12: Cardiovascular Disease

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

Describe how the cardiovascular system works
Compare the risk and prevalence of cardiovascular disease
Describe the common types of cardiovascular disease
Identify risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Interpret blood pressure and cholesterol readings

How does the heart work?

What happens when a person has a heart attack or a brain attack (stroke)?

What can you do to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease?

Can you feel it if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?

One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. About 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and stroke is the fifth leading cause of death. Heart disease costs the United States about $363 billion each year from 2016 to 2017. It is important for everyone to understand how their cardiovascular system works and the common types of diseases of the cardiovascular system.