The heart
The heart is a muscle about the size of your fist. It pumps blood around your body and beats approximately 70 times a minute. After the blood leaves the right side of the heart, it goes to your lungs where it picks up oxygen.
​
The oxygen-rich blood returns to your heart and is then pumped to the body's organs through a network of arteries.
​
The blood returns to your heart through veins before being pumped back to your lungs again. This process is called circulation.​
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.
​
It's usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots.
​
It can also be associated with damage to arteries in organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys and eyes.
​
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK, but it can often largely be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.
​Types of Cardiovascular Disease
There are many different types of CVD. Four of the main types are described on this page.
​
Coronary heart disease
The heart gets its own supply of blood from a network of blood vessels on the heart's surface called coronary arteries. Coronary heart disease occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked or reduced.
​
This puts an increased strain on the heart, and can lead to:
-
angina – chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle
-
heart attacks – where the blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked
-
heart failure – where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly
​
Read more about coronary heart disease.
Videos: coronary arteries and heart disease
These videos shows how your heart works and what happens when your coronary arteries stop functioning properly.
​​​Find out about a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), also called heart bypass surgery, an operation to improve blood flow to the heart. Find out why it's done, what it involves, what to expect after the operation and possible complications. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronary-artery-bypass-graft-cabg/
British Heart Foundation video: How does a healthy heart work?​
Strokes and TIAs
A stroke is where the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, which can cause brain damage and possibly death.
​
A transient ischaemic attack (also called a TIA or "mini-stroke") is similar, but the blood flow to the brain is only temporarily disrupted.
​
The main symptoms of a stroke or TIA can be remembered with the word FAST, which stands for:
-
Face – the face may have drooped on one side, the person may be unable to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped.
-
Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness in one arm.
-
Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, they may not be able to talk at all or they may not be able to understand what you are saying to them.
-
Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
​
Peripheral arterial disease
Peripheral arterial disease occurs when there's a blockage in the arteries to the limbs, usually the legs.
​
This can cause:
-
dull or cramping leg pain, which is worse when walking and gets better with rest
-
hair loss on the legs and feet
-
numbness or weakness in the legs
-
persistent ulcers (open sores) on the feet and legs
Read more about peripheral arterial disease.
.png)
Peripheral arterial disease occurs when there's a blockage in the arteries to the limbs, usually the legs.
​Symptoms
This can cause:
-
Dull or cramping leg pain, which is worse when walking and gets better with rest
-
Numbness or weakness in the legs
-
Decrease in growth of leg hair and toenails
-
Paleness of the skin
-
Erectile dysfunction
-
Sores and wounds on legs and feet that won’t heal
-
Coldness in one leg​
Aortic disease
Aortic diseases are a group of conditions affecting the aorta. This is the largest blood vessel in the body, which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
​
One of most common aortic diseases is an aortic aneurysm, where the aorta becomes weakened and bulges outwards.
​
This doesn't usually have any symptoms, but there's a chance it could burst and cause life-threatening bleeding.
​
Read more about aortic aneurysm.
What are cardiovascular disease risk factors?
You may be more likely to develop cardiovascular disease if you have risk factors such as:
-
High blood pressure (hypertension)
-
High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
-
Family history of heart disease
-
Misuse of prescription or recreational drugs
-
Pre-eclampsia or toxemia
-
Gestational diabetes
-
Chronic inflammatory or autoimmune conditions
-
Chronic kidney disease
Your guide to managing Hypertension
Your guide to Type 2 Diabetes
Preventing coronary heart disease (CHD)
You can reduce your risk of getting coronary heart disease by making some simple lifestyle changes.
These include:
Keeping your heart healthy will also have other health benefits, such
as helping reduce your risk of stroke and dementia.
What changes are you going to make to improve your heart health?
