Cardiovascular Disease

Keep your heart healthy (British Heart Foundation website, PDF only, 15.45MB)

Symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) will depend on the condition you have. Some conditions may not have any symptoms.

For some people, the first sign that they have CVD may be having chest pain (angina), a heart attack or stroke.

Types of cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a name for a group of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. There are many different types of CVD.

Do not try to diagnose your condition yourself.

Who's at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is often caused by a build-up of fat in the arteries. This makes it hard for blood to flow through your body and can lead to a blood clot.

There are things that may make it more likely you'll get CVD, including:

your lifestyle - such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight and not being active
your age - CVD mainly affects people over 50 years old
your sex - men are more likely to get CVD than women
your ethnicity - you may be more likely to get CVD if you're from a South Asian, Black African or African Caribbean ethnic background
having family members with CVD
having certain conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol

See a GP if:

you think you're at higher risk of having or getting cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is very common, and one of the main causes of death in the UK.

If you have a high chance of getting CVD you may be advised to take a medicine called statins. Statins lower the level of cholesterol in the blood and reduce the chance of getting CVD.

There are also lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent getting CVD or stop it getting worse if you already have it.

Do

eat a healthy, balanced diet
reduce the amount of fatty foods you eat
try to exercise regularly
try to keep to a healthy weight
cut down on alcohol
stop smoking if you smoke

Visit the NHS Better Health website for free tools and support to help you lose weight, get active, quit smoking and drink less.

NHS Health Check

The NHS Health Check is a free check-up for people aged 40 to 74 to check the health of their heart and blood vessels. It can tell you if you're at higher risk of getting CVD.

Treatment for cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Treatment for cardiovascular disease (CVD) will depend on the condition you have.

Your treatment could include:

medicines such as statins
surgery
a device, such as a pacemaker

Your doctor may also recommend making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or getting more exercise.

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