Cardiovascular Diseases: Leading Causes Of Death Worldwide

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 disease is the number one killer in the United States, causing about 610,000 deaths yearly (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Cardiovascular disease is defined as a group of disorders damaging the heart and blood vessels, usually involving the blockage of vessels, which in turn harm the heart (WHO, 2015). A 2011 American Heart Association statement predicted that without intervention, 40% of United States adults will have at least one form of Cardiovascular disease by 2030. A large portion of these deaths by cardiovascular disease is due to the sedentary population. To better prevent cardiovascular disease, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee stated that adults should complete about 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity weekly (Barry, Blair, Church, Hooker, Sui, Warren, 2010). Research has shown that meeting these recommendations is linked with lower cardiovascular disease risk, as well as reduced risk of mortality. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only about 20.3% of Americans meet these guidelines. These statistics show that the majority of the United States population does not get nearly the amount of physical activity they need. However, even though many people are not doing the recommended amount of physical activity, this may not mean that they are living a sedentary life. Living a sedentary lifestyle is

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.

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.

Hypertension, defined as blood pressure readings higher than 140/90 mmHg taken on three different occasions, is one of the chronic diseases that poses major health problems to countless Americans and a major issue to almost every racial group living in the United States of America. In the simplest of words, hypertension forces the heart to pump blood harder throughout the body through blood arteries and veins. Such pumping can result in problems with the proper functioning of the heart. Hypertension does not only affect the heart. Many organs throughout the human body can get damaged due to the high pressured blood pumping towards them by the heart. Hypertension can cause the kidneys to dysfunction and also result in aneurysm. Apart from heart problems such as strokes and heart attacks, hypertension can result in the speedy aging of the human brain at a young age, which eventually results in neurotic problems as age increases.

Heart Disease is the number one leading cause of death in the United States. Anyone, including children, can develop heart disease. Heart Disease has three major categories that are used to describe Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), which affects the heart and the circulatory of blood being pumped into the heart (AHA, 2015). According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), Heart disease has consistently been the leading cause of death for both US men and women since 1935(CDC, 2014), with men being affected more than women with heart disease. According to the Census Bureau data of 2014, the overall population in the United States is 318.9 million people in Kings County, Brooklyn, New York making 30.8% with 2, 592,149 of the population and growing (Census, 2014). As of 2014, Kings County is the second most populated area in New York City. Kings County has one of the largest populations of people who are less than 20 years old, with 7.6% of its population under the age of five and 12.1% over the age of 65. Moreover, the life expectancy for King County is 82, compares to the overall life expectancy in the United States at 79. Thus, heart disease is the number highest mortality rate in Kings County, Brooklyn. Heart Disease and Stroke are among the most costly health problems, with $500 billion in health care expenditures and related expenses in 2010 along (HealthyPeople 2020, 2014).

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer for both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Chest pain is defined as a general term for any dull, aching pain in the thorax, usually referring to that of acute onset, which is often regarded as being myocardial in origin unless proven otherwise (McGraw-Hill n.d.). Chest pain is a warning to seek medical attention and can be caused by many reasons. The subjective complaint of chest pain can vary depending on the patient’s cultural background. The use of the “PQRST” mnemonic can help assess and differentiate chest pain. Assess the following characteristics: (P) Provokes: What causes pain? What makes it better or worse? (Q) Quality: Describe the symptoms. (R) Radiates: Where in the body does the symptom occur? Does the pain radiate? (S) Severity: How severe is the pain on a scale of 1-10? (T) Time: When did it start ? (Budassi-Sheehy).

There are many contributing factors for Cardiopulmonary Disease, some being unpreventable health problems and others being unhealthy habits. Health problems can be inherited, and it can also be something that a person is born with. The biggest contributors to this disease are unhealthy habits that people develop from childhood or as a young adult. Smoking causes damage to our lungs and heart, which can cause high blood pressure, and poor eating habits and foods that are high in fat can cause high cholesterol. Physical stress, inherited disorders, and changes in the heart all contribute to Cardiopulmonary Disease.

Atrial Fibrillation is one of the leading causes of death across the globe. (1) AF increases an individual’s risk of stroke by 4 to 6 times on average. (2)(3) The risk increases with age, in people older than 80 years old; AF is the straight cause of 1 in 4 strokes. (3) Even though Atrial Fibrillation can be considered a mild arrhythmia; it is still associated with serious morbidity and mortality. (4)(5) First, it raises the risk of having thromboembolism and stroke, due to blood stasis in the left atrium. Stroke is commonly caused by a thrombus or clot. In patients with AF, the thrombus or clot is usually comes from the left atrial appendage (a small sac in the left upper chamber of the heart). Because stroke in AF patients may be particularly distressing, it is quite important to identify patients who are possibly at high risk before it occurs to them. Second, the irregularly irregular heart beat can cause symptoms palpitations, shortness of breath, anxiety and reduced exercise tolerance in the patient, so it requires medical consideration. Third, Atrial Fibrillation causes a lot of cardiac and hemodynamic changes including decreased myocardial systolic function and cardiomyopathy caused by tachycardia. (6)(7) Sometimes AF is identified only with the onset of a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA or "mini-stroke"). (8) Whether if it is asymptomatic or symptomatic, AF is a progressive disease, worsening with time and it is accounting for

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty materials and plaque buildup on the inner lining of arteries. Arteries are blood vessels which carry rich blood to the heart and throughout the body. They’re lined by the endothelium, a thin layer of cells. The endothelium keeps blood flowing by keeping the inside of arteries smooth. However, when Atherosclerosis starts due to high blood pressure, smoking, or high cholesterol, it damages the endothelium. Atherosclerosis tends to happen throughout the body and arises when people grow older. This disease is mainly due to the deposition of fatty materials i.e., cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. The buildup of fat then hardens causing narrowing of the arteries. This

Did you know about 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year

Heart Disease is the number one killer in America. It is a disease that has become more prominent since the obese population has increased. Many people have learned many of the habits that can cause heart disease, but still do the things anyway. Some people stop doing many of the things that can cause heart disease, but continue to do one thing that could still give them heart disease. Smoking is one of the main causes of heart disease and people should stop smoking if they care about their heart. Smoking being addictive makes it hard for people that want to start taking care of their heart to do so because they cannot stop smoking. Although many of the habits that can cause heart disease are not being stopped, the best that can be done is

Forming plaque reduces the elasticity of the arteries which causes stiffness, breakage of the lining and blockages. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke and death.

Several researches investigated the benefits of knowing the genomic sequence and how it is associated with the risk of certain disease. There are several arguments contrary to genomic research and some are supporting it. For instance The Director of Cancer genetics center at Johns Hopkins university says “it may become one important determination in patient care, but certainly not the only one” [source]. Several studies doubts that genomic research providing any extra information about the possibility of getting common diseases, including heart disease and stroke, since such a disease also involves one’s daily routine and lifestyle [res]. On the other side several papers showed the impact that the genomic research can have on the medical

Cardiovascular diseases continues to be a lingering health challenge globally (WHO, 2014) and also in the United States (CDC, 2014). Major efforts are geared towards tackling this health challenge; reducing the disease burden, addressing the underlying factors, as well as the risk factors. Preventing the onset of cardiovascular disease is the best approach and education is the most formidable tool for achieving the best results. For some individuals however, who already have cardiovascular diseases, treating and managing it, is the next best option and the tool for empowerment and proper management is education as well.