Cardiovascular Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Care

Home Resources Common Senior Illnesses Cardiovascular Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Care

Cardiovascular Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Care

Cardiovascular disease is a disease of the heart and blood vessels. It’s often due to plaque buildup in the lining of the blood vessels, which narrows them. Preferred Care at Home caregivers can help support a healthy lifestyle to combat this disease.

Causes and Risk Factors

Medical causes and risk factors for cardiovascular disease include:

  • High blood pressure
  • High blood cholesterol
  • Previous heart attacks
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Heart arrhythmias
  • Heart valve disease
  • Congenital heart defects
  • Inflammation of the heart muscle

Lifestyle-related causes and risk factors include:

  • Alcohol and drug abuse
  • Lack of exercise
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Stress

Symptoms and Signs

Cardiovascular disease can cause:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Persistent cough
  • Fluid buildup in your veins
  • Swelling of your feet, legs and ankles
  • Frequent urination at night
  • Weight gain due to fluid buildup
  • Chest pain
  • Loss of appetite
  • Indigestion
  • Swollen neck veins
  • Cold, sweaty skin
  • Restlessness, confusion, and decreased attention span and memory

Consequences

Cardiovascular disease can lead to:

  • Decreased circulation to your extremities
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Heart attack

Treatment

Your doctor may recommend any of the following:

  • Adopting a healthy diet
  • Diuretics to remove excess fluid
  • Medications
  • Surgical procedures

The main symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack are:

  • Chest pain:

    • Fullness or burning
    • Heaviness, pressure or squeezing
    • Tightness, discomfort or crushing
  • Pain spreading from the center of the chest:

    • Down one or both arms
    • Up to the neck, jaw, shoulders or back
  • Other:

    • Nausea, vomiting and/or indigestion
    • Anxiety or fear
    • Denial, refusing to admit that anything is wrong
    • Paleness, sweating, weakness or shortness of breath

How We Can Help Seniors With Cardiovascular Disease

Our trained, compassionate caregivers can encourage people with cardiovascular disease to lead a healthy lifestyle. This includes:

  • Participating in a medically supervised aerobic-exercise program
  • Quitting smoking
  • Controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
  • Limiting consumption of alcohol and fluids
  • Eating a heart-healthy diet that’s low-fat and low-salt
  • Weighing daily to monitor fluid retention

For more information on how our caregivers can provide reliable and compassionate care for people with cardiovascular disease, please contact us today to experience the Preferred Care at Home difference.

contact us today