Introduction

Atherosclerosis, a disease affecting the large- and medium-sized vessels, is present in every human
being. Atherosclerotic plaques can directly or indirectly cause obstruction of the arterial blood
supply, causing ischemic damage distal from the occlusion.

Atherosclerotic plaque development is influenced by the interplay between systemic parameters,

like cholesterol levels, and local factors, like turbulent flow. This phenomenon makes
atherosclerotic disease and its consequences similar, but not identical, in different vascular beds.

Lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising, are often the most appropriate
treatment for atherosclerosis. Sometimes, medication or surgical procedures may be
recommended as well.

Medications Various drugs can slow — or even reverse — the effects of atherosclerosis. Here are
some common choices:

Cholesterol medications. Aggressively lowering your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the
"bad" cholesterol, can slow, stop or even reverse the buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries.
Boosting your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol, may help, too.

Your doctor can choose from a range of cholesterol medications, including drugs known as statins
and fibrates. In addition to lowering cholesterol, statins have additional effects that help stabilize
the lining of your heart arteries and prevent atherosclerosis.

Anti-platelet medications. Your doctor may prescribe anti-platelet medications, such as aspirin, to
reduce the likelihood that platelets will clump in narrowed arteries, form a blood clot and cause
further blockage.

Beta blocker medications. These medications are commonly used for coronary artery disease.
They lower your heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the demand on your heart and often
relieve symptoms of chest pain. Beta blockers reduce the risk of heart attacks and some heart
rhythm problems.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. These medications may help slow the progression
of atherosclerosis by lowering blood pressure and producing other beneficial effects on the heart
arteries. ACE inhibitors can also reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks.

Calcium channel blockers. These medications lower blood pressure and are sometimes used to
treat angina.

Water pills (diuretics). High blood pressure is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis. Diuretics
lower blood pressure.

Other medications. Your doctor may suggest certain medications to control specific risk factors for
atherosclerosis, such as diabetes. Sometimes specific medications to treat symptoms of
atherosclerosis, such as leg pain during exercise, are prescribed.
Sometimes more aggressive treatment is needed to treat atherosclerosis. If you have severe
symptoms or a blockage that threatens muscle or skin tissue survival, you may be a candidate for
one of the following surgical procedures:

Angioplasty and stent placement. In this procedure, your doctor inserts a long, thin tube (catheter)
into the blocked or narrowed part of your artery. A second catheter with a deflated balloon on its
tip is then passed through the catheter to the narrowed area.

The balloon is then inflated, compressing the deposits against your artery walls. A mesh tube
(stent) is usually left in the artery to help keep the artery open.

Endarterectomy. In some cases, fatty deposits must be surgically removed from the walls of a
narrowed artery. When the procedure is done on arteries in the neck (the carotid arteries), it's
called a carotid endarterectomy.

Fibrinolytic therapy. If you have an artery that's blocked by a blood clot, your doctor may use a
clot-dissolving drug to break it apart.

Bypass surgery. Your doctor may create a graft bypass using a vessel from another part of your
body or a tube made of synthetic fabric. This allows blood to flow around the blocked or narrowed
artery.

Clinics studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat
or manage this disease.

Lifestyle changes can help you prevent or slow the progression of atherosclerosis.

Stop smoking. Smoking damages your arteries. If you smoke or use tobacco in any form, quitting is
the best way to halt the progression of atherosclerosis and reduce your risk of complications.

Exercise most days of the week. Regular exercise can condition your muscles to use oxygen more
efficiently.

Physical activity can also improve circulation and promote development of new blood vessels that
form a natural bypass around obstructions (collateral vessels). Exercise helps lower blood pressure
and reduces your risk of diabetes.

Aim to exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week. If you can't fit it all into one session, try
breaking it up into 10-minute intervals.

You can take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the block during your lunch hour, or
do some situps or pushups while watching television.

Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in
refined carbohydrates, sugars, saturated fat and sodium — can help you control your weight,
blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Try substituting whole-grain bread in place of white bread; grabbing an apple, a banana or carrot
sticks as a snack; and reading nutrition labels as a guide to controlling the amount of salt and fat
you eat. Use monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, and reduce or eliminate sugar and sugar
substitutes.
Lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight. If you're overweight, losing as few as 5 to 10
pounds (about 2.3 to 4.5 kilograms) can help reduce your risk of high blood pressure and high
cholesterol, two of the major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis.

Losing weight helps reduce your risk of diabetes or control your condition if you already have
diabetes.

Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy techniques for managing
stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing.

If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or another chronic disease, work with
your doctor to manage the condition and promote overall health.

It's thought that some foods and herbal supplements can help reduce your high cholesterol level
and high blood pressure, two major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis

Heart failure

congestive heart failure (also called heart failure) is a serious condition in which the heart doesn’t
pump blood as efficiently as it should. Despite its name, heart failure doesn’t mean that the heart
has literally failed or is about to stop working. Rather, it means that the heart muscle has become
less able to contract over time or has a mechanical problem that limits its ability to fill with blood.
As a result, it can’t keep up with the body’s demand, and blood returns to the heart faster than it
can be pumped out—it becomes congested, or backed up. This pumping problem means that not
enough oxygen-rich blood can get to the body’s other organs.

