What is Vascular Disease?
Vascular diseases are diseases of the circulatory system, which includes the blood vessels, arteries, veins, and the lymphatics. An estimated 20 to 30 million Americans are at risk for various vascular diseases, including stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysms, artherosclerosis, high blood pressure and kidney disease, peripheral vascular diseases (PVD), diabetes and diseases of the veins. According to the American Vascular Association, vascular disease outside the heart causes almost as much death and disability as heart disease, and more than any cancer.
With the increase in obesity and Type II diabetes in Americans and as the population ages, it is estimated that by 2024 vascular disease will take the lives of over two million Americans each year.
