What is cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular diseases include many heart and blood vessel problems. Often cardiovascular problems are due to atherosclerosis, which is when fatty substances build up in blood vessels resulting in the formation of plaques.
These plaques can narrow or block the blood vessel leading to reduced blood flow to certain tissues. If this occurs in an extremity, severe pain and cramping occurs in the affected area. If this occurs in the brain, a stroke occurs. If this occurs in the heart tissue, a heart attack can occur.
Other types of cardiovascular disease include heart failure (when the heart is not pumping enough blood around the body), arrhythmia (abnormal heart beat) and stenosis (when heart valves do not function correctly).
Stress and depression can increase blood pressure and the risk of heart problems. Learning how to relax and cope in stressful environments can reduce this risk. Useful and simple ways to reduce stress include physical activity, yoga, meditation and other relaxation therapy. Counseling or medications may be required to treat signs of depression. Even if a heart attack or stroke has already occurred, it is never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle, as it will significantly decrease the risk of future cardiovascular problems.
Medications
For many people who are at risk of cardiovascular disease, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all that is required to reduce and stabilize LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, for those that are already suffering from serious symptoms (e.g. a recent heart attack), medications are started immediately to prevent further complications.
Medications used to reduce LDL-cholesterol include statins, resins, fibrates, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, and niacin. These medications reduce the risk of any further clogging and plaque formation in the arteries by removing excess “bad” LDL-cholesterol or increasing the “good” HDL-cholesterol.
Procedures and Surgery
Medical procedures and surgery may be required to treat severe cases of cardiovascular disease and are more common in the elderly. Often this occurs in people that were not aware of their elevated cholesterol or triglyceride levels, until a serious complication (e.g. heart attack or stroke) occurred.
Angioplasty is a procedure to open arteries that have become narrowed or blocked from plaque formation. This involved the insertion of a thin, flexible tube with an attached balloon into a blood vessel. The balloon is inflated in the narrow or blocked region of the artery to restore blood flow.
A heart bypass may be required for severely blocked arteries. This involves the grafting of blood vessels so that blood flow can go around (bypass) the blocked coronary artery and therefore provide an adequate blood supply to the affected tissues.
Cardiac rehabilitation is also recommended for anyone that has suffered a heart attack or undergone a medical procedure or surgery. This rehabilitation involves safe exercise training and education and counseling to reduce the risk of future heart problems.
Treating Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III
Hyperlipoproteinemia type III risk can be reduced by maintaining the heart-healthy lifestyle described above. In this situation, it is also very important to minimize carbohydrate and sugar intake. Medications, such as statins, are another effective treatment for this disorder. Surgery may be required to remove xanthomas. Hyperlipoproteinemia type III can increase the risk of diabetes, hence it is very important to monitor and maintain stable blood sugar levels to avoid further diabetic complications.
