Understanding Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of deaths worldwide, causing more than 17 million deaths each year, accounting for 30% of global death. In Malaysia, cardiovascular diseases ranked third among the causes of death in 1950. These diseases are the No. 1 Killer in Malaysia since 1980s and they account for 30% of all medically-certified deaths (Utusan Konsumer Jan–Feb 2006).

Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart and diseases of the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries). “Cardio” refers to the heart while “vascular”, the blood vessel system. Arteries are blood vessels that flow from the heart and are divided into small branches called capillaries. Capillaries gradually assemble to form veins. The blood in the veins flows back to the heart.

The cardiovascular system includes the heart, blood vessels and blood. Their functions are closely related, that is to circulate the blood to all parts of the body. All human cells are submerged within the blood. If the cardiovascular system does not function well, it will lead to impairment in other parts of the body or cause diseases and illnesses. Hence, cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the circulatory system. These include conditions affecting the heart, heart valves, blood and vasculature of the body.

Common cardiovascular diseases are (a) atherosclerosis (thickening and hardening of the arteries), (b) stroke (lack of blood flow to the brain from a blood clot, or bleeding in the brain from a broken blood vessel) and (c) hypertension (high blood pressure). A common feature of this category of diseases is the thickening of the blood vessel wall, caused by too much cholesterol and triglyceride (i.e. fats and oils). Cholesterol is a non-polar, very sticky and extremely hard fatty substance that melts

It is necessary to understand the below functions of the cardiovascular system.
(a) Heart: Continuously pumps blood to different parts of the body to enable normal functioning.
(b) Blood vessels: Channels of blood circulation, including artery, capillary and vein. Arteries carry blood with oxygen and food to all parts of the body. From the arteries the oxygen and food are carried to the cells via capillaries. The capillaries also send the waste in the cells to the blood. The waste is carried by the vein to the heart.
(c) Blood: Carries oxygen and the food we eat to all the tiny cells in our bodies to keep them working properly. Carries waste in the cells to other parts of the body.


The most serious case of cardiovascular disease is heart attack, a common cause of death. It has been estimated that for every three patients identified to be suffering from a heart attack, one would die within a year. Moreover, the chance of a heart attack survivor to experience recurrence is 15 times higher than normal individual. No wonder heart attack is the world’s number one health killer.

The heart is responsible for pumping blood all around our body. It is located right in the middle of our chests, just a little bit to the left, between our lungs. The heart is about the size of our fists. Arteries carry blood with oxygen and food to all parts of the body. Veins carry blood with carbon dioxide and waste such as uric acid and ammonia back to the heart. Normal arteries are flexible to ensure smooth circulation of blood. However, when the inner walls of the arteries harden, the blood vessels accumulate lots of cholesterol, plaques and fats. Consequently, narrowing of the arteries results in the slowing down of blood circulation. If this situation takes place in the heart, heart attack occurs; in the brain, stroke happens, in the kidney, it is kidney weakening and in other parts of the body it could lead to cancer. Hardening of the arteries is thus a very serious matter and one cannot afford to view it lightly.