Any  disease affecting the heart or blood vessels. One of the most common manifestations is atherosclerosis - fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries - leading to angina, heart attacks and strokes. Most types of cardiovascular disease are highly preventable and reversible.

Cardiovascular disease is a broad term used to describe a range of diseases that affect your heart or blood vessels. The various diseases that fall under the umbrella of cardiovascular disease include coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke.

The term "cardiovascular disease" is often used interchangeably with heart disease because both terms refer to diseases of the heart or arteries. Cardiovascular disease or heart disease - it's clear that diseases of the heart and blood vessels are serious problems.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 worldwide killer of men and women. For example, cardiovascular disease is responsible for 40 percent of all the deaths in the United States, more than all forms of cancer combined. It is the leading single cause of death in New Zealand!

While cardiovascular disease can refer to many different types of heart or blood vessel problems, it's used most often to describe damage caused to your heart or blood vessels by atherosclerosis. This is a disease that affects your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. Healthy arteries are flexible, strong and elastic.

Over time, however, too much pressure in your arteries can make the walls thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues. This process is called arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and atherosclerosis is the most common form of this disorder. So if atherosclerosis is the most common cause of cardiovascular disease, you may wonder what ultimately causes atherosclerosis. The culprits are the same risk factors you've heard mentioned in connection with heart disease and cardiovascular disease: An unhealthy diet (lots of saturated fats), lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking. All of these are major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis and, in turn, cardiovascular disease.

Some forms of cardiovascular disease aren't caused by atherosclerosis. Those forms include diseases such as congenital heart disease, heart valve diseases, heart infections or disease of the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy.