Figure 18.23: A blockage in a coronary artery stops oxygen getting to part of the heart
muscle; areas of the heart that depend on the blood flow from the blocked artery are starved
of oxygen. ( 4 )
Stroke
Atherosclerosis in the arteries of the brain can lead to a stroke. Astrokeis a loss of brain
function due to a blockage of the blood supply to the brain. It can be caused by a blood
clot, a free-floating object that gets caught in a blood vessel, or by a bleeding blood vessel.
Risk factors for stroke include advanced age, high blood pressure, having a previous stroke,
diabetes, high cholesterol, and cigarette smoking. Reducing blood pressure is the most
important controllable risk factor of stroke. However, many other risk factors, such as
avoiding tobacco or quitting tobacco smoking are also important.
Keeping Your Cardiovascular System Healthy
There are many risk factors that can cause a person to develop CVD. Arisk factoris
anything that is linked to an increased chance of developing a disease or an infection. Some
of the risk factors for CVD you cannot control, but there are many risk factors you can
control.
Risk factors you cannot control include:
AgeThe older a person is, the greater their chance of developing a cardiovascular disease.
GenderMen under age 64 are much more likely to die of coronary heart disease than
women, although the gender difference declines with age.