Cardiovascular diseases: symptoms, causes and treatment

1. Cardiovascular diseases are a group of conditions that are related because they share the same 'causative agent'. The cause of this group of disorders is that the arteries are affected with age as a result of atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis. This is a condition in which the arteries become narrowed, causing a deterioration of the vascular system. Less often cardiovascular diseases are associated with non-atherosclerotic diseases, such as congenital construction errors, cardiomyopathy (a collective term for diseases of the heart muscle), various inflammations, etc. Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, coronary heart disease and heart attacks, are among the most common diseases. In the Netherlands in 2020 there are roughly 1.55 million people with a chronic cardiovascular disease. Every day in our country just over 100 people die from cardiovascular disease. That is why prevention and timely induction and treatment is particularly important.

Cardiovascular diseases

1. Cardiovascular diseases (cardiovascular diseases) is the collective name for diseases that affect the cardiovascular system. It is a group of closely related disorders, as it includes diseases caused by a similar agent. You can therefore suffer from several of those diseases at the same time. If you have one condition from this group, you have an increased risk of getting another condition from the same group. The underlying cause of all these conditions is atherosclerosis, popularly called arteriosclerosis. This is a slowly progressing disease in which fatty substances are deposited in the wall of arteries and so-called plaque is formed at a later stage. In addition to cardiovascular diseases caused by atherosclerosis, including myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction

Cardiovascular diseases

1. High blood pressure (hypertension) High blood pressure or hypertension is a widespread disease. In 2020, roughly one in three adults suffers from this condition, which equates to three million people in the Netherlands. In the beginning, high blood pressure does not cause any complaints. Usually those affected do not even notice. The dangerous thing is that permanently high blood pressure increases the risk of damage to vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. There are many causes. Changing your lifestyle and prescription medication can usually help lower your blood pressure

High blood pressure

1. Common condition High blood pressure is one of the most common conditions in Western countries. In fact, high blood pressure is not a disease, but a phenomenon of dysregulation in the body with short or long-term pathological changes in the blood vessels. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure is the pressure that exists within a blood vessel. High blood pressure, also called "hypertension", is dangerous because the heart works harder to pump blood to the body and this contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), a disease process that leads to the narrowing and hardening of the arteries, and the development of heart failure. When your heart constantly has to pump against a high pressure, the heart first makes more muscle to do the job. Your heart will become thicker or more muscular (an enlarged heart)

Myocardial infarction or heart attack

1. What is a heart attack Myocardial infarction or heart attack

Chest pain (angina pectoris)

1. What is angina pectoris? The heart is a hollow muscle. By contracting, the heart pumps blood around the body. The blood supplies all tissues and organs of the body with nutrients and oxygen. The heart itself also needs blood and it gets that from the coronary arteries, which surround the heart like a kind of wreath. For angina pectoris