Cardiovascular Diseases

Disease / Phenomenon

Cardiovascular disease is the collective name for disorders of the heart and blood vessels, and it remains the leading cause of death worldwide. The category spans coronary artery disease and heart attack, stroke, hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular disease, peripheral artery disease, and cardiomyopathies. Most share a common origin in atherosclerosis, the slow deposition of lipid and inflammatory material within arterial walls that narrows vessels and can rupture to trigger clot formation. Because the process is silent for decades, the first clinical event is frequently a serious one. Established risk factors include elevated LDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, chronic stress, poor sleep, and genetic predisposition.

The underlying biology begins with endothelial dysfunction and reduced nitric oxide availability, allowing LDL particles to enter the intima where they undergo oxidative modification. Monocytes are recruited, become macrophages, and take up oxidized lipid to form foam cells, while vascular smooth muscle cells migrate and build a fibrous cap. Inflammatory signaling through NF-kB, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and the NLRP3 inflammasome sustains the lesion; oxidative stress, insulin resistance, RAAS activation, and platelet reactivity contribute. This page breaks those processes into their pathways and biomarkers.