Cardiovascular Diseases : A Global Health Challenge

There are multiple factors that lead to the development cardiovascular disease. While some individuals are born with conditions that predispose them to strokes or heart disease, a majority of people participate in a combination of risk factors that lead to the development of cardiovascular disease. A few of those risk factors include a lack of physical activity, smoking, and poor diet. The more frequently individuals expose themselves to these risk factors the higher their chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases has affected large number of population worldwide and in developed countries it is responsible for half of all deaths, coronary artery disease (CAD) alone is responsible for 1 of every 4.7 deaths in the United States (Eichner et al., 2002).

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease or heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America. Cardiovascular disease refers to a disease of the heart and/or blood vessels. It is also known as heart disease. The term cardiovascular disease covers many conditions and is extremely dangerous. Atherosclerosis is one of the major conditions that falls under the cardiovascular disease category. Atherosclerosis is a condition that develops when plaque, made from various substances that circulate in your blood, builds up on the walls of the arteries. The buildup narrows the arteries and makes it difficult for blood to flow through. The major risks of atherosclerosis are heart attack or stroke (American Heart Association, n.d.).

Over the past few years cardiovascular diseases have become the number one global cause of death. These diseases were first discovered 3,500 years ago with the Egyptians, and ever since then the causes have been pretty much the same. Although there are things that can be done to either increase or decrease the chances of getting heart disease. “Heart diseases describe a range of conditions that affect the heart” (Sheen 1). It can range from a myocardial infarction- a heart attack-, to a cerebral vascular disease, which is a disease of the blood vessels. Either way these diseases can impact the life of people in many negative aspects. Cardiovascular diseases have become the number one cause in global death due to the bad habits, diets, stress, and natural and chemical causes that the global population has.

Have you ever imagine a body functioning without a heart? The heart, the center of the cardiovascular system, is the essential manager for just about everything that gives the body life. Correspondingly, most of the heart diseases are fatal and cannot be ignored. In fact, "heart disease is the leading cause of death for women as well as men"(1). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 25 seconds someone has a coronary event(1). One of these diseases is coronary heart disease (CHD). "CHD is a condition in which certain substances builds up inside the coronary arteries"(2). When these substances block the flow of oxygen-rich blood, heart attacks most often occur. Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, is a serious event and a leading killer that has numerous symptoms and certain risk factors.

Although the term cardiovascular disease refers to a disorder of the cardiovascular system, it is usually associated with atherosclerosis, also known as arterial disease. It is considered the leading cause of deaths in the world, taking 17.1 million lives a year. There are only a few factors that are non-modifiable, these being the persons age, gender, family history and their race and ethnicity. Although there are non-modifiable risk factors, there are multiple multiple risk factors that are modifiable that anyone can use to prevent getting any type of cardiovascular disease. These people just need to have the motivation to be able to change themselves and their lifestyles in order to better

According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death globally claiming 17 million lives a year, more deaths than all cancer combined (Chiu and Radisic, 2013). Cardiovascular disease is responsible for a preponderance of health problems and its impact is expected to grow further as the population ages. In the UK, NHS spends about £7.74 billion as the expenditure to deal with cardiovascular diseases (Barton et al., 2011). Cardiovascular disease in the form of myocardial infarction has become the principle cause of death in developed countries, accounting for nearly 40% of all deaths (http://www.bhf.org.uk/). Congenital heart defects, which occur in nearly 14 of every 1000 new-born children, is another tragic fact that baffles medical industry (http://www.heart.org/). About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) live with cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, congenital cardiovascular defects, and congestive heart failure.

Cardiovascular disease has reportedly been the number one disease killer for men and women in the United States of America. Every one out of four deaths is caused by heart disease in the United States alone (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention). Heart disease refers to the different types of conditions and symptoms that can affect the one’s heart and its functions to the body (Mayo Clinic). Cardiovascular/Heart disease has many causes and conditions, prevention methods and symptoms, and treatment options.

Because heart disease and stroke is having such a profound effect on the United States population, “Increase overall cardiovascular health in the U.S. population” is one of HealthyPeople.gov (2014) main goal for

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States (HealthyPeople.gov website, n.d.). The goal to improve cardiovascular health is early detection, prevention, and treatment of risk factors. The key risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, poor diet, physical inactivity, and obesity. Based on these statistics it is crucial for public nursing to focus on educating people and the communities they live in to

Cardiovascular disease is a substantial concern and has emerged as one of the leading health issues. In examining cardiovascular disease, its incidence is astounding. Each year approximately one million men and women die, averaging one death every thirty three seconds (Heart, 2013).The death rate for cardiovascular issues such as myocardial infarction and CHF claim more lives than cancer and Aids combined. Heart disease will be the number one cause of death by the

Cardiovascular disease has gained a global attention due to the overwhelming number of cases reported annually. Stakeholders from various health monitoring agencies, health care providers, and government agencies have come together to tackle the disease, and reduce morbidity and mortality. Organizations such as the Million Hearts Initiative, the American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 Goals, and the Healthy People 2020 goals have established public health objectives aimed at targeting cardiovascular risk factors, and improving the outcome of the disease (Sidney, Rosamond, Howard & Luepker, 2013). The aspirations of the AHA 2020 objectives are to enhance the cardiovascular well-being of all Americans by 20%, as well as decrease related deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20% (Sidney et al., 2013). Statistical analysis of the predominance of cardiovascular health risk factors among Americans is overwhelming and therefore needs immediate action. According to Go et al. (2013), about 31.9 million adults 20 years or older have total serum cholesterol levels greater than or equals to 240 mg/dL. According to a statistical data recorded between 2007 to 2010, 33% of United States adults aged 20 years of age or older are hypertensive, that is about 78 million US adults, and 44% globally (Go et al., 2013). In 2010, an overwhelming 19.7 million people in the United States were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, in addition to 8.2 million unconfirmed cases, and 38.2% people

This research question is important in this program because it will help determine whether this cardiovascular program has increased the capacity to address heart disease, change mindsets, and to reach goals of the cardiovascular program. In this program we are devoted to prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases through professional education and research for clinicians, providers, and patients.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of mortality worldwide, especially in developed countries. But they are also largely preventable, and many studies have tried to clarify the related risk factors, and what could be done to avoid them.

It is important that we do everything we can to keep our heart healthy. In America, heart disease is the greatest cause of death. An estimate of 64 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease. Creating simple changes in your life can prevent cardiovascular problems and assist in living a