Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to the heart. When too little blood flows to the heart, angina results. When the blood flow is critically reduced, a heart attack occurs. A lack of blood flow to the brain or, in some cases, bleeding in the brain causes a stroke. Some other cardiovascular diseases are high blood pressure and rheumatic heart disease.
Risk factors are habits or traits that make a person more likely to develop a disease.
Some risk factors for heart-related problems cannot be changed, but many others can be. The major risk factors for cardiovascular disease that you can do something about are cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, being overweight and physical inactivity. Other risk factors, such as diabetes, also are conditions over which you have some control. Even just one risk factor will raise your chances of having heart-related problems. Physical inactivity increases the risk of heart disease.