Heart Disease

Heart disease can be found in approximately 1 out of every 12 Americans, according to the statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2000. That is a grand total of 22 million adults nationwide battling this disease on a daily basis. In the US, heart disease is the number one killer of men and women. That being said, this is an extremely important topic to understand and can be prevented from happening to you.

The term heart disease is a broad definition providing a large canopy for numerous other diseases. A quick list shows heart disease to include coronary artery disease (heart attacks fall in this field), arrhythmias, heart failure, congenital heart disease, heart valve and muscle disease and vascular disease (disease of the blood vessel). This is not an all- inclusive list, rather it only lists the more commonly encountered types of heart disease. Each has its own signs, symptoms, causes and treatments. However, there are certain steps that people can take to minimize their risk of developing heart disease.

In general, to decrease the possibility of acquiring heart disease, the following should be adhered to: stop smoking, lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase levels of good cholesterol (HDL), prevent high blood pressure, increase regular physical activity level, keep body weight within the recognized “safe” zones, manage any diabetes that may be present and keep stress and anger levels to a minimum. Many of these controllable risk factors can be managed through a change in lifestyle. Lifestyle changes must be implemented through diet, exercise and stress management.

With these guidelines in mind, there are also several uncontrollable risk factors that may contribute to heart disease: males have a higher risk than women of being diagnosed with heart disease, with age a person’s risk increases, women after menopause are more susceptible, and those with a family history have a greater risk. Although uncontrollable, these risk factors do no point toward the eminent development of heart disease. By keeping the controllable risk factors in check, heart disease can be prevented most of the time.

Symptoms of heart disease are varied depending on the type of disease. Symptoms may be present at birth, as in those born with a congenital heart defect. Others are acquired through lifestyle and may not show symptoms until much later in life. The most commonly known type of heart disease is the heart attack or coronary artery disease. Heart attacks afflict more than 1.5 million Americans each year. The frightening thing about heart attacks is its silent warning signs. Most people don’t know they have coronary artery disease (a narrowing of the arteries that feed the heart) until a heart attack strikes. The statistics show that approximately one third of heart attack sufferers will die from the attack.

Prevention seems to be the key for keeping our “tickers” healthy and fit. However, for those suffering from heart disease, new research and clinical trials are constantly being turned out and tried. Most heart disease problems are now managed through simultaneous lifestyle changes and medication. Additionally, new treatment modalities and plans are surfacing as improvements are made in the fields of transplantation, surgical operations and stem-cell research.

 

 

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