Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular disease is defined as a disease that affects any area of the cardiovascular system, including the heart and blood vessels, and covers a range of diseases such as arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Diet plays a vital part in the prevention and control of these diseases however other manageable factors such as smoking and physical inactivity also contribute to the diseases if not controlled correctly. However corrective action or cession can reduce the risk of these conditions.
There are two main types of cardiovascular diseases, arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is where lipid deposits cause the walls of the arteries to harden and lose their elasticity, whereas atherosclerosis is where plague builds up in the artery which can lead to a blockage, causing a heart attack (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). Many of the factors which promote cardiovascular diseases can also promote blood clotting; these blood clots can get stuck in the remaining space the plague has not filled which can also lead to blockage and heart attack (Pozuelo, 2012).
The most common type of cardiovascular disease is coronary heart disease. The prevalence of this varies around the United Kingdom. With 4.6% of people in Scotland having the disease 4.3% in Wales 4.2% in Northern Ireland and 3.5% in England (Thomas, 2009). Coronary heart disease is more prevalent in affluent countries, where the population live on a diet high in fat and salt but low in fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer in the UK, in 2001 cardiovascular diseases caused over 120,000 deaths (Barasi, 2003). It is thought that there are currently 1.6 million men and just over 1 million women in the UK with some form of cardiovascular disease (Ascheim & Ascheim, 2009).
Diet is a major factor in cardiovascular disease; it is mainly linked to diets high in fat, salt and sugar but low in non-starch
Cardiovascular disease is defined as a disease that affects any area of the cardiovascular system, including the heart and blood vessels, and covers a range of diseases such as arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Diet plays a vital part in the prevention and control of these diseases however other manageable factors such as smoking and physical inactivity also contribute to the diseases if not controlled correctly. However corrective action or cession can reduce the risk of these conditions.
There are two main types of cardiovascular diseases, arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is where lipid deposits cause the walls of the arteries to harden and lose their elasticity, whereas atherosclerosis is where plague builds up in the artery which can lead to a blockage, causing a heart attack (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). Many of the factors which promote cardiovascular diseases can also promote blood clotting; these blood clots can get stuck in the remaining space the plague has not filled which can also lead to blockage and heart attack (Pozuelo, 2012).
The most common type of cardiovascular disease is coronary heart disease. The prevalence of this varies around the United Kingdom. With 4.6% of people in Scotland having the disease 4.3% in Wales 4.2% in Northern Ireland and 3.5% in England (Thomas, 2009). Coronary heart disease is more prevalent in affluent countries, where the population live on a diet high in fat and salt but low in fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer in the UK, in 2001 cardiovascular diseases caused over 120,000 deaths (Barasi, 2003). It is thought that there are currently 1.6 million men and just over 1 million women in the UK with some form of cardiovascular disease (Ascheim & Ascheim, 2009).
Diet is a major factor in cardiovascular disease; it is mainly linked to diets high in fat, salt and sugar but low in non-starch
References: Books Ascheim, D. Ascheim, R. 2009. Heart Health Your Questions Answered. London: Dorling Kindersley. Barasi, M.E. 2003. Human Nutrition: A Health Perspective. London: Arnold Bernstein, M. Luggen, A. 2011. Nutrition for the Older Adult. Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Klein, A.A. Lewis, C.J. Madsen, J.C. 2011. Organ Transplantation: A Clinical Guide. Cambridge University Press Pozuelo, L. 2012. Depression and Heart Disease. [Available at: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/stress/depressionandheart.aspx] Thomas, P. 2009. Challenges Facing the Welsh NHS in Tackling Cancer, Heart Disease and Healthcare Associated Infections. Cardiff: Institute of Welsh Affairs Vlodaver, Z. Wilson, R.F. Garry, D.J. 2012. Coronary Heart Disease: Clinical, pathological, imaging and Molecular Profiles. New York: Springer Journals Luengo-Fernandez, R. 2006. Cardiovascular medicine. Cost of cardiovascular diseases in the United Kingdom. 92 (1), 1.