Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term that describes a disease of the heart or blood vessels. There are many different types of CVD which occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked or reduced.
These include:
- Angina – chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle
- Heart attacks – where the blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked
- Heart failure – where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly.
High blood pressure can affect your arteries and your heart in a number of ways which are all interlinked. Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.
Helpful links
- The British Heart Foundation
- Blood pressure
- Blood pressure (Healthy Surrey)
- Blood pressure test - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks (www.nhs.uk)
- Translated blood pressure information
- Patient-focused resources from HEART UK