There are many types of heart disease. About 25% of all Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. The major types of heart disease are atherosclerosis, coronary, rheumatic, congenital, myocarditis, angina and arrhythmia. Heart disease can arise from congenital defects, infection, narrowing of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure, or disturbances.
             The first stages of heart disease are lesions and cracks forming in the blood vessel walls normally at the points of highest pressure or stress (near the heart). The second stage is the body trying to repair itself by depositing fatty substances (cholesterol, lipoproteins) inside the blood vessels to fill the cracks. Over time, without the proper body nutrient, vitamin C, to help keep the blood vessel walls from cracking and requiring constant repair, these fatty substances can begin to build up and clog the blood vessels causing stroke and heart attack (Mamas Health, no date)
             There are a number of factors that increase the risk that someone will suffer from cardio vascular disease (CVD). These include: age, smoking, gender, being overweight, heredity/race, physical inactivity, abnormal blood fat (lipid) levels, eating an unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, drinking too much alcohol, diabetes, and leading a stressful life.
             The risk factors add together to increase your risk of CVD – the greater the number of risk factors that you have, the greater your risk of having CVD. Some risk factors can be modified, while others cannot. While you cannot control risk factors such as your age, gender and heredity, for example, you can modify other risk factors, such as your weight and activity levels. Doing something about the risk factors that you can change will reduce the impact of the ones that you cannot change. You may need medicines to help you to control some risk factors (e.g. blood pressure, diabetes).
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