Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common causes of death in Germany. Not only older people are affected, but also the number of people under 50 years of age is continuously increasing. It is precisely their gradual progression that makes cardiovascular disease so dangerous, as it is often discovered too late.
What are cardiovascular diseases?
Infographic on the anatomy and causes of cardiovascular disease. Click image to enlarge. The term cardiovascular disease includes all diseases that affect the cardiovascular system. This includes all congenital diseases of the heart, circulation, and vessels that are not acquired through injury. Diseases of the veins and lymphatic vessels are also referred to as such. However, the term cardiovascular disease is not uniformly defined in human medicine. Characteristic of cardiovascular diseases is an insidious course as well as a sudden manifestation of symptoms. Many of these diseases can be life-threatening and require immediate treatment by a physician. Examples of cardiovascular disease include myocardial infarction, stroke, thrombosis, high blood pressure (hypertension), pericarditis, and various circulatory disorders.
Causes
There are a variety of risk factors that can cause cardiovascular disease. A distinction is made between influenceable and noninfluenceable risk factors. Noninfluenceable risk factors include increasing age, gender (the risk of cardiovascular disease is higher in men), and genetic predisposition. But these factors alone are not responsible for the development of dangerous diseases. Influenceable risk factors such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, excessive alcohol and nicotine consumption as well as stress and lack of exercise also contribute. Overweight people are particularly often affected, and abdominal obesity in particular greatly increases the risk of developing the disease. Diabetes can also promote the development of cardiovascular diseases. Usually it is the interaction of various factors that ultimately results in one of the dangerous diseases.
Typical and common diseases
- Hypertension
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Heart valve defect
- Heart muscle inflammation
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Coronary heart disease
- Palpitations
- Atrial fibrillation
Symptoms, complaints and signs
Cardiovascular disease is manifested by a number of symptoms. A very nonspecific sign is dizziness, which can be caused by low blood pressure or by extreme increases in blood pressure. Heart palpitations, cardiac arrhythmias, a general feeling of weakness and rapid fatigability under stress often occur in the context of heart diseases such as myocarditis, but differential diagnosis must also consider an infectious disease or psychovegetative regulatory disorders. If shortness of breath and water retention in the tissues (edema) are also present, the suspicion of cardiac insufficiency becomes stronger. A characteristic feature of a heart attack is severe chest pain, which often radiates to the left arm, the jaw or the upper abdomen and is accompanied by nausea, profuse sweating and fear of death. Even before the onset of a heart attack, chest pains can announce themselves, which quickly disappear when the patient is at rest (angina pectoris). Circulatory disorders in the legs (peripheral arterial occlusive disease) are characterized by pain, due to which those affected have to take repeated breaks when walking. As the disease progresses, the pain-free walking distances become shorter and shorter, and eventually the leg pain occurs even at rest. In the advanced stage, wound healing disorders can occur, which eventually lead to tissue death. Sudden and usually unilateral signs of paralysis, impaired vision and speech, confusion and dizziness indicate a stroke.
Diagnosis and course
Cardiovascular disease should be diagnosed as early as possible, since quite a few of the associated diseases can take a fatal course. Ideally, the general practitioner will detect changes in the heart or blood circulation during a screening examination, even before the first symptoms appear.As a result, drug treatment can be initiated immediately. However, research into the causes should always be carried out and a change in lifestyle should be made if this is responsible for the disease. Many cardiovascular diseases progress silently and unnoticed over many years and manifest themselves through sudden symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, a feeling of tightness in the chest or paralysis in the facial area and over the entire body. If these symptoms occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately. After an appropriate diagnosis, he or she will initiate treatment, which varies depending on the stage of the disease. Overall, the prognosis for cardiovascular disease is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, thanks to improved treatment methods and a further development of intensive care medicine. For example, the mortality rate from cardiovascular disease has fallen by 25 percent since 1970.
Complications
In many cases, cardiovascular disease leads to patient death. This happens mainly when these diseases are not treated in time or when the affected person does not change his lifestyle. Cardiovascular diseases can lead to various complaints, but as a rule they always have a negative impact on the patient’s everyday life and quality of life. The ability to cope with stress decreases enormously and the affected person appears fatigued and tired. High blood pressure, dizzy spells and vomiting occur. Furthermore, the affected person can also suffer a heart attack. This can cause consequential damage and paralysis, which in many cases is irreversible and cannot be treated. It is also not uncommon to experience shortness of breath and severe chest pain. Those affected suffer from anxiety and sweating. Treatment of cardiovascular disease is both causal and symptomatic. Further diseases and damage can be prevented. In many cases, however, surgical intervention is necessary to counteract cardiovascular disease. Complications usually only occur if treatment is not initiated in time. This can reduce the patient’s life expectancy.
When should you see a doctor?
