Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is one of the largest health problems that face both the wealthy and the poor. Many people believe that the increase in cardiovascular diseases is a result of changes within peoples lifestyles. People are often now less active and eat diets high in fats relative to past generations.

High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are two risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

High blood pressure is frequently referred to as the silent killer. Often individuals fail to realize they have this condition, until its too late. However there are lifestyle and dietary changes you can make now, to keep your heart-healthy.

Blood pressure can be measured using a device called a sphygmomanometer. This device measures the pressure exerted by blood upon the walls of the blood vessels. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, your heart must work harder to pump the blood as compared to someone normal. Therefore having high blood pressure will result in having an unnecessary strain on the vessels of the circulatory system.

High blood pressure often called hypertension is closely related to stroke. High blood pressure can be one of the most significant factors that cause a stroke.

Stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. This can be due to lack of blood supply, caused by thrombosis or embolism, or due to a hemorrhage.

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a noninvasive test used in the examination of heart disease. ECG is now one of the most important tools in cardiac electrophysiology. It measures the rate and promptness of heartbeats as well as the size and position of the chambers. The major advantages of this test are that it is painless, noninvasive, safe, inexpensive, and easy to perform.

Cholesterol is a fatlike waxy substance and is produced by the liver. Although cholesterol is important to overall health and body function, too much cholesterol in the body has damaging effects.

With too much cholesterol in the body, the levels build up and cause damage by clogging your arteries. This can puts you at serious risk for disease.

Things that you can do to keep heart healthy include stop smoking; lose weight, exercise regularly and cutting back on the salt. People have also reported health benefits from drinking a glass of wine and eating garlic.