by JL Francis

Created on: October 25, 2008

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the cause of approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States. So, how can you avoid becoming a part of this statistic? Well, educating yourself on the various forms of heart disease is a start. Cardiovascular disease is the broad term used to describe the different types of heart and blood vessel problems. By gaining some insight into cardiovascular disease you can make better lifestyle choices regarding diet, exercise and the cessation of cigarette use, if you're a smoker.

Cardiovascular disease can be the result of many problems. However, it most commonly refers to atherosclerosis which is the narrowing of the blood vessels inner lining due to fat, cholesterol or calcium deposition. The narrowing of the arterial blood vessels results in the heart having to work harder to get oxygenated blood through the body. Overtime, atherosclerosis left untreated will manifest into diseases such as hypertension, heart attack, congestive heart failure and stroke. Aside from atherosclerosis heart disease may be caused by birth defects (congenital) or considered idiopathic meaning there's no known cause. Here you will get an overview of the many types of CVD. At the end of this review try your hand at matching each disease to the correct example provided to see how much you've learned.

Hypertension (HTN)
refers to elevated blood pressure causing the heart to work harder at pumping blood throughout the body. The majority of cases have no known cause and patients may not have symptoms for a long time. Whereas, a smaller population experience HTN due to secondary causes and the symptoms may present more suddenly. Hypertension is treatable with medication and if left without the proper medical attention can causes other problems such as stroke or heart failure.

Coronary artery disease (CAD)
affects the blood vessels of the heart which are narrowed due to atherosclerosis. The blockage of blood to the heart will lead to poorly oxygenated heart muscles. The heart in turn won't be able to work effectively at pumping blood to the rest of the body. Some common problems associated with this disease are chest pain and heart attack. A person usually presenting with chest pain may experience relief after stopping the inciting activity.

Heart attack
as mentioned above can be a manifestation of CAD and is also referred to as a myocardial infarction (MI). It results from a prolonged lack of blood flow or complete obstruction

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