CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions.
Causes of CVD The most important behavioral risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.
The effects of behavioral risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. Other factors that affect your risk of developing CVD include: age, gender and family history High blood pressure High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease. Smoking Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and causes approximately one of every four deaths from CVD, according to the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report on smoking and health.
Chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the cells that line blood vessels to become swollen and inflamed. This can narrow the blood vessels and can lead to many cardiovascular conditions. High cholesterol High cholesterol can cause fatty deposits to form in your blood vessels. These deposits eventually accumulate, making it harder for blood to flow freely through your arteries. These deposits can sometimes unexpectedly rupture and form a clot, resulting in a heart attack or stroke. Diabetes If you have high blood sugar levels for an extended length of time, even if they are just slightly elevated, your blood vessels might get damaged, leading to major cardiac issues. This is because your body can't utilize all of the sugar effectively, so more of it adheres to your red blood cells and accumulates in your blood.
This buildup can clog and damage the veins that transport blood to and from your heart, depriving it of oxygen and nutrition. Family history of CVD If you have a family history of heart disease, you are more likely to acquire it yourself. Having family members with heart disease at a young age (age 50 or under) might be a symptom of familial hypercholesterolemia, a hereditary illness that produces high cholesterol, in some situation. Preventing CVD A healthy lifestyle can reduce your chances of developing CVD. If you already have CVD, maintaining as healthy as possible might help to keep it from worsening. • Ending of tobacco use
• Reduction of salt in the diet,
• Eating more fruit and vegetables
• Regular physical activity
• Avoiding harmful use of alcohol
• Medicine
• Health policies that create conducive environments for making healthy choices affordable and available are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviors.
REFERENCES/ SOURCES
World Health Organization Centre of Disease Control Mayo Clinic National Institute of Health
