Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a broad term for disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. It includes conditions that block blood flow, damage cardiac muscle, alter rhythm, or weaken vessel walls. CVD remains a leading cause of illness because it embraces a wide range of problems—from blocked coronary arteries to cerebrovascular events.
Common forms and related conditions
- Coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to angina and myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- Stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders caused by interrupted brain blood flow
- Heart diseases such as cardiomyopathy, rhythm disorders like atrial fibrillation, and conditions requiring device therapy
- Diseases of the blood vessels, including peripheral artery disease (PAD) and aortic aneurysms
- Infective or inflammatory problems such as endocarditis, and developmental defects known as congenital heart disease
These categories overlap: for example, untreated high blood pressure can damage the heart (heart disease) and the brain (stroke), while atherosclerosis affects both coronary and peripheral arteries (CAD, PAD).
Causes, risk factors, and prevention
Risk factors include tobacco use, raised blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. Some risks are non-modifiable, such as older age and family history. Prevention targets lifestyle changes, population measures to reduce tobacco and unhealthy diets, and clinical management of blood pressure, lipids and blood sugar.
Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
Symptoms vary by disease: chest pain, breathlessness, fainting, sudden weakness or speech problems (in stroke), and limb pain on exertion (in PAD). Diagnosis commonly uses clinical examination, electrocardiography, blood tests, imaging (echocardiography, angiography) and vascular studies. Treatment ranges from lifestyle interventions and medications—statins, antihypertensives, antiplatelet drugs—to procedures such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, valve repair/replacement, device implantation and rehabilitation.
Long-term management combines secondary prevention after an event (for example, cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack) with public-health strategies that lower population risk. Some CVDs, like rheumatic heart disease, are linked to infections and are largely preventable through early treatment of streptococcal infections and improved access to care.
History and notable distinctions
Understanding of circulation and heart function developed over centuries; modern imaging and interventions transformed outcomes in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is useful to distinguish cardiac disease (primarily heart muscle and valves) from broader cardiovascular disease (which includes vessel disorders) and cerebrovascular disease (stroke and related brain circulation problems). Effective control of CVD depends on combining clinical care with policy actions that address social and behavioural determinants of health.