Cardiovascular Health
What is Congestive Heart Failure?
Congestive heart failure (CHF) refers to an inability of the heart to effectively pump enough blood out of the heart to the rest of the body. Weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath are the most common symptoms of CHF.
What causes Congestive Heart Failure?
Chronic CHF is most often due to the long-term effects of high blood pressure, a previous myocardial infarction (heart attack), disorder of a heart valve or the heart muscle, or chronic lung diseases such as asthma and emphysema.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance in the body that serves several vital roles. It is a building block for various hormones and bile acids, and it plays a major role in stabilising cell membranes. While a certain amount of cholesterol is required by the body to maintain good health, the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that elevated blood cholesterol levels greatly increase the risk of death due to heart disease.
Cholesterol is transported in the blood by lipoproteins. The major categories of lipoproteins are very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). VLDL and LDL are responsible for transporting fats (primarily triglycerides and cholesterol) from the liver to body cells, and elevations of either VLDL or LDL are associated with an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis, the primary cause of heart attack and stroke. In contrast, HDL is responsible for returning fats to the liver, and elevations of HDL are associated with a lower risk of heart attack.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
Elevated cholesterol levels are usually reflective of dietary and lifestyle factors, although it can also be due to genetic factors.
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