Cardiovascular Disease – Is it the same thing as heart disease?

Cardiovascular disease is another word for heart disease.  They mean the same thing, and they include disorders or diseases of the heart and/or blood vessels within the body.  Sometimes stroke is included in the cardiovascular disease category, but it is something that acutally affects the blood vessels in the brain, not the heart.  Cardiovascular disease can occur from congenital abnormalities, infection of the heart or its lining, inflammation of blood vessels, or even abnormal heart rhythms (this is called arrhythmias). It can result in high blood pressure, angina and heart attacks, heart failure,  or atrial fibrillation (the atria of the heart quiver and do not effectively pump blood to the ventricles).

The risk of cardiovascular disease increases as you get older, if you are a man, if you have a family history of heart disease and stroke, and if you are of certain races.  These are the risk factors that you can not control.  However, if you have heart disease, and even if you do not, there are things that you can do to control or prevent it.  These include watching your diet, increasing your activity levels, quitting smoking, decreasing alcohol consumption at one sitting.  For more details on this, visit this post.

And something to remember is that cardiovacular disease is not limited to men.  Women approach the same incidence as men when women reach menopause.

The most important thing to do when it comes to preventing or controlling heart disease, is recognizing the risk factors today and taking action today.  And if you don’t know where to start, the first thing you should do is visit your doctor.  Your doctor can monitor your health, such as your blood pressure, your heart function, and so on.  Then there are other health professionals that can help you get started on an exercise program that is safe for your age and current health, as well as health professionals who can give you further advice on food choices.

In summary, cardiovascular disease is the same thing as heart disease. There are a number of different reasons why people have heart disease, but there are still ways that heart disease can be prevented or controlled.