Blood pressure is where it all starts. This is the force of your blood against your artery walls as your heart pumps your blood around your body.
If your blood pressure is too high, the force of it can damage the insides of your arteries, making them more vulnerable to the most common form of cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease.
Another common heart problem is ischaemic heart disease. Over time, if cholesterol, fat, and other substances build up inside your arteries, what doctors often call artherosclerosis, there is less space for blood to pass through, increasing your risk of a heart attack.
Even if you don’t suffer a heart attack, if you have atherosclerosis, your heart has to work harder to send blood around your body and supply oxygen and nutrients to your cells. This takes its toll on the heart and can lead to heart failure.