HEART disease and stroke are major causes of illness, disability and death which causes an increase in personal, community and health care costs. Today, a Clinical Public Health approach is needed for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Healthy Heart is an integrated approach to the control of the multiple risk factors responsible for CVD. In fact, this is an area where major health gains can be made in Bangladesh. Developing a comprehensive public health strategy requires considering the full scope of a public health problem and the display of potential approaches to controlling it. It also requires recognising the present reality and having a vision of the future that includes the most favourable conditions that can result from effective public health action. A clinical Public Health framework can also indicate where intervention approaches can be applied, through greatly expanded public health efforts, to advance from the present reality toward the vision of the future.

ABC of cardiovascular disease
This (CVD) includes acute myocardial infarction, arteriosclerosis, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathies, cerebrovascular disease, Chagas' disease, coronary heart disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, stroke, and thrombosis.

Usual risk factors for a heart attack are: Smoking, Obesity, High blood, pressure, High cholesterol level, Unhealthy life style and diet, Stress.

Diagnostic checks and tests
There are several effective investigations and techniques for heart disease. The most common are:

• Physical examination -- pulse, blood pressure, listening your heart, looking for any swelling and checking the veins in your neck.
• Blood test -- usually to check for anaemia and kidney problems, which are related to heart disease.
• X-ray chest -- though very simple but can provide lot of useful information (both heart and lung)
• ECG -- instrument used for recording the electrical currents produced by the heart muscle during various phases of contraction.
• Echocardiogram -- much the same as the ultrasound scans used to chek during pregnancy in women. This is helpful as the doctor can observe the heart beating and check different areas of heart problems.
• Exercise test -- help out the doctors to decide how well the heart manage with exercise.
• Cardiac catherisation -- to determine the rate of blood flow in the pulmonary artery and the aorta.
• Angiocardiograph -- also known as cinefluroscopy.