Cardiovascular disease
<p ><b>Cardiovascular disease</b> is a class of diseases that involve the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart" title="Heart" >heart</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_vessel" title="Blood vessel" >blood vessels</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artery" title="Artery" >arteries</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vein" title="Vein" >veins</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup> Cardiovascular disease refers to any disease that affects the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_system" title="Circulatory system" >cardiovascular system</a>, principally cardiac disease, vascular diseases of the brain and kidney, and peripheral arterial disease.<sup id="cite_ref-Fuster_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease#cite_note-Fuster-1" >[2]</a></sup> </p>
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The causes of cardiovascular disease are diverse but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherosclerosis" title="Atherosclerosis" >atherosclerosis</a> and/or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension" title="Hypertension" >hypertension</a> are the most common.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the biggest cause of deaths worldwide, though over the last two decades, cardiovascular mortality rates have declined in many high-income countries. </p>
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At the same time cardiovascular deaths and disease have increased at an astonishingly fast rate in low- and middle-income countries.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease#cite_note-2" >[3]</a></sup> Although cardiovascular disease usually affects older adults, the antecedants of cardiovascular disease, notably <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherosclerosis" title="Atherosclerosis" >atherosclerosis</a> begin in early life, making primary prevention efforts necessary from childhood.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease#cite_note-3" >[4]</a></sup> There is therefore increased emphasis on preventing atherosclerosis by modifying risk factors, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthy_diet" title="Healthy diet" >healthy eating</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise" title="Physical exercise" >exercise</a>, and avoidance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking" title="Tobacco smoking" >smoking</a>.</p>