Cardiovaskulair

Cardiovaskulair refers to everything related to the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, the blood vessels, and the blood that circulates through them. It encompasses the processes that move blood through the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products, as well as the regulatory mechanisms that maintain blood pressure and heart function.

The heart acts as a muscular pump that drives blood through two main circuits: the systemic circulation, supplying the body, and the pulmonary circulation, exchanging blood with the lungs. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins return it, and capillaries enable exchange with tissues. Blood pressure and heart rate are modulated by the autonomic nervous system, hormones, and intrinsic cardiac properties.

Cardiovascular disease encompasses conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Key risk factors include age, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol, with genetic predisposition also playing a role. Prevention emphasizes lifestyle changes and control of risk factors to reduce the incidence and impact of disease.

Diagnostics in this field rely on tools such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, stress testing, coronary angiography, and advanced imaging, along with blood tests for lipids and glucose. Treatments range from lifestyle modification to medications (for example, antihypertensives, statins, antiplatelets, and anticoagulants) and interventional procedures (angioplasty with or without stenting, coronary artery bypass grafting) or device therapies for certain heart conditions.

Overall, cardiovaskulair health is central to general well-being, with ongoing emphasis on early detection, risk reduction, and evidence-based management to prevent complications and improve quality of life.