Why is cardiovascular health important?
- CVD is number 1 cause of death worldwide
- 17.7 million people die annually (2017), which is 31% of all global deaths
- Increase to 23.3 million by 2030, mainly from heart disease and stroke
What are 4 facts about cardiovascular disease?
- Non-communicable disease
- Not a single condition
- Includes all diseases of the cardiovascular system: heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries)
- Involving narrowing and/or blockage of the arteries
What does CVD include
- Coronary heart disease
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Congenital heart diseases
- Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
What is coronary heart disease?
blood vessels supplying the heart muscle
What is cerebrovascular disease?
blood vessels supplying the brain
What is peripheral arterial disease?
blood vessels supplying the arms and legs
What is rheumatic heart disease?
damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria
What is congenital heart diseases?
malformations of heart structure existing at birth
What is deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism?
blot clots in the leg vein which can dislodge and move to heart or lung
What is atherosclerosis?
Build up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply heart or brain
What are acute CVD events?
Heart attacks and strokes, mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain
What are the global differences in CVD?
- Marked international differences in CVD rates (highest Ukraine, lowest Japan)
- Mortality rates are more than seven times higher in some Eastern European countries than they are in Japan
What are the differences within Europe?
There is an almost three-fold difference between France, Spain and Portugal on the one hand and countries such as Finland, Scotland and Northern Ireland v
How are low and middle income countries affected?
Disproportionally
- over 80% of CVD deaths in low and middle income countries and almost equal in men and women
How important are environmental factors?
Migrant studies showed that CVD rates are aligned with the host country, implying environmental factors are important in CVD etiology
What are gender differences in CVD?
- CHD, strokes and other CVD made up 28% of male deaths in 2008
- CHD, strokes and other CVD made up 20% of female deaths in 2008
What are risk factors for CVD?
- Irreversible (Gender (male), age, genetic traits, body build)
- Potentially reversible (Obesity, hypertension, hyperglycaemia, inflammation)
- Geographic risk factors (Climate, season, drinking water quality)
- Psychosocial risk factors (Low economic class, stress, coronary prone behaviour)
- Modifiable risk factors (Tobacco, physical inactivity, alcohol)
What are major causes of
CVD?
- Tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet (top risk factor) and harmful use of alcohol (80% of risk)
- Hypertension >180mmHg
- Cholesterol TC>6.5mmol/l
How does diet link to CVD?
- Lipid levels (LDLc, HDLc, Triglycerides, Lipopotein(a))
- Blood pressure
- Thrombotic tendency
- Cardiac rhythm
- Endothelial function
- Systemic inflammation
- Insulin sensitivity
- Oxidative stress
- Homocysteine levels
