The four most common types of cardiovascular disease are coronary heart disease (which includes heart attack and angina pectoris or chest pain), stroke, high blood pressure and heart failure. Other forms include rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease, congenital cardiovascular defects, arrhythmias (disorders of heart rhythm); diseases of the arteries, arterioles and capillaries (including atherosclerosis and Kawasaki disease); bacterial endocarditis; cardiomyopathy; valvular heart disease; diseases of pulmonary circulation; diseases of veins and lymphatics and other diseases of the circulatory system.

Atherosclerosis occurs when the inner walls of the arteries become more narrow due to a buildup of plaque, which consists of fats, cholesterol cellular waste products, calcium and other substances. Plaques can grow large enough to significantly reduce the blood's flow through an artery. But most of the damage occurs when they become fragile and rupture. Plaques that rupture cause blood clots to form.  If this blood clot blocks a blood vessel that feeds the heart, it causes a heart attack. If it blocks a blood vessel that feeds the brain, it causes a stroke.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, means the pressure in your arteries is consistently above the normal range. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. It's written as two numbers, such as 122/78 mm Hg. The top (systolic) number is the pressure when the heart beats. The bottom (diastolic) number is the pressure when the heart is at rest. High blood pressure is a consistently elevated pressure of 140 mm Hg systolic or higher and/or 90 mm Hg diastolic or higher. The great danger is that you usually can't tell you have high blood pressure! There are no signs and no one knows exactly what causes it. High blood pressure can lead to hardened arteries, heart failure, stroke or heart attack.

Heart attacks occur when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die. Call 9-1-1 to get help fast if you feel any of the warning signs of heart attack.

Heart failure means that your heart isn't pumping blood as well as it should. It keeps working, but the body doesn't get all the blood and oxygen it needs. See a doctor if you notice symptoms such as:

• Swelling in feet, ankles and/or legs, called "edema"
• Fatigue that can be due to fluid buildup in lungs, called "pulmonary congestion"

Stroke and TIA ("mini" stroke) happen when a blood vessel that supplies oxygen to a part of the brain gets blocked. Then that part of the brain can't work and neither can the part of the body it controls. A stroke can also occur when a blood vessel supplying part of the brain ruptures. Call 9-1-1 to get help fast if you have any of the warning signs of stroke and TIA.