Dizziness, cardiac arrhythmias, and chest pain can be due to harmless causes, but they can also be due to a serious cardiovascular disease. Such symptoms should therefore always be clarified by a physician, especially if they persist over a long period of time or occur without an identifiable trigger. Dizziness associated with headaches and frequent nosebleeds can indicate high blood pressure that requires treatment. This often persists for a long time without causing any symptoms: If there are risk factors such as obesity, elevated blood lipid levels or diabetes mellitus, regular blood pressure monitoring is advisable even if there are no symptoms. Clouding of consciousness, visual disturbances, signs of paralysis and slurred speech indicate a stroke that requires immediate medical attention. Chest pain that occurs during exertion and is accompanied by sweating and shortness of breath must also be treated. They can be the first signs of coronary heart disease – this should be considered especially if the symptoms improve quickly at rest. A heart attack is indicated by a feeling of tightness in the chest associated with nausea, fear of death, cold sweats and conspicuous pallor of the skin. In this case, an emergency physician should be called immediately. A feeling of tension and swelling in the legs can conceal a thrombosis, which can trigger a life-threatening embolism if left untreated: A medical clarification is therefore recommended even in the case of mild symptoms.
Treatment and therapy
Treatment of cardiovascular disease, if diagnosed in time, is mainly by various drugs. These include ACE inhibitors, which inhibit the production of a hormone responsible for the development of hypertension. Thus, these ACE inhibitors primarily have a blood pressure-lowering effect and thus relieve the heart. They are particularly well tolerated. Another medication is beta-blockers, which prevent the production of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. Like ACE inhibitors, they lower blood pressure and relieve the cardiovascular system.Furthermore, anticoagulants, which prevent the formation of blood clots, nitrates, which relieve the pressure on arteries and veins, and diuretics, which reduce the amount of fluid in the bloodstream, are also used. If drug treatment is unsuccessful, cardiovascular problems can also be solved surgically. There are a variety of surgeries that are promising and can have a high success rate. In addition, of course, the causes of cardiovascular disease must be found and eliminated.
Outlook and prognosis
The outlook for patients with cardiovascular disease has improved significantly in recent decades. Hypertension can often be successfully treated with modern medications such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, diuretics, calcium antagonists, and sartans. Since the 1990s, the mortality rate from acute myocardial infarction has also fallen significantly. Whereas in 1990 a good 85,000 people died of a heart attack, in 2013 the figure was only around 52,000. Nevertheless, cardiovascular problems still regularly lead to death and remain the most common cause of death in Germany. This is particularly true if those affected are unwilling to change their lifestyle habits. For overweight people, smokers, and people who consume large amounts of animal fats and stick to these habits, the prognosis is significantly worse than for people who make changes in their consumption habits after being diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, especially high blood pressure and an (impending) heart attack. A healthy lifestyle, especially abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes, a predominantly plant-based diet and regular physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. In this context, women generally have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disorders, but the risk of death is higher for them than for men, which is also due to the fact that a heart attack in women is often not diagnosed or is diagnosed late.
Prevention
To avoid cardiovascular disease, one should attend regular preventive checkups and see a doctor immediately at the first symptoms. In addition, one should pay attention to a healthy lifestyle consisting of a balanced diet, low alcohol and nicotine consumption, plenty of exercise and avoiding stress. In this way, cardiovascular diseases can be actively and sustainably avoided.
Aftercare
An existing disease of the cardiovascular system should be treated even after acute symptoms have subsided. The main focus here is on adjusting and regularly monitoring blood pressure and heart rate. Excessive blood pressure in particular stresses the heart muscle and, after a certain period of time, can lead to serious complications, such as a bulging of the vessels supplying the brain. The vessels are passively dilated by the high blood pressure. As a result, the vessel wall becomes thinner and thinner until it can eventually rupture and lead to a cerebral hemorrhage. An excessively high pulse also further stresses the heart. Complications can be prevented by regular visits to the doctor and the establishment of individualized permanent medication with heart-protecting drugs such as ß-blockers and antihypertensives. In addition, patients with heart disease should regularly engage in endurance sports to strengthen the cardiovascular system. Here, for example, many cities offer special sports groups for heart disease patients. Smoking should be avoided completely, if possible, and attention should also be paid to a balanced, low-fat diet. Overweight patients should strive to reduce their weight. In order to be able to control the disease, it is advisable to see your family doctor regularly and to measure your blood pressure and pulse yourself. Together, it should be discussed here whether additional examinations such as regular long-term blood pressure measurements, writing an ECG or even stress tests are necessary.
What you can do yourself
A change in lifestyle can positively influence the course of many cardiovascular diseases. In addition to regular exercise, this includes a balanced diet: preference should be given to plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, potatoes and whole grains over high-fat animal products. Gentle preparation such as steaming or stewing also saves fat.On the one hand, reduced fat intake helps to lower blood lipid levels, and on the other hand, it helps to reduce excess weight. Good examples of a heart-friendly diet can be found in Mediterranean cuisine, which is based predominantly on fresh vegetables, salad and fruit, as well as chicken and fish. Vegetable oils that are high in unsaturated fatty acids are used to prepare the meals, and large amounts of salt are replaced by fresh herbs. People suffering from cardiovascular diseases should refrain from nicotine consumption and excessive alcohol consumption, avoid stress as much as possible and ensure regular rest breaks in everyday life. Light exercise usually has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system; walking, running, cycling or swimming in particular can strengthen the heart and stimulate blood circulation. Before taking up any activity, the individual training workload should definitely be discussed with the attending physician, and regular checks of cardiovascular functions at rest and under stress are recommended.
