{"id":817,"date":"2024-06-25T12:59:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T16:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/?page_id=817"},"modified":"2024-06-28T15:31:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T19:31:49","slug":"what-is-cardiovascular-disease","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/resources-materials\/what-is-cardiovascular-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Cardiovascular Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a general term <\/span>used to describe<\/span> a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels.<\/span> These diseases can damage blood vessels, interrupt the brain\u2019s blood supply, and cause irregular heart rates. The most common forms of CVD are coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, hypertension, and congestive heart failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Cardiovascular Diseases\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Coronary heart disease <\/span><\/strong>occurs when the heart\u2019s blood supply <\/span>has been<\/span> interrupted by a blockage of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. <\/span>Coronary heart disease<\/span> can cause heart attacks, which <\/span>is when the<\/span> stops pumping blood.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>Stroke <\/span><\/strong>happens when the blood supply to the brain <\/span>is halted<\/span> or if an artery <\/span>in the brain<\/span> ruptures. <\/span>In many <\/span>cases<\/span> strokes can cause the brain to become damaged <\/span>which<\/span> <\/span>have<\/span> <\/span>long term<\/span> effects.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertension (high blood pressure ) <\/span><\/strong>happens when the force of blood against artery walls is consistently too high. This <\/span>consistent<\/span> high rate of speed against the arteries also causes the heart to work harder to pump blood. <\/span><\/p>\n

Congestive heart failure <\/span><\/strong>is a chronic condition that occurs when the heart muscle <\/span>is not pumping<\/span> blood enough to give the body <\/span>a sufficient amount<\/span> to function correctly. <\/span>When this happens, fluid<\/span> begins to build up in the lungs.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

What Are The Symptoms of CVD?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some of the symptoms that may <\/span>be experienced<\/span> when dealing with Cardiovascular Disease are:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Chest pains<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Dizziness<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Swelling in some regions of the body ( stomach, legs, or eyes)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Irregular heartbeats<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Shortness of breath<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Skin rashes or skin discoloration<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Fever<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Causes & Risk Factors of CVD <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Because cardiovascular disease <\/span>is generally used<\/span> to describe multiple conditions, there are multiple ways to develop this condition. Many conditions develop when there is damage to the circulatory system from different conditions like diabetes, congenital disabilities, and high cholesterol. Some of the risk factors may include:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Sex,<\/span> men are more likely to develop CVD<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Obesity<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Smoking<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Poor diet<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Genetics<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Age<\/span><\/li>\n
    • High levels of Stress<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Physical inactivity<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Diagnosis & Treatment <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

      There are multiple ways to diagnose CVD, but the most common forms of diagnosis are blood tests, electrocardiograms (ECG), and <\/span>also<\/span> echocardiograms. Because cardiovascular disease is now one of the most common causes of death worldwide, there are numerous amount of treatment options available <\/span>like<\/span> :<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Medication that <\/span>is used<\/span> to regulate heart rhythm, improve blood flow, and lower cholesterol levels.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Surgery to repair damaged valves or heart transplants<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Cardiac rehabilitation<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Lifestyle changes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a general term used to describe a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels. These diseases can damage blood vessels, interrupt the brain\u2019s blood supply, and cause irregular heart rates. The most common forms of CVD are coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. Types […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22249,"featured_media":0,"parent":807,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/817"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=817"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":867,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/817\/revisions\/867"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/brainplasticity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}