Cardiovascular disease
The arteries, the pressure, the circulation.
Cardiovascular disease is an umbrella term for diseases that affect the cardiovascular system and circulation. These include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and vascular dementia, which lead to heart attacks, strokes, and angina. These diseases can also impact the heart's electrical conduction and cause arrhythmias, as well as the structure and function of the heart, and can cause heart failure. General symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, pain and weakness in the arms and legs, dizziness, and fatigue.
What Dr Jogiya treats
The conditions in this group, each with its own page.
Written in plain English by the consultant who treats them, rather than linked away to somebody else's website.
Browse the conditions
Start with whichever sounds closest to you.
- AnginaAngina is a chest pain that comes on when the flow of blood to your heart muscle is reduced, usually because the arteries supplying it have been narrowed by fatty substances. It is a symptom rather than a disease in its own right, and it tends to appear when your heart is asked to work harder, then settle again after a few minutes of rest. Angina is not usually life threatening on its own, but it is a signal worth taking seriously, because it can warn that you are at higher risk of a heart attack or a stroke, and chest pain that is new or has changed its pattern always needs prompt medical assessment.Read more →
- Coronary artery diseaseCoronary artery disease, often shortened to CAD, affects the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygenated blood so the muscle can keep pumping. When those arteries become narrowed or blocked, the heart muscle can be left short of the blood it needs. Over time this can lead to worsening symptoms and can cause angina, heart attacks and other serious events.Read more →
- Heart attackA heart attack is what happens when a portion of the heart muscle is deprived of blood flow, which is why doctors usually call it a myocardial infarction, or MI. Without fresh blood that area of muscle receives no oxygen and begins to die, so it stops moving and stops pumping efficiently. Heart attacks can be treated if they are detected early, so the symptoms below are worth knowing, and any suspected heart attack is a 999 call rather than something to wait out.Read more →
- High blood pressureHigh blood pressure, also known as hypertension, means the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries stays consistently too high. Readings of 140/90mmHg or higher when checked by a healthcare professional are classed as hypertensive, against a normal range of 90/60mmHg to 130/85mmHg. It often develops quietly over time without causing any obvious symptoms, which is why regular measurement matters so much.Read more →
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)Low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, means the pressure inside your blood vessels is lower than it needs to be. Blood pressure below 90/60mmHg is classed as hypotension, and they can cause symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue. When blood is not being pumped with enough pressure to meet the body's needs, it can lead to fainting or blackouts, otherwise known as syncope.Read more →
- StrokeA stroke is a serious, life-threatening condition that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off. The brain needs oxygenated blood to function properly, so any restriction or blockage causes brain cells to die and brain function to be lost. A stroke requires immediate and urgent treatment, so if you think you or someone with you may be having one, call 999 straight away.Read more →
- Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)A transient ischaemic attack, usually shortened to TIA, happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted for a short time. The name explains it, since transient means temporary and ischaemic means a restricted blood supply. The effects pass, but the cause of them does not, which is why a TIA is investigated with the same seriousness as a stroke.Read more →
Next step
Worried about any of these?
A consultation is thirty minutes with a consultant cardiologist who will take a full history, examine you, and arrange the tests needed to answer the question.