Heart Disease
The heart functions as a pump to move blood throughout the entire body, ensuring the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), often called heart disease, is a collective term for diseases affecting the heart or blood vessels. It is a leading cause of death and disease burden in Australia. In 2016 cardiovascular disease accounted for 28% of all deaths in Australia (1).
The term cardiovascular disease commonly includes diseases such as;
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coronary heart disease,
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heart failure,
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cardiomyopathy,
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congenital heart disease,
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peripheral vascular disease, and,
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stroke.
Many of these conditions can be life-threatening.
Fact sheets on many of these conditions can be found on the Heart Foundation website
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Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Causes of Death 2016, ABS cat. no. 3303.0, September;
Helpful Websites
