Living life with cardiovascular disease

How can my healthcare team help?

Your doctor may suggest changes to lifestyle, such as eating a low salt/low sodium diet, and doing more regular exercise, to help improve your heart health and reduce your risk of further complications.¹

If management of your condition(s) requires medication, your doctor will discuss the treatment options that are appropriate for you to ensure that you’re receiving care to meet your individual needs.¹

It’s not uncommon for those living with cardiovascular disease to have more than one condition that could be affecting their heart health. Your doctor or healthcare team will provide testing, monitoring, advice and medication (if required) to help you to manage these conditions, and ensure you have the best chance at living the life you want to live.

Treatment for cardiovascular disease

Being diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or peripheral vascular disease, may lead to negative feelings and emotions. But remember that proper management and lifestyle changes can dramatically reduce your cardiovascular risk.¹

Treatment can help to target symptoms and limit further damage to your heart and body.¹

Types of treatment depend on what type of cardiovascular disease you have, but typically treatment options will include:^1,2

Lifestyle adaptations

such as a more heart-healthy diet and regular exercise.

Surgery

such as, pacemakers, stents etc, to support areas of the heart that aren’t working as well as they should.

Medication

to reduce cholesterol, improve blood flow and help your heart to work properly.

Medications for cardiovascular disease include:³

Statins – Help to reduce cholesterol levels in your blood
Aspirin – Helps to prevent the blood from clotting
Beta-blockers – Stop the effects of the hormones such as adrenaline. This helps to slow down your heartbeat and improve blood flow
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) – Block the effect of the hormone angiotensin-2 which helps the blood vessels to widen, enabling better blood flow
Nitrates – Relax your blood vessels and help improve blood flow
Calcium channel blockers – Help to relax the muscles of your arteries and decrease blood pressure
Diuretics – Help to reduce blood pressure by flushing excess water and salt from the body
Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) - Help to increase water excretion by the kidneys, reducing blood pressure and fluid around the heart
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors – Reduce the amount of glucose in your blood by helping the kidneys pass excess glucose through the urine

Each therapy has a different role in managing your condition, so be sure to take your treatments as directed by your doctor.

Staying on top of your cardiovascular disease

When it comes to managing your symptoms and reducing your risk, some steps can have a huge impact. Lifestyle changes such as switching out some of your food choices for more heart-healthy options or finding effective ways to do more physical activity in your day-to-day life, can have a positive impact.⁴

Changing your lifestyle can seem daunting but you don’t have to make these changes all at once. The key is to take small, practical steps to a healthier lifestyle. On this page you will find helpful tips to support you to take a step in the right direction towards a heart-healthier lifestyle.

Nutrition

Most of us are aware that a healthy diet is essential to good health but did you know that eating a heart-healthy diet could even help to reverse heart disease? Swapping out unhealthy foods for more healthful alternatives can help to lower blood pressure, improve blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and help you lose weight, all of which can help to improve your overall heart health and reduce the risk of further complications associated with cardiovascular disease.^4,5 Below is a list of swaps you can make to help your heart:

Consider

swapping foods, such as pasta or rice, with wholegrain alternatives and include oats to your diet.

Try

snacking on fresh fruit, nuts, or raw vegetables to fill you up in between meals.

Think

about steaming, boiling, or grilling food, using vegetable oils as an alternative to frying with butter, ghee or lard.

Swap

out condiments high in salt for reduce-salt alternatives or season food with other flavourful alternatives like herbs and spices and salt-free seasoning blends.

Exercise

Just like with nutrition, the benefits of regular exercise are widely known, but can regular exercise improve cardiovascular health even when you have cardiovascular disease? Studies have shown that regular exercise paired with a healthy diet not only helps to prevent further damage to the heart and blood vessels, but it can also help to reverse some risk factors.^5,6 In this section you’ll find ways that you can make to boost your physical activity just by making small adaptations to your daily routine.

Walk

if and when you can – this could be as simple as: taking the stairs instead of the elevator; parking the car a little further away; getting off the bus one stop earlier.

Do household chores

where you need to move and stretch a lot, like mopping, vacuuming or gardening.

Active play with children and pets

or taking a walk in the park with friends.

Other things to consider

Quitting smoking, if you smoke

You may not be ready to quit so consider reducing the number of cigarettes and stretch intervals between. If you are ready, there is support available to help you in your transition to becoming a non-smoker.⁷

Cutting down your alcohol intake

A higher level of alcohol intake can increase your blood pressure and ultimately lead to cardiovascular disease e.g., abnormal heart rhythm.⁸ For some, reducing alcohol intake is easy but for others it isn’t. If you feel you need support to help you to cut down on your drinking, there is valuable support available.

Remember to reward yourself after every success to help maintain your motivation.

If you experience any new symptoms or if your symptoms are worrying you, speaking to your doctor or healthcare team can shine a light on any additional management measures that can be put in place to ensure that your symptoms don’t impact the way you live your life.

Your emotional experience with cardiovascular disease

Being diagnosed and living with a long-term condition can leave you feeling afraid and maybe even depressed.^1,9 The uncertainty of what the future may hold can be overwhelming and can lead to emotions that you may not feel equipped to handle. If this sounds familiar, then you might find these tips useful to help you come to terms with your diagnosis.

You might find it helpful to speak close friends or loved ones to help you to wrap your head around things. At the very least, sharing your feelings with someone close to you can help lighten the load.¹

Speaking to other people who are living with cardiovascular disease might also help. Online or local communities and support groups can be amazing sources of information, support and advice.¹

Sometimes low moods can last weeks or months and can begin to affect your day-to-day life. If you’ve been struggling with your emotions for longer than two weeks, then it’s important to speak to someone about your feelings.

For further information, ask your doctor for help in searching for helplines that can offer support.

A higher level of alcohol intake can increase your blood pressure and ultimately lead to cardiovascular disease e.g., abnormal heart rhythm.7 For some, reducing alcohol intake is easy but for others it isn’t. If you feel you need support to help you to cut down on your drinking, there is valuable support available

References

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Coronary Heart Disease. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/coronary-heart-disease (Last accessed: August 2021).
Olvera Lopez E, Ballard BD, Jan A. Cardiovascular Disease. [Updated 2021 Aug 11]. In: StatPear!s [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jar-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535419/
McDonagh TA., et al. 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2021:42(36):3599-3726.
Mozaffarian D., et al. Beyond Established and Novel Risk Factors: Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease. Circulation. 2008:117:3031–3038.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Heart-Healthy Living. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/heart-healthy-living (Last accessed: August 2021).
Nystoriak MA., et al. Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2018;5:135.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Smoking and Your Heart. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/smoking-and-your-heart (Last accessed: August 2021).
Piano MR. Alcohol’s Effects on the Cardiovascular System. Alcohol Res. 2017;38(2):219–241.
Hare DL., et al. Depression and Cardiovascular Disease: A Clinical Review. European Heart Journal. 2014;35(21):1365–1372.

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Essential cardiovascular disease information