Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a disease of the heart and blood vessels often caused by a narrowing of the blood vessels. This is often due to accumulation of plaque in the lining of the blood vessels

Causes/Risk Factors	Symptoms	Consequences	Treatment
high blood pressure high blood cholesterol previous heart attacks coronary artery disease heart arrhythmias heart valve disease congenital heart defects inflammation of the heart muscle alcohol & drug abuse lack of exercise obesity diabetes stress	shortness of breath fatigue persistent cough fluid build up in veins swelling of feet legs and ankles frequent urination at night weight gain due to fluid buildup chest pain loss of appetite indigestion swollen neck veins cold, sweaty skin restlessness, confusion & decreased attention span & memory	congestive heart failure heart attack circulation to extremities is decreased	diuretics to remove excess fluid medications surgical procedures adopting a healthy diet

How Preferred Care at Home Caregivers Can Help Seniors With Cardiovascular Disease

Encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle, which includes:

participating in a medically supervised aerobic exercise program;
quitting smoking;
controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes;
limiting consumption of alcohol and fluids;
eating a heart healthy diet which is low fat and low salt; and;
weighing daily to monitor fluid retention.

Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack

The main symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack are:

Chest pain:
- fullness or burning
- heaviness, pressure or squeezing
- tightness, discomfort or crushing
Pain spreading from center of the chest:
- down one or both arms
- up to the neck, jaw, shoulders or back
Additional Signs
- nausea, vomiting and/or indigestion
- anxiety or fear
- denial, refusing to admit that anything is wrong
- paleness, sweating or weakness or shortness of breath

Cardiovascular Disease

Inside Common Senior Illnesses

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