Heart Disease, Hypertension, High Blood Cholesterol

Kaleidoscope of people Healthy Hearts for ALL Virginians

One of the goals of the

Virginia Department of Health

is to improve heart health.

This is being done through multiple tools:

  •  Educating the public and healthcare providers,

  • Providing additional information and materials as well as

  • Looking for ways to assist people, who may be at more risk for poor health, to make changes to improve their health.

Cardiovascular Disease, as defined by the CDC, is a group of heart [cardio] and blood vessel [vascular] disorders that is the leading cause of death and disability -- not only in the United States but globally.

 

Coronary Heart Disease

The coronary arteries are the blood vessels in the heart, that provide blood, rich in oxygen, to the heart – allowing it to do the job of circulating the blood around the body. Oxygen is critical to the survival of the body’s cells.   

Infographic of Coronary Artery Disease

Any sustained reduction in blood flow to an organ will damage that organ. When the reduction in flow is to the heart – this causes a “heart attack”. If the reduction is to the brain , it causes a stroke.

Certain chronic diseases, including hypertension and high blood cholesterol increase the likelihood of damaging your arteries. This, in turn, increases your risk of suffering a heart attack as well as stroke.