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Science Photo Library
Time: 15 hours
Level: Intermediate
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 Introduction Resource- You may be studying this unit because you – or a member of your family or a friend – have been personally affected by cardiovascular diseases in some way. You may be professionally involved in looking...
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| | 1 What are cardiovascular diseases?
- 1.1 A simple introduction Resource
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is a ‘catch all’ phrase used to describe a variety of diseases of the heart and blood circulatory system. The main types of CVD are listed in Table 1, along with commonly...
- 1.2 Broad defintions of cardiovascular diseases Resource
- The following are broad definitions that may be useful in familiarising yourself with the range of CVDs and are here for you to return to at any time during the unit to use as a reminder. You will undoubtedly...
- 1.3 There's a lot of it about: the global picture of cardiovascular diseases Resource
- Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of premature death (before the age of 75) in the UK, across Europe and the USA – indeed, across many parts of the world (Figures 3 and 4). One third of global...
- 1.4 Decline of cardiovascular diseases in Western society? Resource
- Cardiovascular diseases may be the main cause of death across most of the world, but the mortality (death) rates have actually been declining since the 1970s in most industrialised countries.
- 1.5 Economic impact of cardiovascular diseases Resource
- The economic costs of cardiovascular diseases are wide-ranging and increasing. There are costs to the individual and their family, to the government (especially if medical care is state-funded) and to...
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| | 2 Studying cardiovascular diseases
- 2.1 Using medical terminology: building a glossary Resource
- As you start studying a medical subject, it is useful to be familiar with the sort of terminology you will come across. Often there are similar-sounding terms with different meanings, e.g. hypo and hyper....
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- 3.1 Lifestyle choices Resource
- Health is generally considered to be the absence of disease. However, the absence of any symptoms of disease may cause us to mistakenly believe we are healthy. We can't see inside our arteries to know...
- 3.2 Diabetes as a risk factor Resource
- One risk factor – diabetes – requires special attention with regard to cardiovascular diseases. Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the blood glucose level is higher than it should be for a healthy...
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| | 4 Prevention is better than cure
- 4.1 Introduction Resource
- Prevention strategies for cardiovascular diseases are often referred to as primary or secondary. This distinction is made because recommendations for the patient are slightly different, depending on whether...
- 4.2 The National Service Framework Resource
- National Service Frameworks are long-term strategies for tackling major health issues and important diseases, especially improving specific areas of care, e.g. coronary heart disease, cancer and...
- 4.3 Education, education, education Resource
- We have already listed some of the main modifiable risk factors, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
- 4.4 Obesity and cardiovascular diseases Resource
- Obesity and being overweight are well-known as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Carrying excess body fat predisposes individuals to developing elevated blood cholesterol and diabetes. You will...
- 4.5 What can individuals do? Resource
- Whatever age they are, men, women and children can all do something to try to prevent future cardiovascular diseases in themselves or their families by eating a balanced diet (see Section 4.6), taking...
- 4.6 A balanced diet Resource
- Our diet is simply what we eat and drink. Diet does not mean that we are trying to lose weight, although sometimes this is necessary. What we eat is very important, particularly in people with diabetes...
- 4.7 Special circumstances? Resource
- Individuals can only attempt to alter risk factors they are aware of and need to be informed about what is relevant to them. Women and men have different considerations, and ethnic background can also...
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- 5 Early warning signs Resource
- Many people are familiar with chest pain as an early warning sign of an impending heart attack (see Figure 10). However, chest pain can also be a symptom of something completely unrelated to cardiovascular...
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- 6.1 Introduction Resource
- Despite efforts to avoid them, heart disease, heart failure and heart attacks do occur – sometimes with warning symptoms and sometimes without. Cardiologists (doctors specialising in the heart) use a variety...
- 6.2 Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Resource
- The immediate treatment given when the heart stops beating is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). (Pulmonary refers to the lungs.) Outside the hospital setting, first aid is required in the first instance....
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| | 7 Immediate treatment of cardiovascular diseases
- 7 Immediate treatment of cardiovascular diseases Resource
- Treatment obviously depends on the severity of cardiovascular diseases at presentation and any safety considerations. Medications (pharmaceutical drugs) are available to treat many of the symptoms and...
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| | 8 Long-term treatment, and living with cardiovascular diseases
- 8.1 Interventions Resource
- The longer-term medical treatment of patients with identified cardiovascular diseases or significant cardiovascular disease risk factors could involve any or all of the following interventions: monitoring;...
- 8.2 Secondary prevention using drugs Resource
- Extensive research has been carried out into the use of drugs to help limit damage and minimise deterioration of an established heart or circulatory condition. The use of four main drug categories together...
- 8.3 Issues with medications Resource
- Most pharmaceutical drugs will have side effects – unwanted and sometimes unexpected effects, in addition to the medical benefits expected with the drug's use. All prescription drugs are accompanied by...
- 8.4 When surgery is required Resource
- For some cardiovascular disease patients, surgery may be carried out as an emergency procedure or become an inevitable progression, following on from drug therapy. There are various degrees of surgery...
- 8.5 How things change Resource
- Despite the advances made in cardiac care over the previous century, it is thought that the global epidemic of cardiovascular diseases is both increasing (see Table 5) and shifting from developed to developing...
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- 9 Summary Resource
- Now you will be very familiar with cardiovascular diseases, their development and their diagnosis. You will also know their treatment and many of the cardiovascular disease risk factors – what they are...
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- 10 Test your knowledge Resource
- Referring to Figure 6 reproduced again for you below, state how many people per 10 000 of the North American population had heart attacks in (i) 1990; (ii) 1995; (iii) 2000. Make sure that you are reading...
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- 11 Additional resources
- Bandolier (2005) Statins: when should you take the tablet?
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- 12 Glossary Resource
- You can access the unit glossary by clicking the link below.
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| | References and Acknowledgements | |
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