According to the World Health Organization (2017), cardiovascular disease is a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels that is currently the leading cause of death around the world. These diseases cause a higher number of deaths in low-income countries (at least three quarters of all deaths).

In this article we will see what are the 7 most common types of cardiovascular disease , as well as their main symptoms and risk factors.

How are cardiovascular diseases defined?

Cardiovascular diseases, also known as “heart disease”, are defined as a group of disorders that affect the cardiovascular system. The latter is responsible for transporting blood from the heart to the circuit of elastic tubes that we know as blood vessels; where different types of veins, arteries, arterioles and capillaries are included.

They can start in different parts of the cardiovascular system. That is, can manifest directly in the heart (cardiac type) or can be peripheral , which means that they occur in the surrounding organs. Also, cardiovascular diseases may occur only once, or they may develop chronically. Therefore, cardiovascular diseases have been divided into several types.

7 types of cardiovascular disease and their symptoms

Usually, the pathological activity of the blood vessels and the heart does not present any previous symptoms, even when the disease has started to develop. This means that cardiovascular diseases may have asymptomatic phases . Therefore, they usually become visible until a heart attack, brain attack, or a stroke of the nearby organs is occurring.

The general symptoms of the latter are persistent pain in the chest, arms, left shoulder, jaw or back (these two are more common in women). These pains may be accompanied by breathing difficulties (dyspnea), nausea or vomiting.

Following the data offered by the World Health Organization (2018) we will describe below the 7 main types of cardiovascular diseases: high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and myocardiopathy.

1. High blood pressure

High blood pressure, also known as high blood pressure , occurs when pressure levels reach a minimum of 140 mmHg systolic pressure; or 90 mmHg diastolic pressure.

The above values are indicators that the blood is not traveling through the vessels properly and smoothly, which can lead to a heart attack. Some symptoms are headaches, dizziness or vertigo, redness, alterations in vision and hearing, among others.

However, as stated above, many people do not have signs or symptoms until they become a medical complication. High blood pressure is considered a type of chronic cardiovascular disease, which is also an important precursor to other more serious cardiovascular diseases or accidents.

2. Coronary heart disease

It’s also known as a heart attack. In this case the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart are affected . It is characterised by a narrowing of the latter, which prevents sufficient blood and oxygen from reaching the muscle pump.

The narrowing of the blood vessels is usually caused by the hardening of the arteries, such as as a result of the accumulation of fatty material and other substances . Symptoms include severe chest discomfort, pain that occurs with significant physical or emotional activity, feeling of heaviness and fatigue.

3. Cerebrovascular disease

Here too, the vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the brain are affected. It can cause permanent or temporary damage to the brain.

When the disease occurs suddenly, it can also be called a stroke. It is usually caused by bleeding inside the brain or a blood clot deposited in the brain. According to the specific area, it can generate blindness, vertigo, ataxia, visual alterations, amnesia, dysphagia, urinary incontinence, mutism, hemiplegia, aphasia, among other manifestations related to brain activity.

Cardiovascular diseases can generate strokes (ictus or cerebral infarction), which consist of the interruption of blood flow and oxygen that travels to the brain as a result of the loss of tissue in the brain. Along with coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death around the world.

4. Heart failure

Heart failure is characterized by a difficulty of the muscle pump (the heart) to pump blood on a regular basis. It is also known as congestive heart failure . Symptoms of heart failure include tachycardia, murmurs, and dyspnea (breathing problems). Heart failure can also be caused by other diseases such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes or obesity.

This disease is in turn divided into different types according to their particular characteristics. For example, it can manifest itself as an accumulation of fluid in the lungs that mainly generates dyspnea; or in the abdomen, which generates fluid retention and swelling. In the specific case of the heart, it can be caused by lack of contraction of the left ventricle, or by lack of filling of the same.

5. Rheumatic heart disease

Rheumatic heart disease is caused by inflammation from rheumatic fever (a pathological response of the body to infections caused by streptococcal bacteria). The main feature of rheumatic heart disease is the injury to the heart valves and myocardium. In other words, it is manifested by damage to the valves of the heart, which results from the scarring caused by rheumatic fever. The latter, rheumatic fever, is especially common in children living in highly impoverished areas.

Its main symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain, constant fatigue, irregular heartbeat and fainting.

6. Congenital heart disease

The main characteristic of congenital cardiopathy, as its name suggests, is the existence of malformations of the heart that are present from birth. It can be cyanotic or non-cyanotic, depending on whether it also manifests itself as a lack of oxygen. The symptoms of heart disease vary according to the development of the same pathology . Some of the congenital conditions that may accompany heart disease are Down’s Syndrome, DiGeorge’s Syndrome, Turner’s Syndrome, Trisomy 12, among others.

7. Cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathies are acquired diseases that occur directly in the heart, which is also known as heart muscle or myocardium. They can be caused by difficulty in performing contractions or relaxation, which prevents the heart from pumping blood properly.

Such difficulty is in turn a manifestation of the deterioration of heart function. This is why cardiomyopathies significantly increase the chances of suffering a myocardial infarction. Some of the most common cardiomyopathies are dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy. The most common symptoms are dyspnea, irregular palpitations and heart failure.

8. Other types

Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are also considered cardiovascular diseases. They consist of the formation of clots in the blood vessels of the leg veins, which easily break loose and travel to the heart or lungs. Among its main symptoms are severe pain in one or both legs, as well as significant breathing difficulties and a high probability of suffering a heart attack .

Main risk factors

Risk factors are the circumstances that increase the likelihood of developing a health problem. These are situations that can be detected even before signs and symptoms occur, thus preventing the development of various conditions. In the case of cardiovascular diseases, some of the risk factors are high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, as well as previous cardiovascular diseases .

Risk factors related to habits and lifestyle include harmful use of tobacco and alcohol, lack of physical activity, and an unbalanced diet. All these are also considered “intermediate risk factors”, as they can lead to high blood pressure, hyperglycaemia, overweight and obesity.

Prevention and treatment

Medical research on cardiovascular disease has shown that reducing a high-salt diet, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and decreasing tobacco and alcohol consumption significantly reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The latter in conjunction with prescribing drug treatments that help control hypertension, diabetes, blood clotting, or any of the possible causes.

Also a surgical intervention may be necessary which acts on coronary diversions or obstructed arteries; or even a heart transplant. Among the medical devices used to regulate the activity of the nervous system are valve replacements to promote artificial breathing, pacemakers or some patches in the heart chambers.

Bibliographic references:

  • World Health Organization (2018). Descriptive Note. Cardiovascular diseases. Recovered July 3, 2018. Available at http://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds).
  • World Health Organization (2018). Health Issues. Cardiovascular diseases. Recovered July 3, 2018. Available at http://www.who.int/topics/cardiovascular_diseases/es/.