Cardiovascular Disease

What is CVD?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a term used to describe a number of conditions that can affect the heart and blood vessels. These include:

coronary heart disease - heart attack and angina (heart pain)
cerebrovascular disease including a stroke
high blood pressure
blood clotting and other heart or blood vessel diseases¹.

How prevalent is CVD and what are my risks of developing it?

The most common cause of CVD is the gradual clogging of blood vessels by fatty or fibrous material. Fatty material gradually builds up on the blood vessel walls, narrowing the arteries. This eventually prevents vital oxygen from reaching the cells. As the deposits build up the arteries become less elastic. This condition is often referred to as hardening of the arteries - ‘atherosclerosis'. Any artery in the body can be affected. However, the arteries to the heart, brain or kidneys, or those to the eyes and legs are most commonly affected¹.

CVD is the number one killer in Australia. Every 10 minutes someone dies as a result of cardiovascular disease¹.

Some things that are out of your control will increase your risk of CVD. These include:

family history, if either or both of your parents, or your brothers and sisters have had CVD.
age - the older you are the greater your risk of developing CVD.
sex - men are at greater risk than women until women reach menopause. Women's risk then becomes the same as for men.
Diabetes¹.

How do I know whether I have CVD and when should I seek medical help?

Heart attack warning signs vary.

The symptoms of a heart attack usually last for at least 10 minutes. You may experience more than one of the below symptoms².

Pain in the chest
A heart attack usually causes discomfort or pain in the centre of the chest. The pain may come on suddenly or starts slowly, developing over minutes. It may feel like tightness, fullness, pressure, squeezing or heaviness. It has been described as: 'like a steel band tightening around my chest', 'like an elephant sitting on my chest' or 'like a red hot poker in the centre of my chest'. The pain may be severe, moderate or even mild².

Pain spreading
The chest discomfort may spread to the neck and throat, jaw, shoulders, the back, either or both arms, and even into the wrists and hands².

Discomfort in the upper body
Some people do not get any chest pain but just feel discomfort in parts of their upper body. They may have a choking feeling in their throat. Their arms may feel 'heavy' or 'useless'².

Other symptoms
As well as pain or discomfort, you may:

have difficulty breathing
break out in a cold sweat
feel like vomiting (or actually vomit)
feel dizzy or light-headed²

Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk of developing CVD?

Do not smoke. Smoking can double your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Reduce your blood fats such as cholesterol by eating a diet low in saturated fat.
Control your blood pressure. If you are on blood pressure tablets, take them as directed by your general practitioner. Have your blood pressure checked every second year, or more often if directed by your general practitioner.
Stay within the healthy weight range.
Eat plenty of cereals fruit, fish and vegetables.
Exercise for 30 minutes on most or every day of the week. If you like, the 30 minutes can be accumulated in shorter sessions of at least 10 minutes.
Limit alcohol to two glasses a day (or less).
Visit your general practitioner for regular check ups¹.

What are the consequences of leaving CVD untreated? (tangible and intangible)

If heart disease is not treated, it can cause severe angina, heart failure with shortness of breath on even mild activities. The risk of death is increased. Most physicians are now very familiar with treating heart disease so it does not often go untreated³.

What are the different treatments for CVD?

Treatment will depend on the type of CVD you have. Your general practitioner will develop a treatment plan with you¹.

Treatment for heart disease includes meal planning to ensure a heart-healthy diet and physical activity. In addition, you may need medications to treat heart damage or to lower your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. If you are not already taking a low dose of aspirin every day, your doctor may suggest it. You also may need surgery or some other medical procedure².

References

NSW Department of Health: A-Z health Topics: Cardiovascular Disease
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/topics/cardiovascular.html Page accessed 15.06.09
National Heart Foundation of Australia: Heart Information
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/Heart_Information/Pages/default.aspx Page accessed 15.06.09
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Division of Cardiovascular Disease: Risk Factors for Heart Disease: Frequently Asked Questions, 2004
http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/internalmedicine/heartriskfactors/index.html Page accessed 16.06.09