Cardiovascular diseases are the cause of almost 30% of the world’s deaths. The disease is more rampant in the low and middle income countries. In 2005 17.5 million people died due to this disease, out of which 5.7 million deaths were caused by stroke and the 7.6 million deaths by heart attacks.

What are cardiovascular diseases?

Cardiovascular diseases include diseases conditions like, heart attacks (coronary heart disease), cerebrovascular disease, hypertension (high Blood pressure), rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, peripheral artery disease and heart failure.

Cause

Tobacco use, lack pf physical exercise, obesity and unhealthy diets cause heart diseases. These factors cause lipid deposits in the blood vessels of the heart and the brain. A form of fatty deposit called fatty streaks build up in some children and worsen as they grow older. This lipid deposit causes atherosclerosis, wherein the arteries become narrow, hard, inflexible and get blocked by blood clots. This condition prevents blood vessels from supplying enough blood to the heart and brain, damaging them and causing heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure and diabetes can cause heart ailments without prior signs. Both men and women are at equal risk of facing cardiovascular diseases.

Symptoms

Heart attack and stroke are the symptoms of cardiovascular disorders. The signs of heart attack include chest pain; pain the left shoulder, arms and elbow, loss of pallor and cold sweats. Breathlessness, fainting, nausea, back and jaw pain are other symptoms that occur more commonly in women than in men. Women are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases after menopause.
The symptoms of stroke include weakness or numbness on one side of the body in the arms, legs or face, confusion, difficulty in speaking or understanding speech, poor eyesight in one or both eyes, dizziness, lack of balance, headache and fainting.

Prevention

Use of tobacco must be stopped to prevent cardio vascular diseases. Performing physical exercises for at least 30 minutes daily is important to keep the heart healthy. A healthy diet is a key to a healthy cardio system. Hence you should ensure intake of a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Salt consumption must be reduced to less than one tablespoon a day. A good exercise regimen and healthy diet will help eliminate obesity which is also a cause of cardio vascular diseases. It is important to take regular checkups to detect high blood pressure and control it before it becomes too late. Control blood sugar if you have diabetes to reduce risk of heart ailments.

Heart attacks and strokes occur unexpectedly without prior symptoms and may become fatal if immediate treatment is not received. Hence people experiencing symptoms of heart attack and stroke should seek medical assistance immediately. It has been projected that heart disease deaths will remain high in future also. If current trends continue then by 2015 almost 20 million people are likely to die due to cardiovascular diseases. So it is very important to take steps to prevent these killer cardiovascular diseases.