What are cardiovascular diseases?
The heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood out to all of the body’s organs to supply them with oxygen and nutrients. The blood removes the waste from the organs and transports it to the liver, kidneys and lungs where it is eliminated and removed from the body. The functional condition of the heart and arteries is thus very important for a good health. If they do not function properly, the rest of the body cannot either. Cardiovascular diseases are conditions in the heart and arteries. It is a national scourge and considered one of the primary causes of death and disability in the UK as about 160,000 people die from heart and circulatory disease, and more than 40,000 die prematurely from cardiovascular disease.
What are the causes of cardiovascular diseases?
Some of the most common cardiovascular diseases are arteriosclerosis, increased blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, a faulty heart valve and blood clots. The cause of these diseases is usually related to the individual’s lifestyle. Lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases include: smoking, overweight, increased cholesterol and a lack of exercise. Moreover, an individual’s genes and conditions, such as elevated blood pressure and diabetes (diabetes mellitus), can increase the risk significantly.
What are the symptoms of cardiovascular diseases?
Symptoms of cardiovascular diseases vary greatly depending on the type of disease and whether it is located in one or more blood vessels, as well as which organ it nourishes. For example, elevated blood pressure and arteriosclerosis will rarely show any clear symptoms before the condition is very serious. Contrary, a blood clot or a heart failure will show acute symptoms that cannot be overlooked.
A blood clot in the arteries, which supplies the heart, or a heart failure will therefore often show the symptoms through breathing difficulties, swollen legs, dizziness and possible fainting. A blood clot or a brain haemorrhage will cause disturbances in the function of the affected area, which is losing blood, and therefore the disease can show itself as visual disorders, speech impediments, paralysis, cramps, dementia and much more. A blood clot in the legs can cause sensory disturbances, leg sores and gangrene, while a blood clot in the kidneys will cause kidney failure.
How can cardiovascular diseases be prevented?
To avoid the development of cardiovascular diseases, it is important to consider if you are in the risk group – this refers to whether you fulfil some of the lifestyle factors that were mentioned earlier which contribute to the disease development. Therefore, there are some important initiatives to consider, herein smoking cessation, alcohol reduction, weight loss, daily exercise, eating a balanced diet with minimum amounts of saturated fatty acids but otherwise plenty of fish, fibre and greens, and it is also important that you control other conditions, such as elevated blood pressure and diabetes.
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