Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, abnormal heart rhythms, congenital heart disease, valvar heart disease, cordites, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis.

The underlying mechanisms vary depending on the disease. It is estimated that dietary risk factors are associated with 53% of CVD deaths. Coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease involve atherosclerosis. This may be caused by high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes mellitus, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood cholesterol, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and poor sleep, among others. High blood pressure is estimated to account for approximately 13% of CVD deaths, while tobacco accounts for 9%, diabetes 6%, lack of exercise 6% and obesity 5%. Rheumatic heart disease may follow untreated strep throat.

Types

There are many cardiovascular diseases involving the blood vessels. They are known as vascular diseases.

• Coronary artery disease (also known as coronary heart disease and ischemic heart disease)
• Peripheral arterial disease – disease of blood vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs
• Cerebrovascular disease – disease of blood vessels that supply blood to the brain (includes stroke)
• Renal artery stenosis
• Aortic aneurysm

There are also many cardiovascular diseases that involve the heart.

• Cardiomyopathy – diseases of cardiac muscle
• Hypertensive heart disease – diseases of the heart secondary to high blood pressure or hypertension
• Heart failure - a clinical syndrome caused by the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood to the tissues to meet their metabolic requirements
• Pulmonary heart disease – a failure at the right side of the heart with respiratory system involvement
• Cardiac dysrhythmias – abnormalities of heart rhythm.
• Valvular heart disease
• Congenital heart disease – heart structure malformations existing at birth
• Rheumatic heart disease – heart muscles and valves damage due to rheumatic fever caused by Streptococcus pyogenes a group A streptococcal infection.