movements controlled by that portion of the brain.

Congestive Heart Failure: This condition occurs when the volume of blood output per heartbeat is decreased due to abnormal function of the heart muscle or valve structures. The blood supply to the body tissues is not enough to meet the appropriate demand for oxygen the tissues need for biological work.

What are the risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

Without a doubt, the development of cardiovascular disease is associated with some specific health-adverse behaviors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those behaviors are:

• Tobacco use
  Cigarette smoking causes a build-up of plaque in the inner walls of our arteries. It is a major risk factor, and smokers have twice the chance of developing cardiovascular disease as non-smokers.
  
  
• Lack of physical activity
  Individuals who donÙt engage in sufficient physical activity also have twice the chance of developing cardiovascular disease as those who are physically active. Physical inactivity can also predispose you to obesity and diabetes, both of which can also promote cardiovascular disease.
  
  
• Eating habits
  Individuals who are overweight are at a higher risk for having high cholesterol, developing hypertension, and other chronic cardiovascular conditions than those who maintain a healthy weight. It is estimated that only 18% of women and 20% of men consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Having a family history of cardiovascular disease can also be a risk factor. Remember, a risk factor is not the cause of a disease, but it is associated with its development. In the case of cardiovascular disease, you can help reduce your risk by maintaining or adopting healthy behaviors.