Heart Disease Prevention

The statistics for cardiovascular disease are alarming. Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. More than 500,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, and 12 million live with the disease. Although cardiovascular disease has been thought of principally as a man’s disease, it is an equal opportunity killer. It is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

With these overwhelming numbers, it may be surprising to know that cardiovascular disease is one of the most preventable of all diseases. To understand heart disease prevention, it is helpful to first understand how heart disease develops. The heart is a muscle, a little larger than a clenched fist and weighing less than one pound. Its primary purpose is the to pump blood that carries life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. The average heart beats 100,000 times and pumps around 2,000 gallons of blood each day.

The coronary arteries are the vessels, which bring the blood to the heart. Heart disease is the result of narrowing or blockage of these arteries. Narrowing of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, is the result of a build-up of plaque — cholesterol, white blood cells, calcium, and other substances — on the inner walls of the arteries. Symptoms of atherosclerosis include angina (chest pain or discomfort) and fatigue. Some people, however, will suffer no symptoms.

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is reduced or stopped. This can happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the heart due to atherosclerosis. The build up of plaque can tear or rupture, creating a place for the blood clot to form. When the heart is deprived of blood, it doesn’t get the oxygen it needs, and the heart muscle can die.

Some risk factors for heart disease cannot be changed. These are family history (children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it), increasing age (most deaths from heart disease occur after the age of 65), and male gender (men have heart attacks at an earlier age and have a greater risk). Since these factors can’t be controlled, it’s very important to control other risk factors.

These other risk factors can be reduced by changes in lifestyle. Changes include quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure, controlling cholesterol levels, losing weight, controlling or preventing diabetes, and exercising.

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