subject: Cardiovascular Disease - Signs - Symptoms [print this page] Before you want to know the answer to the question 'How do you get cardiovascular disease?', you should know the definition of cardiovascular disease first. It is an umbrella name for many diseases related with the heart or blood vessels which includes arteries and veins. While it is technically used to represent any disease affecting the cardiovascular system, it generally refers to those associated with arterial disease. In terms of these conditions, there are similar causes, mechanisms, and treatments. In the hospitals, the treatment of cardiovascular disease will be done by cardiologists, thoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons, neurologists, and interventional radiologists, depending on the treated organ system. There is a big overlap in the specialties, and you can notice that certain procedures will be commonly operated by different types of specialists in different hospitals.
How do you get cardiovascular disease? One the one hand, high cholesterol levels may result in the appearance of cardiovascular disease. As LDL cholesterol levels increase, the risk of this disease increases. When there are other risk factors, the risk will increases at a large margin. Many factors, including age, sex, heredity, and diet, also affect a person's lipid levels. On the other hand, high blood pressure is also a reason. It will increase the heart workload, leading to increased arterial damage, which may make atherosclerosis appear. In addition, it is also a big reason for stroke. When high blood pressure appears along with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, or diabetes, the possibility of heart attack or stroke is high.
Besides, some risk factors including obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and diabetes may result in cardiovascular disease. It is highly possible for those who are overweight to suffer from heart disease and stroke. To be honest, the weight itself is not the reason, but the excess pounds may make many diseases occur. Obesity may harm blood pressure and cholesterol, leading to the appearance of diabetes. And, a sedentary lifestyle may be responsible for obesity.
After you find out the answer to the question 'How do you get cardiovascular disease?', you should know the cardiovascular disease treatment. The cardiovascular disease treatment's goal is opening or bypassing the occluded vessel. Yet, vessels can also be replaced through using a couple of techniques in a surgery. In the carotid circulation, the surgeon can remove atherosclerotic plaques directly from vessels to reestablish open blood flow via atherectomy, in which the doctor inserts a tiny knife into a vessel through a catheter to shave fatty deposits off the vessel wall.