The 7 Most Common Types Of Cardiovascular Diseases (and Symptoms)
According to the World Health Organization (2017), cardiovascular diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels that are currently the main cause of death around the world. These diseases cause a greater number of deaths in low-income countries (at least three quarters of deaths).
In this article we will see What are the 7 most common types of cardiovascular diseases as well as its main symptoms and risk factors.
Cardiovascular diseases, also known as “heart disease,” are defined as a group of disorders that affect the cardiovascular system. The latter is responsible for transporting blood from the heart to the circuit of elastic tubes that we know as blood vessels; which includes different types of veins, arteries, arterioles and capillaries.
They can start in different parts of the cardiovascular system. That is to say, They can manifest directly in the heart (cardiac type) or they can be peripheral, meaning they occur in surrounding organs. Likewise, cardiovascular diseases can occur only once, or they can develop chronically. For this reason, cardiovascular diseases have been divided into several types.
7 types of cardiovascular diseases and their symptoms
In general, the pathological activity of the blood vessels and heart does not present previous symptoms, even when the disease has begun its development. That is, cardiovascular diseases may have asymptomatic phases For this reason, they usually become visible until an attack on the heart, brain, or nearby organs is occurring.
The general symptoms of the latter are persistent pain in the chest, arms, left shoulder, jaw or back (these two are more common in women). These pains may be accompanied by breathing difficulties (dyspnea), nausea or vomiting.
Following the data offered by the World Health Organization (2018), we will now describe the 7 main types of cardiovascular diseases: arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathies.
high blood pressure, also known as high blood pressure, occurs when pressure levels reach a minimum of 140 mmHg systolic pressure; or 90 mmHg diastolic pressure.
The above values are indicators that blood is not traveling through the vessels properly and fluidly, which can cause a heart attack. Some symptoms are headaches, dizziness or vertigo, redness, vision and hearing alterations, among others.
However, as we have said previously, many people do not present signs or symptoms until they translate into a medical complication. High blood pressure is considered a type of chronic cardiovascular disease, which is also an important precursor to other more serious cardiovascular diseases or accidents.
2. Coronary heart disease
It is also known as myocardial infarction. In this case the blood vessels that are responsible for carrying blood to the heart are affected It is characterized by a narrowing of the latter, which prevents sufficient blood and oxygen from reaching the muscle pump.
Narrowing of blood vessels is usually caused by hardening of the arteries, such as consequence of the accumulation of fatty material and other substances Symptoms include severe chest discomfort, pain that occurs with significant physical or emotional activities, a feeling of heaviness, and fatigue.
3. Cerebrovascular disease
In this case, the vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the brain are also affected. It can cause permanent or temporary effects on the brain.
When the disease occurs suddenly, it can also be called a stroke and is generally caused by intracerebral bleeding or a blood clot deposited in the brain. Depending on the specific area, it can cause blindness, vertigo, ataxia, visual disturbances, amnesia, dysphagia, urinary incontinence, mutism, hemiplegia, aphasia, among other manifestations related to brain activity.
Cardiovascular diseases can cause cerebrovascular accidents (strokes or cerebral infarctions), which consist of interruption of blood flow and oxygen traveling to the brain as a consequence of the loss of tissue in the latter. Along with coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases cause the greatest number of deaths around the world.
Heart failure is characterized by a difficulty of the muscular pump (the heart) to pump blood regularly. It is also known as congestive heart failure Symptoms of heart failure include tachycardia, murmurs, and dyspnea (breathing problems). Likewise, heart failure can be caused by other diseases such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes or obesity.
This disease is further divided into different types according to its particular characteristics. For example, it can manifest as an accumulation of fluid in the lungs that mainly generates dyspnea; or in the abdomen, which generates fluid retention and swelling. In the specific case of the heart, it may occur due to lack of contraction of the left ventricle, or due to lack of filling of the left ventricle.
5. Rheumatic heart disease
rheumatic heart disease It is caused by the inflammation caused by rheumatic fever (a pathological response of the body to infections caused by streptococcal bacteria). The main characteristic of rheumatic heart disease is the existence of damage to the heart valves and myocardium. In other words, it is manifested by lesions in the heart valves, which arise as a result of the scars caused by rheumatic fever. The latter, rheumatic fever, is especially common in children who live in highly poor areas.
Its main symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain, constant fatigue, irregular heartbeat and fainting.
6. Congenital heart disease
The main characteristic of congenital heart disease, as its name suggests, is the existence of heart malformations that occur from birth. It can be cyanotic or non-cyanotic, depending on whether it also manifests with a lack of oxygen. The symptoms of heart disease vary depending on the development of the same pathology Some of the congenital conditions that can be accompanied by heart disease are Down Syndrome, DiGeorge Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Trisomy 12, among others.
7. Cardiomyopathies
Cardiomyopathies are acquired diseases that occur directly in the heart, which is also known as the cardiac muscle or myocardium. They may be caused by difficulty performing contractions or relaxations, which prevents the heart from pumping blood properly.
This difficulty is in turn a manifestation of deterioration in heart function. Therefore, cardiomyopathies significantly increase the chances of suffering a myocardial infarction. Some of the most common cardiomyopathies are dilated, hypertrophic, and restrictive cardiomyopathy. The most common symptoms They are dyspnea, irregular palpitations and heart failure.
8. Other types
Likewise, deep vein thromboses and pulmonary embolisms are considered cardiovascular diseases. They consist of the formation of clots in the blood vessels of the veins of the legs, which easily break off and travel to the heart or lungs. Among its main symptoms are severe pain in one or both legs, as well as significant breathing difficulties and a high probability of suffering a myocardial attack
Main risk factors
Risk factors are circumstances that increase the likelihood of developing a health problem. These are situations that can be detected even before the signs and symptoms appear, which makes it possible to prevent the development of different conditions. In the case of cardiovascular diseases, some of the risk factors are high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, as well as previous cardiovascular diseases
Risk factors related to habits and lifestyle include harmful use of tobacco and alcohol, lack of physical activity, and an unbalanced diet. All of these are also considered “intermediate risk factors”, since they can generate high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, overweight and obesity.
Prevention and treatment
Medical research on cardiovascular diseases has shown that reducing a high-salt diet, eating fruits and vegetables, being physically active, and reducing tobacco and alcohol consumption significantly reduce the risk of developing them. The latter together with the prescription of pharmacological treatments that help control hypertension, diabetes, blood clotting, or any of the possible causes.
In addition surgical intervention may be necessary that acts on coronary bypasses or on blocked arteries; or even a heart transplant. Among the medical devices used to regulate the activity of the nervous system are valve replacements to artificially promote breathing, pacemakers or some patches in the chambers of the heart.
