Overview of the Impact of and the Response to Heart Disease

There are approximately 5.7 million people in the United States diagnosed with heart failure and about half of those diagnoses will die due to causes related to heart failure within five years (“Heart Failure”, 2016). Heart failure related deaths vary by geographic locations; however, they are most predominant among men and offer a greater risk to women if left untreated. Heart failure is a serious medical condition, if diagnosed and treated early enough, the chance of preventing death increase.

Atherosclerosis is the process in which substances known as plaques, which are made up of cholesterol and platelets, adhere to tears in the walls of arteries. Over time these plaques build up to the point where they occlude blood flow in the arteries. When this happens in the coronary arteries, either directly, as the result of buildup in the arteries themselves, indirectly in the form a clot from another part of the body breaking loose and becoming lodged in the coronary arteries, the usual result is a heart attack.3

Another word used to describe a heart attack is myocardial infarction, cardiac infarction and coronary thrombosis. A heart attack is the death of a part of the heart caused by the loss of blood supply. The blood supply is usually gone due to a coronary artery being blocked by a blood clot. When a part of a heart artery breaks a blood clot forms around the piece. This blood clot can block the blood flow through the heart muscle. When the heart muscle needs oxygen it is called ischemia. When damage of a part of the heart muscle happens it’s called a heart attack. During a heart attack damage occurs depending on the size of the area blocked by the blood clot as well as the time between the actual heart attack and the treatment. Even though the heart may be hurt, the rest of the organs work with no problems. However, it will not pump as much blood as it used to in order to supply the same amount of blood to all of the parts of the body.

Heart diseases also known as cardiovascular diseases are various conditions types that may interfere with the function of the heart. These condition types include atherosclerotic also known as coronary artery heart disease which is shown to affect arteries leading to the heart, the heart valve disease which affects the functionality of valves in regulating in and out of the blood flow to the heart. Cardiomyopathy affects the squeezing of the heart muscles. Arrhythmias also called the heart rhythm disturbances affects the electrical conductions. There are also heart infections which are resulted by structural problems of the heart which usually develops before birth. (Wedro)

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.

Heart disease affects people all around the world. Many life habits can lead you to potentially having a heart disease, but it can also be inherited. About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. It is the leading cause of death for both men and women. These case studies show that heart problems can strike you at any moment, even when you’re least expecting it.

The book “Heart Disease” is very intriguing but, very boring at the same time. In this book, the main topic is Heart Disease. It talks about how Heart Disease causes lot of deaths in USA which is interesting because, I thought there were more deaths in the USA caused by guns. In the first chapter it explains what Heart Disease is and what it is about. The book also describes symptoms and diagnostics which explains some of the side effects of having Heart Disease. The book also describes how you can treat the disease and it gives you information on some alternate treatments that can also resolve and minimize heart disease like exercising.

A heart attack is where the a blockage of the blood vessels cuts off blood supply to an area of the heart. The cause of this blockage is a process that occurs over several years known as 'atherosclerosis'. Atherosclerosis begins with cholesterol in the blood becoming lodged in the vessel walls. There are many other factors that influence the progress of this atherosclerosis. This causes the vessel wall to swell, resulting in a smaller vessel for blood to flow through. If this narrowing is severe enough, the entire blood vessel can become blocked, which is a heart attack. As the heart muscle does not receive enough

Heart disease can be genetic. If a person has family history of cardiac disease then the probability or risk of suffering from heart problem is increased in that person. Along with this, heart disease can occur if a person has unhealthy life style practices. Unhealthy practices that puts a person to increased risk for heart disease involve smoking, high fat and high sugar diet, alcohol consumption and sedentary life style. Many heart related conditions and illnesses can be easily prevented by following healthy life style. By having a healthier lifestyle, a person can control risk factors (conditions that can increase the risk of having heart disease) that includes obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and much more. Healthy

Heart disease is a range of conditions that affect your heart. It is a disorder of the blood vessels, that can lead to a heart attack, diseases, heart rhythm problems, weakness of the heart muscle, irregular heart beats, and heart defects contributing to heart disease. This disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women. Having heart disease can cause someone to also have coronary disease, which is the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels in which will lead to having a heart attack.

Heart Disease is a generic term for heart conditions and there are many of these if you were to look at the British Heart Foundation website; at least 19 are listed. Heart conditions affect the performance of the heart and the main cause of death amongst heart conditions is Coronary Heart Disease, according to the NHS website. This is when the heart muscle receives inadequate blood flow due to an interruption of its blood supply, (Tortora and Dickenson 2011). Coronary Artery Disease is the most common type. The heart is a muscle that requires oxygen and this depends on the supply of blood from the coronary arteries.

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).

There are many diseases around the world and they come in different shapes and sizes. From the common cold to cancer the can be deadly or just give you the sniffles. There are many diseases to talk about but today we’re going to talk about cardiovascular disease (heart failure).

Heart disease also called Cardiovascular is a group of conditions affecting the structure and function of the heart that involves narrowed or blocked blood vessels. Since the blood vessels are disordered this raises the chances of the person having a heart attack.