SE Academic Review 2023

23 ACADEMIC REVIEW 2023

“ ...an increase of cardiac scanning would directly save lives. ”

Types of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) Cardiovascular heart diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. There are four main types of cardiovascular heart diseases (CVD) which range in severity, with different causes and needing different treatments. Coronary heart disease occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart is blocked or reduced. This has a variety of consequences, ranging from angina, which is a type of chest pain, to heart attacks. Heart attacks are clearly the most extreme consequence of this type of CVD and occur when the blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked completely. Another consequence of coronary heart disease is heart failure, occurring when the heart is unable to supply blood around the body (NHS, 2020). Strokes and TIAs are another type of CVD. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, effectively starving the brain of oxygen. Very serious consequences such as brain damage and even death can occur because of strokes. TIA stands for ‘transient ischaemic attack’ which is a mini stroke, where the blood supply to the brain is only temporarily cut off. Symptoms of strokes and TIAs can include blurring of speech, loss of movement in one side of the body or the loss of control of one side of the face.

Peripheral Arterial Disease is the third main type of CVD. This type of disease arises when there is a blockage in the arteries, usually in those supplying blood to the lower limbs. This type of disease has a range of symptoms which are not as severe. This type of disease can cause dull, cramping leg pain, numbness, sores and even hair loss to the legs. The final main type of CVD is aortic disease. Aortic disease is a group of conditions affecting the aorta which is the largest blood vessel in the body and is responsible for supplying the body with oxygenated blood. There are many types of aortic conditions including coarctations and aortic aneurisms. Coarctation is a narrowing of the aorta and reduces the blood flow. Aneurisms are the most common type of aortic disease and occur when the aorta weakens and bulges outwards. The aorta can burst and lead to life-threatening bleeding (NHS, 2020).