Cardiovascular Disease Essay

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Basic Information: Cardiovascular Disease
What is it?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of disorders or diseases that involves the heart and blood vessels, or both. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death amongst individuals living the United States. Some diseases associated with CVD consist of: coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease and pulmonary embolism (U.S. National Library of Medicine).
Development
Cardiovascular disease is developed by a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels, which typically takes years to accrue (World Health Organization). The development of the fatty-acid deposits can occur due to an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and a harmful intake of alcohol. The behavioral risk factors listed above account for about 80% of cardiovascular disease, with the other 20% being cause by fixed risk factors (age, gender, race).
An unhealthy diet and physical inactivity can cause raised blood pressure, raised glucose levels, raised blood lipids, overweight and obesity in individuals, which puts them at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Unlike behavior risk factors, which can be controlled or modified, there are fixed risk factors like like race, gender, and age that can also contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.

Signs and Symptoms
Often times there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels. More times than not, a heart attack or stroke is the first warning or sign of the underlying disease. Since signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease are not always apparent, it is important to know the symptoms of a heart attack so medical attention can be sought out immediately. According to...

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...essor in their life. Lastly, a heart attack may occur to an individual because of their personality and how they choose to deal with the conflict at hand.
Spiritual
Throughout history, it seems that medicine and spirituality have been linked in many circumstances. In a study looking at the use of complementary and alternative therapies in cardiac patients, spiritual healing was one of many practices patient sought to utilize. In another study, 29% of participants chose to use prayer or premeditation as a way to cope with their chronic illness. In both studies, prayer or meditation was more likely to be used by individuals who had a large social network, as well as support from another person in the same health situation. Based on these studies, it seems that many individuals (not just cardiovascular patients) turn to their spirituality in times of health distress.

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