Cardiovascular disease - description

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to a group of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. While cardiovascular disease can refer to many different types of heart or blood vessel problems, it is most often used to describe damage caused to the heart or blood vessels by atherosclerosis. Although the death rates in the United States from both heart disease and stroke have decreased significantly over the past 30 years, cardiovascular disease still contributes to about 40 percent of all deaths in the United States, and is still the leading cause of death in developed countries.

Review Date:8/5/2024
Reviewed By:Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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