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The respiratory system helps you breathe. The main parts of the respiratory system are the lungs, the airways, and the muscles that enable breathing. The circulatory system, which is made up of the heart, veins, arteries, and capillaries, brings blood to and from the lungs and delivers nutrients and oxygen to tissues of the body while removing carbon dioxide and waste products. Other body systems that work with the respiratory system include the nervous system, lymph system, and immune system.

How your pleural disorder is treated depends on what type of pleural disorder you have and how severe it is. Some pleural disorders go away without treatment. Others will require a procedure to remove air, fluid, or other material from the pleural space. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms and treat the underlying condition.

Your risk for a specific type of vasculitis may be higher because of your age, your family history and genetics, infections you have, your lifestyle habits, medicines you take, other medical conditions you have, your race or ethnicity, and your sex.

Heart failure is more common in people age 65 or older, blacks, people who are overweight, and people who have had a heart attack. Children who have congenital heart defects also can develop heart failure.

High blood cholesterol is treated with heart-healthy lifestyle changes and medicines to control or lower your high blood cholesterol. Lipoprotein apheresis is a procedure that can be used to treat familial hypercholesterolemia.

Strokes are medical emergencies and treatment needs to begin immediately. Depending on the type of stroke, treatment may include medicines (such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or anticoagulants/antiplatelets) and procedures (such as carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery angioplasty). Surgery—such as aneurysm clipping and coil embolization or arteriovenous malformation repair—may be needed to treat a hemorrhagic stroke. Making lifestyle changes can help treat and control risk factors for a stroke.

La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, o EPOC, es una enfermedad progresiva que causa dificultad para respirar. En los Estados Unidos el término EPOC abarca dos enfermedades principales, el enfisema y la bronquitis crónica.

Risk factors for overweight and obesity include having unhealthy lifestyle habits such as lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating behaviors, not getting enough sleep, having high amounts of stress; being a certain age; living in unhealthy environments, having a family history; being a certain race or ethnicity; or being a certain sex.

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. In the United States, the term COPD includes two main conditions—emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

If you’ve already had sudden cardiac arrest, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator reduces the chances of dying from a second sudden cardiac arrest. If you have not yet had sudden cardiac arrest but have severe coronary heart disease, your doctor may prescribe a beta blocker or statin. Following a healthy lifestyle can help you lower your risk for sudden cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease, and other heart problems.