What is Cardiovascular Disease? Cardiovascular disease – a general term for all diseases of the heart and blood vessels. This type of disease develops slowly over many years. Many people are diagnosed with CVD before they reach the average retirement age. One out of four Americans develops a type of this disease in their life time. CVD can attack the three type of blood vessels in your body. It can attack arteries, capillaries, and veins. It Is most noticeable when it is attacking the arteries.

The Cardiovascular System Heart Chambers: The heart is the center of the cardiovascular system. It has four hollow chambers that collect blood and pump it back out into the body. Two chambers (the atria) are used for receiving blood and the other two (the ventricles) are used for pumping it back out into the body. Coronary Arteries: The heart relies on the coronary arteries to supply it with the blood it needs to function. These arteries lead into capillaries that branch around the outside of the heart’s outer surface and give the heart oxygen. The Heart’s Valves: The heart has a two-step rhythm when it beats. The first sound is made by the atria contracting and the second sound is made by the ventricles contracting to send the blood back into the body. Changes in the regular heart beat is usually called a heart murmur. This usually means that the heart needs medical attention. Heart Disease: A disease of the cardiovascular system affects most of the body tissues because the blood flow or quality is irregular. If the disease attacks any part of the heart or the heart muscles, it is referred to as heart disease.

The Dangers of Atherosclerosis The most common Cardiovascular Disease form is Atherosclerosis. It is the hardening of the arteries by layers of fat building up on the walls of the arteries. These fats grow larger and form plaques which make the passageways of the arteries smaller and it makes the heart work harder to get blood to the body. The heart grows weaker because the arteries to the heart become clogged as well and the nourishment and oxygen aren’t received. This depletes the heart of its strength. High Blood Pressure is another side effect of Atherosclerosis. The arteries can no longer expand with every heart beat which causes pressure to build up as the pulses of blood are forced to squeezed through the clogged passageways. Hypertension occurs in the arteries and damages their walls and causes spasms which will restrict blood flow even more. When enough pressure builds up, the artery walls will balloon out and this may cause an aneurysm. If an aneurysm bursts, then this could cause death is tissues if a small artery bursts. If a large artery bursts, massive bleeding can occur. Blood Clots: Blood clots form and dissolve all the time normally. These small clots protect the body from blood loss. However, in Atherosclerosis, platelets (body’s in blood that make clotting occur) run into plaques more often and clotting occurs more often than it should.

Artery Blockages Atherosclerosis causes blockage in arteries in three different 1. Plaques in the clogged arteries build up enough to stop blood flow completely. 2.A blood clot forms and a plaque sticks to it. It grows until it cuts off the blood flow completely (called a thrombus). If this type of blockage occurs in the arteries to the heart, it is called coronary thrombosis which is a type of heart attack. If the artery that is blocked leads to the brain, it is called cerebral Thrombosis which is a type of stroke. 3. A stable clot breaks free from the wall of the artery and is now called a traveling clot (also called embolus). It circulates through the arteries until it reaches a pathway too small to travel through. This blockage is called a embolism. Once a person reaches critical phase of Atherosclerosis, then the person has a very high risk of heart attack

Cardiovascular disease- a general term for all the diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Arteries- blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the tissues. Capillaries- the smallest blood vessels, which connect the smallest arteries with the smallest veins. Nourishment and fluid normally trapped in thick- walled arteries and veins can easily pass through the delicate walls of the capillaries. Veins- blood vessels that carry blood from the tissue back to the heart. Cardiovascular System- the system of structures that circulate blood and lymph throughout the body. Also called the circulatory system. Blood- the thick, red fluid that flows through the body’s blood vessels and transports gases, nutrients, wastes, and other important substances around the body. It also plays a role in body temperature regulation. Chambers- rooms; in the heart, large, hollow areas that receive incoming blood from the lungs and tissues and ship it out again. Atria- the two upper chambers of the heart- the receiving areas that pool incoming blood. Ventricles- the two lower chambers of the heart- the shipping areas that send blood on its way to the lungs or the tissues. Coronary Arteries- the two arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

Valves- flaps of tissue that open and close to allow the flow of blood in one direction only. The heart’s valves are located at the entrance and exits of its chambers. Heart Murmur- a heart sound that reflects damaged or abnormal heart valves. Electrocardiogram- a record of the electrical activity of the heart that, if abnormal, may indicate heart disease. Lymph- the clear fluid that bathes each cell and transfers needed substances and wastes back and forth between the blood and the cells. Lymph also plays a role in immunity. Heart Disease- any disease of the heart muscle or other working parts of the heart. Atherosclerosis- the most common form of CVD; a disease characterized by plaques along the inner walls of the arteries. Plaques- mounds of fat, mixed with minerals, that build up along artery walls in atherosclerosis. Aneurysm- the ballooning out of an artery wall at a point where it has grown weak. Aorta- the largest artery in the body; it conducts freshly oxygenated blood from the heart to the tissues. Platelets- Tiny disk-shaped bodies in the blood, important in the blood clot formation Thrombus- A stationary clot. When it has grown enough to close off a blood vessel, this dangerous event is a thrombosis. Coronary Thrombosis- the closing off of a vessel that feeds the heart muscle by a stationary clot, or thrombus. Heart Attack- the event in which vessels that feed the heart muscle become blocked, causing tissue death. Platelets- Tiny disk-shaped bodies in the blood, important in the blood clot formation Thrombus- A stationary clot. When it has grown enough to close off a blood vessel, this dangerous event is a thrombosis. Coronary Thrombosis- the closing off of a vessel that feeds the heart muscle by a stationary clot, or thrombus. Heart Attack- the event in which vessels that feed the heart muscle become blocked, causing tissue death.

Aneurysm- the ballooning out of an artery wall at a point where it has grown weak. Aorta- the largest artery in the body; it conducts freshly oxygenated blood from the heart to the tissues. Cerebral Thrombosis- the closing off of a vessel that feeds the brain by a stationary clot, or a thrombosis. Stroke- the shutting off of the blood flow to the brain by plaques, a clot, or hemorrhage. Embolus- a clot that breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream. When it causes sudden closure of a blood vessel, this dangerous event is an embolism. Embolism- the sudden closure of a blood vessel by a traveling blood clot, or embolus. Critical Phase- in atherosclerosis, the stage when plaques cover more than half of the inner surfaces of the arteries. Valves- flaps of tissue that open and close to allow the flow of blood in one direction only. The heart’s valves are located at the entrance and exits of its chambers. Heart Murmur- a heart sound that reflects damaged or abnormal heart valves. Electrocardiogram- a record of the electrical activity of the heart that, if abnormal, may indicate heart disease. Lymph- the clear fluid that bathes each cell and transfers needed substances and wastes back and forth between the blood and the cells. Lymph also plays a role in immunity. Heart Disease- any disease of the heart muscle or other working parts of the heart. Atherosclerosis- the most common form of CVD; a disease characterized by plaques along the inner walls of the arteries. Plaques- mounds of fat, mixed with minerals, that build up along artery walls in atherosclerosis.