The heart and circulatory system, also called the cardiovascular or blood vessel system, delivers blood to every cell in our body through a network of blood vessels. Problems of the blood vessels are common and can result in a number of health conditions.

People who experience health issues because of problems to their vessels may experience high blood pressure, poor circulation (peripheral arterial disease), or atherosclerosis, which is where the wall of the artery becomes thickened. In addition, problems with the blood clotting system can result in blood clots.

The most common cause of heart disease is narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself and this is the reason that most people have a heart attack.

You are more likely to have problems with your blood vessels as you get older or if you have risk factors such as a family history of vascular or heart disease, conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels (such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol), if you have previously had a heart attack or stroke or if you have a smoking history or are obese.

FARMOVS conducts research studies for conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diseases that put you at a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke or a recurrence of these events. They will normally also conduct an evaluation of your lipid profile as part of a cardiovascular study evaluation.

 If you would like to partake in future clinical trials at FARMOVS do make contact with its dedicated recruitment department which will have a list of all current as well as future clinical trials. The department can be contacted via telephone at 051 410 3068/3070 or e-mail study.bloemfontein@farmovs.com. You can also register on the FARMOVS website at www.farmovs.com for studies or to be part of our general data base.

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