Cardiovascular Disease
Caused by
• Atherosclerosis
 Blocked artery
• By plaque
• Arteriosclerosis
 “Hardening of the arteries”
Coronary Artery Disease
• Plaque buildup in arteries of the heart
• No outward symptoms
• Can produce a myocardial infarction
 Heart attack
 Due to blocked artery
Declining death rates in
cardiovascular disease
• Due to:
 Better diet
 Reduction in cigarette smoking
 Improved emergency care
Stroke
• Third most frequent cause of death
• Blocked artery in the brain
• Common stroke
 Blocked artery
• Hemorrhagic stroke
 Burst blood vessel
Framingham Heart Study
• Risk factors for heart disease
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Cigarette smoking
High cholesterol
Hypertension
Sedentary lifestyle
Obesity
Framingham Heart Study
• LDL - Low-density lipoprotein
 Positively related to cardiovascular disease
 “L” = Lousy
• High-density lipoprotein
 Protection against heart disease
Physical risk factors
Hypertension
(High Blood Pressure)
• Best predictor of heart attack and stroke
• Reducing it is difficult because
No visible symptoms
To reduce it:
Lose weight
Reduce salt
Better diet
Fruits, vegetable, whole grain, low-fat dairy
Regular physical activity
Cholesterol
• Total cholesterol
 = LDL + HDL + Triglycerides
• Ratio
Total cholesterol to HDL
e.g. 4.5:1
Lower is better
Periodontal (gum) disease &
CVD
Chronic inflammation =
increased risk of CVD
Anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin)
Lowers risk of heart attack
Behavioral risk factors
Smoking
Diet
Social support
Anger
Hostility
Optimistic bias
Smoking
• Leading behavioral risk factor in CV death
• Less smoking = lower cardiovascular death
Diet
Fruits, vegetables & fish reduce heart attack
(CVD) risk
Social support
Single, divorced, or widowed men = most at
risk of CVD
Marriage & social support help
Anger
Anger increased risk of heart attack (CVD)
Hostility
Cynical hostility = especially harmful to CV
health
Optimistic bias
“It won’t happen to me.”
Effect of nonfatal heart attack
on sex
Fear of having sex
Not justified