Significance of Cardiovascular Disease

This article discusses the significance of cardiovascular disease, including its causes, prevention, and impact on individuals, families, and communities. It also explores the relationship between cardiovascular disease and Australian National Health Priorities, the impact of social determinants on the disease, and the role of nurses in managing patients with this condition.

Cardiovascular disease

Significance of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease occurs due to the significant
impact on blood and heart vessels. The disease includes
heart attack, stroke and other heart diseases. The main
cause of cardiovascular disease are high blood
pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol and
alcohol consumption. Cardiovascular disease can be
prevented by maintaining healthy eating habits, limited
consumption of alcohol and regular exercise. In order
to prevent the disease it is mandatory to treat diabetes,
hypertension and high blood lipids with drugs that in
term to reduce the risk of stroke or any other
cardiovascular disease. One of the most common
cardiovascular diseases is coronary artery disease. In
this particular disease, plaque gets collected in the
artery narrowing them which in turn reduces the blood
flow to the heart. This coronary artery disease can lead
to heart attack (Goodlin, 2016).

Impact of cardiovascular disease on individual,
family, and community
There are significant impacts of cardiovascular disease
on an individual. The risk factors related to heart and
diseases are physically inactivity, unhealthy diet and
consumption of alcohol and tobacco. Thus, an
individual with cardiovascular disease should maintain
healthy diet, carry out physical exercise and avoid
tobacco and alcohol. If any particular member of the
family suffering from heart daises then other members
of the family should take certain adjustment. A family
might feel pressure if the bread earner of the family
suffers from heart attack or stroke because he or she
cannot go to work. Women heart patients often suffers
from anxiety as they are primary care taker of the
family. An individual suffering from cardiovascular
disease is more likely to get depressed due to unstable
health, social and physical limitation. Cardiovascular
disease affects society by reducing the physiological
soundness of the masses. The overall wellbeing of
society gets hampered (Hjemdahl, Rosengren and
Steptoe, 2012).

The relationship between the health issue and
Australian National Health Priorities
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of
disease burden death in Australia (Pak, Wald and
Kirkpatrick, 2016). The people suffering from
cardiovascular disease have been increased due to
factors such as aging population and enhanced
treatments have assisted people to live longer with the
disease. Australian National Health Priorities areas
have included cardiovascular disease. The major cause
of death related to cardiovascular disease is stroke,
peripheral vascular disease, coronary heart disease and
heart failure. According to a survey somewhat around
43,477 people died due to cardiovascular disease in
2017. It has been estimated that cardiovascular disease
kills one people in every 12 minutes in Australia.
People aged above sixty five years are more likely to
live with long term cardiovascular disease. In 2017,
more than 575800 people hospitalized because of
cardiovascular disease. Somewhat around 4377 people
died in the year of 2017 and these deaths were
preventable. The highest rate of hospitalization and
deaths cases can be found in Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander that are lower socio-economic groups

living in the remote regions. 73% of people aged
between 30 to 65 years have reported that they have
one risk factor associated with heart disease. Millions
of people aged 18 years and above suffers from
cholesterol and blood pressure. The main factor of
increased cardiovascular disease is continues changing
lifestyle of Australian people. The most significant
cause of ill health and death in Australia is smoking
(Kay et al., 2017).

Impact of social determinants on cardiovascular
disease
Cardiovascular disease is considered to be as one of the
major causes of death between high economic growth
countries (Murad, Atta-ur-Rahman and Bian, 2017).
Despite significant advancement in the identification,
modification, and treatment of risk factors gross
inequalities exist in cardiovascular health care. It has
been estimated by multiple researchers that 25% deaths
will be caused due to cardiovascular disease by 2030.
The social environment has a great impact on the
community. The social determinants of health include
those conditions in which an individual born in, grows,
lives and work. The social determinant of health along
with the available health care system is responsible for
causing health inequalities within countries. Economic
development also has a significant impact on health. To
fill up the gap of inequality in health care systems, it is
essential to know the basic reason behind the existing
inequality. Individuals with poor economic condition
are more likely have a high risk of poor health. Health
inequalities can be reduced to a large extent by early
childhood developments. Social eliminations have the
potential of causing health inequalities by damaging

relationships, illness, and social isolation. Economic
inequalities may result in poor health conditions.
Unemployed people are more likely to have poor health
condition than the people with higher or middle-
income group. The residential environment of an
individual has a great impact on the health condition of
that particular individual. The neighbourhood that has
access to basic health care facilities are psychologically
sound than people devoid of basic health care facilities
(Mancini, 2011).

The relationship between the health issue and
upstreaming approach to nursing care
The nurses play a significant role in managing
patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.
Nurses require having depth knowledge of
psychology, behaviour change and medicine.
Nurses must provide appropriate direction to the
patients despite of their age, ethnicity, race, socio-
demographics, literacy, and culture. A different
tool is being used by nurses for decreasing the
stress of patients. It is being found that mortality
and morbidity can be improved with the
implementation of appropriate treatment plan such
as stress reduction plan. The nurse uses
multifactor or integrated approach depicting
highly effective in decreasing mortality and
morbidity. A significant role is being played by
nurses in various levels such as a technical level
where they conduct risk assessments and
diagnostic assessments and psychological level
where they carry out work as the health advisor in
order to assist patients in their self-care process.
Thus, the patients are helped with risk assessment,
patient education, adoption of guidelines and drug

treatment. The patients are also advised to
improve their dietary routine in order to remain
healthy.

References
Goodlin, S. (2016). End-of-life care in cardiovascular disease. 4th ed. London: Springer London Ltd.
Hjemdahl, P., Rosengren, A. and Steptoe, A. (2012). Stress and cardiovascular disease. 3rd ed. London:
Springer-Verlag London Ltd.
Kay, S., Scalia, G., Seco, M., Vallely, M., Celermajer, D. and on behalf of the Board of Structural Heart
Disease Australia (2017). Structural Heart Disease Australia (SHDA). Heart, Lung and Circulation, 26(11),
pp.e111-e113.
Mancini, M. (2011). Nutritional and metabolic bases of cardiovascular disease. 5th ed. Chichester, West
Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Murad, F., Atta-ur-Rahman and Bian, K. (2017). Cardiovascular diseases. 3rd ed. Sharjah: Bentham Science
Publishers.
Pak, E., Wald, J. and Kirkpatrick, J. (2016). Multimorbidity and End of Life Care in Patients with
Cardiovascular Disease. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 32(2), pp.385-397