Cardiovascular disease (CVD), ie, the heart and blood vessels, are:

• Coronary heart disease - disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle (myocardium);
• Cerebrovascular disease - disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain;
• Peripheral arterial disease - disease of the blood vessels supplying the upper and lower limbs;
• Rheumatic heart disease - damage the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, a disease caused by streptococcal bacteria;
• Congenital heart disease - heart defects present at birth; and
• Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism - blood clots (thrombi) in the veins of the legs, which may detach (emboli) and lodge in the vessels of the heart and lungs.

Heart attacks and strokes (AVC) are usually acute events and are mainly obstructions that prevent blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common cause is the formation of fatty deposits in the walls of blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Strokes can also be caused by bleeding in the brain vessels or blood clots.