Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a broad term used to describe a range of common diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels.  Many common conditions fall under the umbrella of CVD, including coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke.  In fact, the term "cardiovascular disease" is often used interchangeably with heart disease because both terms refer to diseases of the heart or arteries.

Despite recent advances in medical research, cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, is still the leading killer of men and women in the United States.  It is also the most costly cause of death in men and women in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

An estimated 80 million American adults, or 1 in 3, have one or more types of CVD.  It is estimated that cardiovascular disease causes one in every five deaths in the United States.  Nearly every 25 seconds someone in the U.S. will suffer a coronary event.  About every minute someone will die from one.

Coronary artery disease is caused by atherosclerosis and often develops into angina pectoris and myocardial infarction (MI).  The condition caused about 445,000 deaths in 2005 and remains the leading single cause of death in America today.  Roughly 16.8 million people have a history of MI and/or angina.

In 2009, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack and about 470,000 suffered a recurrent attack.  The AHA estimates that an additional 195,000 silent heart attacks occur each year. Stroke affects 8,500,000 people.  Direct and indirect costs related to the condition are projected to exceed $150 billion annually.