Heart Disease And The Risk Factors That Can Increase The Chances Of Acquiring Or Worsen Essay

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.

All families in the world have their own personal family risk factors pertaining to their health. These risk factors come from generations that are then sometimes passed down to the newer generations of the family. Some of these risk factors that families have could be diseases or cancers that can unfortunately take one’s life to soon because it attacks their body a certain way and causes it to shut down. But, many families could possibly overcome these risk factors they may have by changing their life styles and not following in the steps of earlier generations. My family risk factor, heart disease, will be discussed through the risk factor, how life style might play a role in the risk factor, what can be done to help lower the chances

     There are eight major contributors that result in heart disease: heredity, smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol (LDL), physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, and arterial inflammation. The remaining seven contributors can be controlled, or at least reduced to safer levels that will help prevent or even reverse the disease, prevent a heart attack, and prolong one’s life.

Heart disease has both preventable and non-preventable risk factors that contribute to its development. All of the following are lifestyle risk factors for heart disease EXCEPT:

Tobacco use also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, whether it being smoking or chewing tobacco. The risk is particularly higher if the person started smoking at a young age, smokes heavily and/or if the person is a woman. No matter how long that person has been smoking for, stopping can make a major difference when it comes to cardiovascular diseases. Physical inactivity is also a modifiable risk factor, obesity is a big problem in many countries and it increases the risk of heart diseases by 50%. Obesity also leads people to diabetes, which is also a risk. 31% or coronary heart diseases and 11% of the strokes worldwide are due to a high diet in fats, this is a big deal in certain countries because high diets in fats are seen everywhere. Another factor is being poor. It is normal that low income will make people's lives lean towards a stressful one, one where there is social anxiety, isolation and depression, which are all reasons why a person can get cardiovascular diseases. When someone abuses alcohol, drinking more than two drinks a day, it increases their risks as well. There are a few other modifiable risk factors, such as taking certain medications.

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.

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

5. Heart Disease and Stroke- Through prevention, discovery and treatment of risk factors for heart disease increases cardiovascular health and improve the quality of life. Risk factors leading to heart disease and strokes are changes in the heart and blood vessels. Education in healthy foods, diets and exercise can decrease a potential heart attack or stroke. (Healthy People, n.d.).

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.

On Heart Disease Coronary heart disease makes up 56% of all deaths relating to heart conditions. The heart pumps blood around the body carrying oxygen and other essential nutrients to the areas in the body where they are needed.1 Coronary Heart disease is when this process is restricted or interrupted. The coronary arteries come off the main aorta, which are the first arteries to receive freshly oxygenated blood. They pass over the surface of the heart and supply it with oxygen. The process becomes restricted because the walls of the arteries become narrowed by a gradual build-up of atheroma (fatty material).

One of the many global health issues that interests me is heart disease. Heart disease has been a major issue for many of the patient’s that I come across in the hospital. It seems to have become an epidemic. At one point heart disease was an uncommon cause of death until about the 21st century which it now has become the leading cause of death (CDC 2013).

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

As the population ages heart failure is expected to increase exceptionally. About twenty-two percent of men and forty-four percent of women will develop heart failure within six years of having a heart attack. “Thirty years ago patients would have died from their heart attacks!” (Couzens)

It is commonly known that living a lifestyle with bad eating habits and lack of physical activity will eventually lead to an unhealthy heart. Other known causes aside from obesity may include, increased alcohol consumption, and smoking. These lead to the arteries in the heart to produce plaque which will stick to the walls of the arteries, and prevent a healthy blood flow to the brain and the rest of the body. According to Dhungana and Bista, roughly about 22% of people who are ages 18 years and over and is responsible for an estimated 9.4 million deaths per year globally (Dhungana, Bista, et al. 2016). The increase in high blood pressure in younger ages are increasing the rates of hypertension and risk of cardiovascular disease.