Page Last updated 26-01-2009
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) covers a number of different problems of the heart and circulatory system, such as coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and peripheral vascular disease (PVD)[1]. CVD is also strongly linked with other conditions, notably obesity and diabetes, and is more prevalent in lower socio-economic and minority ethnic groups[2].
CVD is the main cause of death in the United Kingdom, with just over 208,000 deaths each year. About half (48%) of all deaths from CVD are from CHD and more than a quarter (28%) are from stroke2. CVD is also a major contributor to health inequalities. Approximately 30% of the gap between the national average life expectancy and that in the fifth of areas with lowest life expectancy (i.e. Spearhead areas) is attributable to CVD mortality.
The term "secondary prevention" refers to interventions that aim to prevent further events, such as heart attacks and strokes in people who already have CVD. Interventions include lifestyle measures such as smoking cessation, increased physical activity and diet modification as well as drug treatments to lower cholesterol and control blood pressure. The term "primary prevention" refers to interventions that aim to prevent cardiovascular events in people who as yet have no clinical evidence of CVD.
This section focuses on secondary prevention of CVD.
[1] Cerny, F.J. and Burton, H.W. (2001) Exercise Physiology for Health Care Professionals, Human Kinetics
[2] Healthcare Allender, S., Peto, V., Scarborough, P., Boxer, A. and Rayner, M. (2007) Coronary heart disease statistics, British Heart Foundation Statistics Database www.heartstats.org