The body tries to compensate in different ways. The heart beats faster to take less time for refilling
after it contracts—but over the long run, less blood circulates, and the extra effort can cause heart
palpitations. The heart also enlarges a bit to make room for the blood. The lungs fill with fluid,
causing shortness of breath. The kidneys, when they don’t receive enough blood, begin to retain
water and sodium, which can lead to kidney failure. With or without treatment, heart failure is
often and typically progressive, meaning it gradually gets worse.

More than 5 million people in the United States have congestive heart failure. It’s the most
common diagnosis in hospitalized patients over age 65. One in nine deaths has heart failure as a
contributing cause.

There’s no cure for heart failure. Treatment aims to relieve symptoms and slow further damage.
TheI exact plan depends on the stage and type of heart failure, underlying conditions and the
individual patient. Among the components of a treatment plan:

Lifestyle changes. These are the same changes as those for preventing heart failure. In addition,
you may be advised to avoid salt (because of fluid retention) and caffeine (because of heartbeat
irregularities). Your doctor will advise how much fluid and what kinds to drink, as sometimes fluid
intake should be limited.

Medications, the types of medications typically prescribed include these: Vasodilators expand
blood vessels, ease blood flow, and reduce blood pressure , Diuretics correct fluid retention ,
Aldosterone inhibitors help with fluid retention and improve chances of living longer, ACE
inhibitors or ARB drugs improve heart function and life expectancy, Digitalis glycosides strengthen
the heart’s contractions, Anticoagulants or antiplatelets such as aspirin help prevent blood clots ,
Beta-blockers improve heart function and chances of living longer; Tranquilizers reduce anxiety.

In more severe cases, surgery is required to open or bypass blocked arteries, or to replace heart
valves. Some congestive heart failure patients are candidates for a type of pacemaker called
biventricular pacing therapy, which helps both sides of the heart work in concert, or an
implantable cardioverter defibrillator, which shocks the heart into converting a potentially fatal
fast rhythm to a normal one. Ventricular assist devices (VAD therapy) may be used as a bridge to
heart transplantation or as a treatment in lieu of transplant, says Jones. A heart transplant is
considered the last resort, with success rates of about 88 percent after one year and 75 percent
after five years.
Other treatments. Because sleep apnea—a condition in which the muscles that allow air into the
lungs briefly collapse—is linked to heart failure, you may be evaluated and treated for it.
Here are some of the things you’ll want to do in addition to sticking to the lifestyle changes that
can improve the health of a damaged heart:
Monitor your symptoms. Heart failure worsens over time, so you need to be familiar with changes
in your body. Some of these can be addressed with different medications. Weighing yourself daily
is one of the easiest ways to track fluid retention, indicated by a sudden gain. Swelling in the legs
and feet can also mean more fluid is accumulating.
Monitor your health. Keep track of blood pressure, weight and other vital signs as your doctor
advises. Get lab work done as recommended, as it gives key clues to your heart health and
medication needs. A flu shot and pneumonia vaccine can help you avoid infections that would be
especially hard on your compromised lungs.
Try to keep a positive attitude. Congestive heart failure is a serious condition, says Jones, but with
the right help you can still lead a long and productive life. Because anxiety and depression, which
can cause you to feel stressed, are common side effects, try to find outlets for your stress. This
might be a support group or therapist, relaxing hobbies you love or confiding your concerns to
someone you trust.
Don’t be shy about asking questions. Depending on the stage of disease, your doctor will have
different recommendations about how active you should be, including work, exercise and sex.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain. Cut off from their supply of oxygen,
brain cells begin dying within minutes. Sometimes the damage is fatal — stroke is the fourth
leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for almost 135,000 deaths each year. Most
of the time, stroke isn't a killer. The American Heart Association estimates that there are more
than six million stroke survivors in the United States. Although some have no physical or mental
reminders of the attack, many have long-lasting speech loss, paralysis, or other problems. In fact,
stroke is a leading cause of disability — nearly one in three survivors is permanently disabled, and
many more need long-term care.

Ischemic strokes occur when a blood clot or other debris blocks a blood vessel in the brain or one
leading to it. These account for more than 80% of strokes. The rest are hemorrhagic strokes.
Ischemic strokes are more common and occur when a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain. In
some cases, the clot develops in the vessel itself (thrombotic stroke). In other cases, the clot forms
in the heart or in an artery that carries blood to the brain; the clot breaks off and travels to the
brain, where it lodges in a small artery (embolic stroke). Hemorrhagic strokes occur when an
artery in the brain ruptures, releasing blood into the brain tissue.

Though ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes require different treatments once they appear, efforts
to prevent them are very similar.

Stroke is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment. Prompt treatment improves the
chances of survival and increases the degree of recovery that might be expected. The treatment
given will depend on the type of stroke suffered.

Immediate treatment is aimed at limiting the size of the stroke and preventing further stroke.
Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot
causing an ischaemic stroke or by stopping the bleeding of a haemorrhagic stroke. This will
involve administering medications and may involve surgery in some cases.

