Cardiovascular Disease

High levels of LDL---or "bad"---cholesterol leave deposits on artery walls that form plaque and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes. According to a Johns...

Heart rate monitors provide a window into heart function by translating the electrical activity of the heart into audible or visual readings. Monitors can detect heart disease and/or heart rhythm...

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease and the most prevalent cause of death for both genders in the...

Drug interactions are always a looming hazard when combining medications, even with something seemingly as benign as weight loss products and supplements. There are many different types of heart...

Varicose veins are enlarged, coiled veins. Any vein can become varicose, but they usually occur in the leg because standing puts added pressure on the veins in the leg. Ablation is one of many...

A deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a blood clot that forms in the deep veins, usually in the legs. The condition can be very dangerous if the clot travels to the lungs. There are many risk...

Blood pressure measures how hard the heart works while pumping blood around the body. Blood pressure readings of unreasonably high or low numbers indicate various health problems.

Although light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce some risk factors of heart disease, doctors do not recommend it. They know too many people already drink heavily or have patterns which...

It's not difficult to keep your heart healthy if you follow a few tips. Did you know that there are certain times of the day in which you're more likely to have a heart attack? For instance, first...

An arrhythmia is when your heart rate is outside of the normal range of 60 to 100 beats per minute. A fast heart rate is called a tachyarrhythmia or a tachycardia. When your body needs more...

Beta blocker drugs are commonly used to treat cardiac and other conditions. The efficacy these drugs have in patients are due largely to the fact that they have more than one site of action in the...

A lipid panel, or cholesterol test, is used to determine levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. According to the Mayo Clinic, lipid panels are important in assessing if you are at...

Sometimes called periphery arterial disease, leg artery disease is a condition where deposits of fat clog the blood vessels that carry blood to your legs or feet, resulting in poor circulation....

The human body has a complex system of blood vessels that allow blood to travel throughout the body. Arteries and veins are two of the main components of this system. Both equally important,...

An abdominal aortic aneurysm, a type of peripheral vascular disease, is more likely to form in individuals already suffering from other such diseases of the cardiovascular system. Each requires...

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, or PCI, is known by many other names. PCI has been called angioplasty. PCI is used for part of the treatment of coronary heart disease or a number of other...

The therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet is a heart-healthy eating approach developed by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's National Cholesterol...

When a doctor suspects that a patient has acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which is usually a sign of a heart attack or angina, he will likely order a cardiac biomarker test, which measures a...

Trental is a brand name for the prescription medication called pentoxifylline. Although effective for treating leg pain due to poor circulation, Trental poses a risk for side effects in some patients.

The heart is a very strong, muscular pump that performs the all important task of pumping 3,000 gallons of blood through your body every day. The coronary vessels supply the blood to the heart,...

Hydrotherapy involves using water to soothe and treat a variety of illnesses and conditions, including cellulite and poor circulation. Cellulite occurs when pockets of fat develop under the skin,...

Increasing blood and oxygen flow to the heart can strengthen the cardiovascular system and help the heart work more efficiently. Individuals with certain medical conditions and those with...

Your doctor likely will prescribe a nuclear stress test, also known as a thallium stress test, to look for signs of cardiac disease or damage to the heart muscle. During the stress test, you walk...

Heart disease is a term for many conditions that affect the heart. These include high blood pressure, narrowing of the blood vessels of the heart and genetic defects of the heart. When the heart...

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in the bloodstream and in all cells of the body. It is an important part of the cardiovascular system. LDL, HDL and VHDL are the different types of...

Smoking is not only associated with lung cancer but cardiovascular disease as well. The risk of heart attack rises with the number of cigarettes smoked daily. People that smoke a pack of...

Stroke volume is the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle of the heart during contraction. It usually measures between 60 and 130 mL/beat in healthy individuals. If stroke volume is...

According to the American Heart Association, smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Smoking is the cause of more than 440,000 deaths each year.

Chronic kidney disease is unfortunately a common medical problem with an estimated 20 million Americans suffering from it. The most common causes of chronic kidney disease are progressive high...

Arteries damaged by disease, genetic traits, or severe trauma may swell like a balloon and result in an aneurysm. 14,000 Americans die each year from the most typical type of aneurysm, with...

Stroke is the primary concern when a patient is faced with carotid artery blockage. A narrowing or obstruction of these vital routes that deliver oxygen and blood to the brain can lead to the type...

Plaque buildup in arteries can, in many cases, be reversed if an individual is dedicated to adopting changes in lifestyle, treatment with medications and, if necessary, surgical procedures.

When monitoring blood pressure, it is essential to use the appropriate equipment to obtain an accurate reading. Care must be taken to determine the correct blood pressure cuff size in proportion...

Arteries clogged with plaque contribute to cardiovascular diseases that claim more lives annually worldwide than any other condition. Heart attack, stroke and gangrene are possible results unless...

Interventional cardiologists use minimally invasive, non-surgical procedures in their treatment of heart disease. According to Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, interventional cardiologists use...

Plaque is the waxy substance deposited inside the arteries in atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Plaque typically accumulates in places where blood vessels turn or branch. A heart...

Although it usually has no symptoms, hypertension (high blood pressure) is a disease with potentially deadly consequences. Along with a continuously high pulse rate, it may signal an underlying...

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a congenital heart defect that is present at birth. It comes about when abnormal blood flow occurs between two of the major arteries that are connected to the heart.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists heart disease as the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. An estimated 12 percent of the population is diagnosed with some form of heart...

What causes a heart attack? If someone experiences heart failure, it means that the heart is not able to pump blood as well as it should through the body, and other organs that normally receive...

High triglyceride levels leave you at risk of heart disease. They can cause the arteries to harden and thicken, which contributes to stroke, heart attack and other problems of the cardiovascular...

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States. Cardiac risk is determined by many factors, some uncontrollable and others controllable. Uncontrollable...

If your physician has instructed you to palpate your femoral artery, you can perform this simple procedure at home. This may be done to check for regular blood flow to the legs or simply to...

The circulatory system encompasses the heart, blood vessels, arteries, veins, plasma, capillaries and platelets. This system pumps blood through each vessel, making life possible. When the...

Keeping your heart tissue healthy is essential to protecting your overall health. According to the Mayo Clinic, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world for both men and women....

Cardiac ablation is used to correct heart arrhythmias. Tubes called catheters are inserted through your groin and up to your heart. A dye is used to reveal problems. Cardiac ablation is used to...

Shortness of breath after climbing a big hill or going up several flights of stairs is normal. However, individuals who find themselves suffering from shortness of breath after everyday or...

According to the Mayo Clinic, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the world. It is easy to understand why a person diagnosed with heart disease may become depressed and unmotivated, but...

Cardiac arrhythmia, or palpitations of the heart, is a common health problem. It means irregularity in the heart beat and sometimes feels like the heart is fluttering. It can be caused by...

The EKG test measures electrical activity through the course of each heartbeat. By tracking an electrical charge from its inception, each chamber of the heart reveals certain characteristics, and...