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About Cardiovascular Disease

What is Cardiovascular Disease?

Cardiovascular disease is a condition that affects the heart and the blood vessels within the body. This condition can include blockages within the arteries (atherosclerosis); of the heart (coronary artery disease or CAD); or within the arteries of the arms, legs and abdomen (peripheral artery disease or PAD). Other variations of cardiovascular disease include abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia), heart valve disease, weaknesses in the artery wall (aneurysm), congestive heart failure, congenital heart disease and venous disease.

How common is Cardiovascular Disease?

In the US, an estimated 61.8 million people live with cardiovascular disease. Heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease, the main components of cardiovascular disease, account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the nation. Additional millions are disabled, frequently in their prime years. Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease is a condition where symptoms often go undiagnosed until it’s too late. Only about half of those people with symptoms have been diagnosed and are seeing a physician for treatment. Often patients with one type of cardiovascular condition, such as heart disease, can have others, such as peripheral artery disease.

The Cardiovascular Center at South Shore Hospital offers a comprehensive approach to the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and management of cardiovascular disease.