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 cholesterol, causing 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 reaches 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, ensuring that the blood can keep flowing
• Stents


  • The surgery is relatively quick and they're effective for a long time
  • There is a small risk of the patient later developing a blood clot near the stent
• Statins


  Medications that alter the balance of cholesterol in your bloodstream, decreasing the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) and increasing the good cholesterol (HDL)
• Decreasing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol


  Lowers the overall risk of not only coronary heart disease but also many other diseases like strokes and heart attacks
• Statins


  • They have to be taken regularly for years and they can cause side effects such as headaches and kidney failure
• Faulty heart valves


  The valves can get damaged or weakened either naturally over time or due to other things like heart attacks and infections
• Heart valve problems


  • Not enough blood can pass through because the valve has become stiff and won't open fully
  • The valve doesn't close properly anymore and so blood can leak backwards
• Heart valve replacement


  Can be with biological valves from another human or a pig, or with man-made mechanical valves
• Heart valve replacement


  • Requires surgery and there will be an ongoing risk of blood clots
• Heart failure


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


  Can replace the heart with either a real biological heart or an artificial heart, but artificial hearts are generally only a temporary fix until a real biological heart can be found
• Heart transplant


  • Finding a donor heart can take a long time, and even if the transplant is successful, the heart could still be rejected by the body's immune system
• Sometimes people require a heart and lung transplant if the lungs are also diseased, but this is very complicated surgery