Thrombolytic therapy: These medications dissolve blood clots allowing blood flow to be re-
established

Anti-platelet drugs (eg: aspirin) and anticoagulants (eg: heparin): These medications help to
prevent blot clots getting bigger and prevent new blood clots from forming

Antihypertensives: In cases of haemorrhagic stroke these medications may be prescribed to help

lower high blood pressure

Medications to reduce swelling in the brain and medications to treat underlying causes for the
stroke eg: heart rhythm disorders may also be given.

Surgery may be needed to repair blocked or ruptured arteries. For a haemorrhagic stroke this may
involve repairing a bleeding aneurysm or AVM. Where an ischaemic stroke has been caused by a
blockage in a neck artery surgery to remove the blockage may be performed. This is known as a
carotid endarterectomy.

Providing adequate fluid and nutrition intake after a stroke is vital, particularly if swallowing has
been affected. This may require the insertion of an intravenous drip into a vein in the hand or
arm, or it may involve inserting a feeding tube via the nose into the stomach. Preventing
complications that can occur as a result of immobility eg: pneumonia and bed sores, is also
important.

Brain cells do not generally regenerate (regrow). Following a stroke, surviving brain cells can take
over the function of areas that are dead or damaged, but only to a certain degree. The adaptive
ability of the brain requires the relearning of various skills.

As each person who suffers a stroke is affected differently, individual rehabilitation plans are
developed in conjunction with the patient, family and healthcare team. These aim to teach skills
and maximise function so that the person can achieve maximum independence.
Rehabilitation may involve: Physiotherapy - to improve mobility ; Speech therapy - to improve
communication; Occupational therapy - to improve daily functions such as eating, cooking,
toileting and washing.

Recovery can take months and it may be several days or weeks after the stroke before doctors are
able to give an accurate prediction for recovery.
Long term treatment with medications to treat the underlying cause of the stroke and to minimise
the risk of further stroke may be required. This includes long term use of medications to treat high
blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders, high cholesterol, heart disease and blood clotting
disorders. Common long-term medications prescribed for people who have had a stroke include
warfarin and aspirin - both of which aim to prevent the formation of blood clots.
Surgery to treat the underlying cause of the stroke may also be recommended. This can include
surgery to damaged heart valve, heart rhythm problems (may involve the insertion of a
pacemaker) or carotid endarterectomy.
Prevention
Reducing the number of controllable risk factors is the best way to prevent a stroke. This can
include: Quit smoking , Losing weight, Eating a balanced diet low in sodium and saturated and
trans fat , Moderating alcohol intake (no more than 2 small drinks per day), Exercising regularly in
order to stay physically fit , Maintaining good control of existing medical conditions such as
diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If discovered prior to a stroke, some medical
conditions may be repaired surgically in order to prevent a stroke occurring in the first place eg:
aneurysms, narrowed arteries, heart rhythm disorders, heart valve problems.
Medications (eg: aspirin or warfarin) may be recommended to help prevent another ischaemic
stroke or TIA.

Methods/Procedure
In this report, Cardiovascular Disease statistics are presented data from European Society of
Cardiology Atlas with a variety of sources including the WHO, the Institute for Health Metrics and
Evaluation, and the World Bank. Key data sources for the European Society of Cardiology Atlas
include: European Society of Cardiology (ESC): statistics on national cardiovascular infrastructure
and procedures derived from a survey of the National Cardiac Societies (NCS) of 41 ESC member
countries ; World Health Organization (WHO): risk factor and mortality statistics; Institute for
Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): morbidity and disease burden statistics from the Global
burden of disease (GBD) study; World Bank (WB): economic indicators and Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO): dietary dat

Analysis and discussion of results

Many investigations were carried out on the causes of cardiovascular diseases where several
factors such as age, race, other related causes were considered for diseases such as obesity,
alcohol, but we focused on the cost of combating a certain type of disease and what have
been the statistics of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases and other diseases. as can be
inferred in figure 1 Cardiovascular disease has major economic consequences that affect
individuals, health systems and societies across the globe in term of medications and inpatient
cares This is due to the development research of new medication and medical treatments to
try to eliminate these diseases The more novel the treatment, the cost rises so that people
who suffer from these diseases go through clinical trials to find an improvement and a way to
cope with medical expenses.

Figure 1 . Cost of cardiovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke in the EU by
category (2015). Data source: Wilkins et al.

Figure 2 . Deaths by cause for all ages in ESC member countries (latest year available). Data
source: WHO Mortality Database, https://www.who.int/healthinfo/statistics/mortality_rawdata
in figure 2 we can see that the population of women are at risk of death due to cardiovascular
diseases with 47 percent where the deadliest is ischaemic heart disease while other diseases have
53 percent hat can be another more disease than a Cancer.

while in the male population the risk of death from cardiovascular disease is 39 percent and 61
percent die from any other disease . we can see that in both populations they have the same
disease that is fatal ischaemic heart disease with an almost equal percentage.

Citations
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(2020). European Society of Cardiology: cardiovascular disease statistics 2019. European Heart
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