The circulatory system is a complicated mechanism that in most people runs smoothly for a lifetime. The heart itself is the strongest, toughest muscle in the body. Yet, like all machinery, it can sometimes break down. When any part of the circulatory system is impaired, a part of the body does not receive the blood supply it needs and thus is damaged. The damage may occur in the heart itself, in the brain, the lungs, the kidneys, the skin, or the limbs.

More than 20,000,000 Americans of all ages have some form of heart or blood vessel disorder. These diseases are by no means always fatal, but they cause more than half of all the deaths in the United States every year. So many people are affected by just one of the cardiovascular diseases, arterial atherosclerosis, that it has been called "the epidemic of the 20th century."

Great improvements have been made in the treatment and control of some of these diseases. Because of medical advances, thousands of people are living today who 10 or 20 years ago would not have survived their illness. With proper medical care, most people with cardiovascular ailments can work and live useful lives. Rheumatic fever, which may lead to one form of heart trouble, as well as a few other less common heart diseases, can now be pre-vented. Consequently the incidence of these diseases already is decreasing in frequency.

To make the best use of modern medical knowledge about heart diseases, it is important to visit your family doctor regularly for a physical checkup. If you think you have any symptoms of a heart ailment, don't try to diagnose the condition yourself—see your doctor. If all is well, he will relieve you of your worries. If something is wrong, the earlier it is detected, the better.

High Blood Pressure

Strokes

1. Strokes

2. Effects on Brain Damage

3. Language Recovery

4. Mild Strokes

5. Stroke Victim