• Hypertension (High Blood pressure): It refers to the force or pressure of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels, also known as arteries.
• Coronary Artery Disease: A disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries (arteries that supply oxygenrich blood to your heart muscle) also known as atherosclerosis.
• Cardiomyopathy: Is a chronic disease of the heart muscle (myocardium), in which the muscle is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened.
  The weakened heart muscle loses the ability to pump blood effectively, resulting in irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and possibly even heart failure.
• Heart failure: Is a serious medical condition where the heart does not pump blood around the body as well as it should. This means that your blood can’t
  deliver enough oxygen and nourishment to your body to allow it to work normally. This, for example, may cause you to feel tired or fatigued. It also means that you can’t eliminate waste products properly – leading to a build-up of fluid in your lungs and other parts of your body, such as your legs and abdomen.
  Heart failure often develops because you have (or had) a medical condition affecting your heart.
• Angina pectoris: The medical term for chest pain or discomfort (pressure or squeezing). The heart muscle doesn’t get as much blood (oxygen) as
  needed because one or more of the heart’s arteries is narrowed or blocked, also called ischemia.
• Atherosclerosis: the build-up of a waxy plaque (cholesterol) on the inside of blood vessels.
• Atherosclerosis is often called arteriosclerosis which is a general term for hardening of the arteries (losing elasticity).
  ** A heart attack occurs when a blood clot forms, or a plaque ruptures and forms a clot in the artery causing a complete blockage. That part of the heart muscle that is denied blood supply starts to die.
• Valvular heart disease – affects how the valves function to regulate blood flow in and out of the heart.
• Arrhythmia (also known as Dysrhythmia) – Any abnormality in the normal rhythm of the heart, too slow, too fast or irregular. Rapid arrhythmias (more
  than 100 beats per minute) are called Tachycardia.

Non-modifiable: those that cannot be changed

• Family history: first degree relative who developed a cardiovascular disease at a young age puts you at a higher risk.
• An increased risk has been seen with a family history of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
• High cholesterol levels are linked to cardiovascular disease.
• Diabetes: due to high levels in the blood, this could potentially damage the walls of arteries and make the build-up of fatty deposits more likely.
• Age: the older you get the higher the risk.
• Gender: risk has been seen greater in women.
• Ethnicity: greater risk has been seen in South Asian, African or Caribbean descent.
• Socioeconomic status: greater risk has been seen in those who have a lower socioeconomic status with diet being one of the greatest factors.