What are Cardiovascular Diseases? A quick glance for you by HMHB

 

Cardiovascular Diseases

CVDs are the number 1 cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause.

An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2016, representing 31% of all global deaths.  Of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke.

Heart and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter (27 per cent) of all deaths in he UK, that's nearly 170,000 deaths each year - an average of 460 people each day or one death every three minutes.  Around 44,000 people under the age of 75 in the UK die from heart and circulatory diseases each year.

Over three quarters of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries.

Out of the 17 million premature deaths (under the age of 70) due to noncommunicable diseases in 2015, 82% are in low- and middle-income countries, and 37% are caused by CVDs.

Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioural risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol using population-wide strategies.

People with cardiovascular disease, or who are at high cardiovascular risk (due to the presence of one or more risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia or already established disease), need early detection and management using counselling and medicines, as appropriate.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and they include:

·      coronary heart disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle;

·      cerebrovascular disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain;

·      peripheral arterial disease – disease of blood vessels supplying the arms and legs;

·      rheumatic heart disease – damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria;

·      congenital heart disease – malformations of heart structure existing at birth;

·      deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism – blood clots in the leg veins, which can dislodge and move to the heart and lungs.

Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain.  The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain.  Strokes can also be caused by bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots.

The cause of heart attacks and strokes are usually the presence of a combination of risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity,harmful use of alcohol, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and hyperlipidaemia (elevated plasma concentrations of lipids including cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins).

The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.  The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity.  These “intermediate risks factors” can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of developing a heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.

Cessation of tobacco use, reduction of salt in the diet, consuming fruits and vegetables, regular physical activity and avoiding harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.  In addition, drug treatment of diabetes, hypertension and high blood lipids may be necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent heart attacks and strokes.  Health policies that create conducive environments for making healthy choices affordable and available are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviour.

What are the Symptoms to look out for?

Often, there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels.  A heart attack or stroke may be the first warning of underlying disease.

Symptoms of a heart attack include:

·      pain or discomfort in the centre of the chest;

·      pain or discomfort in the arms, the left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back.

·      In addition, the person may experience difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath; feeling sick or vomiting; feeling light-headed or faint; breaking into a cold sweat; and becoming pale.  Women are more likely to have shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

·      The most common symptom of a stroke is sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg, most often on one side of the body. Other symptoms include sudden onset of:

·      numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body;

·      confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech;

·      difficulty seeing with one or both eyes;

·      difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination;

·      severe headache with no known cause; and

·      fainting or unconsciousness.

People experiencing these symptoms should seek medical care immediately