The cardiovascular, or circulatory, system supplies the body with blood. It consists of the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. CVD is now the most common cause of death worldwide.

These may include:

Chest pain

Irregular heartbeat

Congenital heart disease

Heart attack

Coronary artery disease

Heart failure

  • dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure, in which the heart gets larger and cannot pump blood efficiently
  • hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle walls thicken and problems with relaxation of the muscle, blood flow, and electrical instability develop
  • mitral regurgitation, in which blood leaks back through the mitral valve of the heart during contractions
  • mitral valve prolapse, in which part of the mitral valve bulges into the left atrium of the heart while it contracts, causing mitral regurgitation
  • pulmonary stenosis, in which a narrowing of the pulmonary artery reduces blood flow from the right ventricle (pumping chamber to the lungs) to the pulmonary artery (blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs)
  • aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart valve that can cause blockage to blood flow leaving the heart

Vascular diseases affect the arteries, veins, or capillaries throughout the body and around the heart.

They include:

  • peripheral artery disease, which causes arteries to become narrow and reduces blood flow to the limbs
  • aneurysm, a bulge or enlargement in an artery that can rupture and bleed
  • atherosclerosis, in which plaque forms along the walls of blood vessels, narrowing them and restricting the flow of oxygen rich blood
  • renal artery disease, which affects the flow of blood to and from the kidneys and can lead to high blood pressure
  • Raynaud’s disease, which causes arteries to spasm and temporarily restrict blood flow
  • peripheral venous disease, or general damage in the veins that transport blood from the feet and arms back to the heart, which causes leg swelling and varicose veins
  • ischemic stroke, in which a blood clot moves to the brain and causes damage
  • venous blood clots, which can break loose and become dangerous if they travel to the pulmonary artery
  • blood clotting disorders, in which blood clots form too quickly or not quickly enough and lead to excessive bleeding or clotting

It is possible to manage some health conditions within CVD by making lifestyle changes, but some conditions may be life threatening and require emergency surgery.