Cardiovascular Disease

• Cardiovascular disease


  A general term that refers to diseases of the cardiovascular system, which is the heart and blood vessels
• Coronary heart disease


  When the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle, start to get blocked by the buildup of layers of fatty material
• Coronary arteries getting blocked

  Causes the lumen of the arteries to become narrower so that less blood can flow through, which means that less oxygen reaches the heart muscle
• Less oxygen reaching the heart muscle

  Can put strain on the heart and potentially cause a heart attack
• Stents

  Expandable tubes that can be placed inside the arteries to hold them open and ensure that the blood can keep flowing
• Stents

  • The surgery is relatively quick and they're effective for a long time
  • There are risks, such as the surgery inducing a heart attack.
• Statins

  Medications that alter the balance of cholesterol in your bloodstream.
• Heart failure


  When the heart isn't able to pump blood around the body properly anymore
• Heart transplant

  • The donor heart could be rejected by the recipient's immune system
• Sometimes people require a heart and lung transplant if the lungs are also diseased, but this is very complicated surgery and it's hard to find a donor heart and donor lungs