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Causes of Cardiovascular Disease
There are over 60 types of cardiovascular disease. Due to the extensive range of illnesses, the specific causes will depend largely on the particular disease in question. For some types of cardiovascular disease, the cause is unknown (such as for atherosclerosis and high blood pressure). For others, typical causes include blocked or narrowed arteries, atherosclerosis, and ruptured blood vessels.
The causes of cardiovascular disease depend on the specific cardiovascular disease in question. This may seem confusing, but cardiovascular disease is not actually one disease -- rather, it is a name used to describe any disease that affects the heart or blood vessels. In fact, there are over 60 different types of cardiovascular disease (see Cardiovascular Disease Types).
The following table lists different cardiovascular disease causes for specific conditions.
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Cardiovascular Disease or Condition
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Cause
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Link to More Information
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Temporary decrease in oxygen and nutrients to heart muscle, most commonly from coronary artery disease
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Not known
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Coronary artery disease
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Atherosclerosis
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Severely narrowed or completely blocked coronary artery from a blood clot
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Severely narrowed or completely blocked artery in the brain or the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain
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Not known
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Damaged or weakened heart muscle, most commonly from:
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A number of possible causes
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Weakening of a vein's one-way valve
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Weakening of a vein's one-way valve
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Not known
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(If you are interested in specific causes for certain conditions not listed above, click Cardiovascular Disease Types, and then click the specific condition.)
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD