World Cardiology

Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Strokes can also be caused by bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots. The cause of heart attacks and strokes are usually the presence of a combination of risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

• Peripheral arterial disease – disease of blood vessels supplying the arms and legs
• Congenital heart disease – malformations of heart structure existing at birth
• Rheumatic heart disease – damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria
• Cerebrovascular disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain
• Coronary heart disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle