Essay On Heart Disease In The United States

Americans are neglecting the top killer in our society, and each year this killer claims hundreds of thousands of more lives. This killer is not terrorism, but rather a completely preventable disease: heart disease. The epidemic is so serious that more than 1/3 of the adult population has some form of heart disease and “if all deaths from major [cardiovascular disease] were eliminated, life expectancy in the United States would increase by about 7 years” (Hoeger 384). As a society and as individuals, we need to fight back and lower the rate of heart disease. The best way to combat America’s top killer is to educate ourselves about heart disease and use exercise and lifestyle changes to lower our risk.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States. It is estimated that one in four women die from heart disease every year. Women are at a higher risk for heart disease than men because of a lack of knowledge and information. Women often feel the need to care for others before themselves and neglect their own health needs. As mothers, and sisters, and daughters it is important to protect our health for those that depend on us. Heart disease is preventable through knowledge and awareness and taking precautionary steps.

Capingana, D. P., Magalhaes, P., Silca, A. T., Goncalves, M. A., Baldo, M. P., Rodrigues, S. L. (2013). Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic level among public-sector workers in Angola. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-9. Doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-732

According to the “(CDC) Center of Disease Control heart disease is the number one leading cause of death in america. If you have heart disease then you have a higher chance of cardiac arrest or a heart attack.”

The American Medical Journal explains that the heart disease is one of the deadliest medical conditions. Medical experts reckon that heart disease is a lifestyle disease, which emanates from excessive consumption of the wrong dietary combination. Foods such as fats and carbohydrates often expose individuals to the threat of heart disease. Consuming fast foods from McDonalds also expose people to the threat of heart disease. The most plausible means of mitigating the risk of contacting heart disease is by observing dietary combination. Individuals must keep a balanced diet always in order to avoid dietary concerns later on in life. The most common symptoms include chest discomfort, nausea, trouble sleeping, breathing problems, and unusual tiredness.

Heart diseases are known as one of the top killers of the 21st century including to

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

The general term includes a wide range of cardiovascular issues: included would be heart rhythm abnormalities, arteries hardening, congenital heart defects, and coronary artery disease and heart infections. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of medical death in the United States. Blocked or narrowed blood vessels and arteries can and will cause heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular. (1)

Heart disease is the leading cause of fatality in the United States accounting for 610,000 deaths each year or one in every four deaths (CDC, 2015). Even though cardiovascular disease affects men and women, it is more likely for women to pass away within the first year after a heart attack (The Gender, 2015). There are several different explanations proposed as to why this gender gap in longevity after a heart attack exists. The most common reason for the gender gap is a person’s genetic traits and lifestyle. In order to understand the risk factors for women, we must first understand what heart disease is. Then we can examine the risk factors of heart disease, the causes, and finally prevention and treatment.

The number of U.S. deaths due to cardiovascular disease has drastically increased over the past century.

The five major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States (U.S) are cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, and stroke, which, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lead to 2.6 million deaths among the U.S. population, annually. However, for both males and females, CVD is the leading cause of death and accounts for over 610,000 mortalities each year. This represents 1 out of every 4 deaths in the U.S. (Kochanek, 2014). Such high numbers clearly indicated the need of improved treatment for CVDs. CVDs comprise those clinical conditions that affect both heart structure and function, which includes but is not limited to coronary artery disease, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms or arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and asystole), complete heart failure, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), pericardial disease, aorta disease, Marfan syndrome, and vascular disorders.

Cardiovascular disease is a class of disease that involve the heart or blood. The most common cardiovascular diseases are Myocardial infarction, Congestive Heart failure and peripheral artery disease. These cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of the death in the United States and are responsible for 17% of national health care expenditures. Every year about 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States.

The most common, and most preventable, heart disease of all is coronary artery disease. This is caused when blockages develop in the blood vessels

The CDC found that, “cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.3 million deaths per year in 2013, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.”

The leading killer of women and men remains, myocardial infarctions. In 2012, it accounted for every three out of ten deaths, killing 17.5 million people worldwide (The World Health Organization, n.d.). Myocardial infarctions (MI) stem from the onset of Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) occurs when there is a blockage of blood flow to the heart. This blockage, is caused by a build-up of plaque in the heart’s arteries, which ruptures and becomes dislodged forming a blood clot that prevents oxygen- rich blood from reaching the heart. When blood to the heart is reduced this can trigger a myocardial infarction also known as a heart attack. The lack of blood to surrounding tissue in the heart can cause muscle death if not treated promptly and can be fatal (National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d.).