A stroke refers to either a blockage in an artery leading to the brain, which causes disrupted blood flow, or bleeding in the brain caused by a burst blood vessel. An ischemic stroke, or blockage, is responsible for 80 percent of strokes, and a...
LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is considered the "bad" cholesterol because it is a major risk factor for heart disease, states MayoClinic.com. If you do not have any other risk factors for heart disease, which includes smoking, high blood...
Erectile dysfunction, or ED, refers to a man's inability to become erect or to maintain an erection. The University of Illinois McKinley Health Center notes that 20 to 30 million men in the United States suffer from ED. There are many reasons why...
According to e-radiography.net, calcification in the abdominal aorta is the medical condition in which hardening of the walls of the abdominal aorta occurs. Calcification in the abdominal aorta represents a special case of atherosclerosis. The...
High total cholesterol counts, coupled with particularly high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels put you at a major risk for developing heart disease, report doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Doctors at the Mayo...
Mild coronary disease is a minor narrowing of the small blood vessels called the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. When the blood vessels are narrowed, blood flow is hindered and blood may not properly reach the heart.
Coronary atherosclerotic disease, also known as coronary artery disease (CAD), is a serious medical condition where the blood vessels in your heart are infiltrated with fatty deposits called plaque. According to the Mayo Clinic, plaque can cause...
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance located in cells of the body and the bloodstream, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The body needs cholesterol to build and maintain healthy cells. High blood cholesterol levels...
Ischemia refers to diminished blood flow through an artery that causes death to the muscle the artery is supplying. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to muscles, and when a muscle does not get enough blood, it literally suffocates. Ischemic...
With the launching of the Framingham Heart Study in 1948, scientists began gathering information about behavioral and biological risk factors for heart disease. In 1961, Framingham's researchers determined that an elevated cholesterol level was...
The force of your blood moving through the artery walls is called blood pressure. When the heart beats, blood is pumped through the artery walls. Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 or lower, according to Medline Plus. High blood pressure...
Atherosclerosis is a condition characterized by the accumulation of plaque on the walls of your arteries. Plaque is composed of fat, calcium, cholesterol and other substances that circulate throughout your bloodstream. The accumulation of plaque...
Poor blood circulation is caused by peripheral arterial disease. According to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," the most common underlying cause is atherosclerosis, which means hardening of the arteries. Peripheral arterial disease...
Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. There are many arteries in the body that carry blood to different areas, including the brain, kidneys, arms and legs. Diseases of the artery interfere with normal blood flow and can...
Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia (FTD) dementia is progressive and relatively rare form of dementia that afflicts people who are typically younger than age 65 years. This disease affects the frontal and temporal lobes causing social disinhibition,...
Low-carb diets have been shown by many studies, including the A to Z weight loss study published in March 2007 in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," to be helpful for weight loss and improving some cardiovascular factors. Low-carb...
Arteriosclerosis is commonly referred to as hardening of the arteries. Healthy, flexible and elastic arteries can progressively become stiff and narrow. The arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart to all parts of the body. The deposit of...
The 10 deadliest diseases in the U.S. in 2007 were heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, unintentional injuries, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, kidney disease and septicemia, according to the...
The prescription drug clopidogrel bisulfate, sold commercially as Plavix, and fish oil can prevent clot formation by interfering with platelets' ability to stick together. You can buy fish oil supplements over the counter without a prescription,...
Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein -- HDL or "good" cholesterol -- oppose each other in the battle to prevent heart disease. Triglycerides and their fatty allies -- low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL or "bad" cholesterol -- tend to...
High cholesterol, medically known as hypercholesterolemia, adversely effects a man's health. Beginning in his 20s, a man's risk for high cholesterol increases, particularly for those are genetically prone to high cholesterol, have poor diets or...
The aorta, the largest artery in the body, runs from the heart down through the abdomen to the legs. The aorta can weaken, bulging out and eventually rupturing, resulting in blood loss that can be fatal. One quarter of all aneurysms occur in the...
Chocolate lovers rejoice. A study conducted by a group of Spanish researchers and published in the November 2009 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" shows that consuming cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, helps improve...
LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is a type of cholesterol, often referred to as the 'bad' cholesterol. The higher your cholesterol levels, the higher your chances of getting heart disease or having a heart attack. Since LDL cholesterol is the main...
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease kills more American women each year than all forms of cancer. It also notes that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women. Coronary heart disease can lead to...
Stillbirth is the premature delivery of a deceased baby after the 20th week of gestation. This is often a painful and emotional experience for the parents, and it usually comes with questions of what went wrong in the pregnancy. There are quite...
Smoking is one lifestyle habit that can cause serious and long-lasting health problems. Among those are cardiovascular and lung disease, and cancer. In order to reduce your risk or prevent these conditions from developing, you should try to quit...
Heart rate is controlled from within a person's body and by external factors. There may be a defect in a person's heart valves, in the heart's electrical system and even a problem with the brain's signal to the heart. Such factors are beyond a...
Heart disease is a broad term used to describe a wide range of diseases that affect the heart and its blood vessels, according to the Mayo Clinic. Coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and heart defects all fall into...
