Cardiovascular+Disease+-+Millicent+Wong

= Cardiovascular Disease = by: Millicent Wong

**The Common and Scientific name of this disease & simple informations:**



Cardiovascular Disease is the scientific name of it, but people usually called it __Heart Disease__. CVD are diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. The four most common types of CVD are **Coronary Heart Disease** (which includes heart attack and chest pain), **Stroke**, **High Blood Pressur**e and **Heart Failure****.**

**What caused/increase the risk to have it?**

__ Cardiovascular Diseases can be caused by: __


 * **Our Age.** As our age increases, the risk of having it also increases.
 * **Gender and genes.** Males are more likely to have CVD then females.
 * **Smoking.** Smokers' risk of having CVD is more than twice that of non-smokers'.
 * **High blood pressure.** It increases the heart's workload and can lead to arterial harm, increasing the risk for atherosclerosis (a disease of the arteries characterised by the deposition of plaques of fatty material on their inner walls).
 * **Obesity.** Those who are overweight are more likely to increase CVD and stroke even if they have no other risk factors.
 * **Alcohol.** Studies have shown that people who drink average amounts of alcohol have higher risk of having CVD than the non-drinkers.

**Can it be transmitted?**

Yes, Cardiovascular Diseases can be genetically transmitted. The risk of CVD is genetically transmitted increased if their parents have CVD. Researchers managed a survey in 2,475 patients about their risk of CVD and found that people who had brothers or sisters with CVD had an increased risk of developing CVD.

**What are the symptoms? How long do they last? Is it deadly?**

There are a number of symptoms of CVD, like:


 * chest pain
 * pain in one or both arms, the left shoulder, neck, jaw, or back
 * shortness of breath
 * dizziness
 * faster heartbeats
 * feeling sick to your stomach
 * unusual heartbeats
 * feeling very tired

How long the symptoms of CVD last can be different from every person. Usually, the symptoms last at least 15 to 20 minutes, some can last for several hours. Some people might think it's not a big deal. But if we leave it there, it might get worse, even kill us. The longer the pain last, the greater the risk of having CVD.

**Can it be cured? If so, how? If not, is there any way that we can at least treat it?**

Yes, we can cure CVD. We can get medication from a special doctor, medicine like cholesterol lowering drug to lower our cholesterol (a substance found in blood, fat and most tissues of the body. Too much cholesterol can cause heart disease.) or even cure it. We can also do surgerys.


 * How to prevent it?**

To prevent CVD, we would need a healthy life style. First, do not smoke or drink. Second, exercise regularly. Third, a healthy diet would be great, like eat less meat and eat more vegetables. Fourth, avoid excess stress. Fifth, stay away from drugs. Sixth, stay at our healthy weight, or loss weight if necessary.

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References: World Health Organization (2010) Cardiovascular Disease:
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American Heart Association (2010) Common Cardiovascular Disease:
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medindia.net (2010) Risk of heart disease is genetically transferred December 28th, 2005
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emedtv.com (2010) Symptoms of Cardiovascular Disease written by Arthur Schoenstadt, MD September 04, 2008
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