Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is more often than not caused by a build up of fatty material on the inside walls of the arteries that surround the heart. This build up of material causes the arteries to narrow which restricts the flow of blood to the heart. There are certain conditions and things that make it more likely that an individual will develop this fatty deposit, for example:
- Smoking: This is a risk factor as both nicotine and carbon monoxide make the heart work faster, putting strain on it. Furthermore, smoking increases your risk of blood clots.
- Diabetes: This disease can more increase your risk of developing CVD by more than two cause the lining of blood vessels to thicken, restricting blood flow.
- High cholesterol: Having too much cholesterol circulating can lead to CVD. Cholesterol is made from in the liver from saturated fats consumed.
- High blood pressure: Also known as hypertension puts a strain on the heart and can also lead to CVD.
For a long time there has been a huge onus on minimising the amount of people with CVD. In particular, there has been a lot of effort spent on developing preventative measures and mechanisms. This week a new study was outlined in The telegraph, this time examining the postive correlation of taking a bath with reduced risk of CVD. The findings illustrated that taking a hot bath once a day can infact reduce an individuals chance of cardiovascular disease by 28%.
Monitoring and supporting at risk patient groups is crucial if we are to minimise the number of people affected by CVD. Using our Medsmart® app we can monitor at risk patient cohorts to determine how your medicines are being taken in real life. We can also facilitate the sharing of educational content to your medicine users. This information could be to inform patients on how best to take your medicines or about how individuals can modify their lifestyle to minimise their chances of developing CVD.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our patient insights and how we can help you engage with patients, please get in touch!
Medsmart patients at risk of CVD (44% female and 51% male).
