WHAT IS CVD, WHAT INCREASES THE RISK OF CVD AND WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS?

The first 200 words of this essay...

WHAT IS CVD, WHAT INCREASES THE RISK OF CVD AND WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS?

A cardiovascular disease(CVD) is a disease of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, angina, myocardial infarction, thrombosis and strokes.

The common factor between a majority of cardiovascular diseases is the process called atherosclerosis, which is the hardening, thickening and loss of elasticity of blood vessel walls; this is the build-up of plaque on the inside of arteries. Fat deposits called atheromas build up under the endothelium of the artery walls from low density lipoproteins. Collagen fibres may also be laid down with the fat, forming irregular raised patches which narrows the lumen of the artery and inhibits the flow of blood along the artery[1] figure 1[2]. Connective tissue is then formed over the developing plaque which is then hardened by the deposition of calcium salts[1]. Blood is an important transport medium for carrying oxygen to the heart. The narrowing of the artery means there is not enough oxygen reaching the heart, and the heart may respond to this with a chest pain called angina. Further narrowing of the lumen of the artery can completely cut off the blood