Decrease Your Risk of Heart Disease

Prevalence

In determining future public health priorities, statistics concerning the worldwide prevalence of cardiovascular disease are compelling. Cardiovascular disease emerges as the largest single killer of human beings in the world; no less than one in three people will die from it. The World Health Organization has estimated that it kills 17.5 million people worldwide every year. In the USA alone, 80 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular illness, and 2,400 people die every day (cancer, by comparison, kills less than half this number). Responsible for half of all deaths in the United States as well as in other developed countries, it kills more women than tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS and all cancers combined. It is also the leading cause of death in many developing countries – since the 1990s, for example, it has become the leading cause of death in China.

Beyond the incalculable healthcare costs of this disease, there are the equally inestimable emotional costs of helplessly watching loved ones suffer, and ultimately, of bereavement on a truly mass scale. It is an insidious form of disease, silently and invisibly developing over time and betraying little obvious sign of its presence; too often, the first indication comes in the form of a fatal heart attack or catastrophic stroke.

In the midst of this statistical gloom, however, there are some promising research discoveries to examine, not least in the form of preventable risk factors – conditions and habits which increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. Risk factors can be placed in two categories: ‘major’ (those which are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease) and ‘contributory’ (those which physicians believe are likely to, although the precise pathogenic mechanism has yet to be clearly defined). The more risk factors a patient has, the more probable it is that disease will arise. Taking steps to diminish, or preferably, abolish these risk factors can literally save lives.

Major Risk

One of the principal major risk factors is hypertension: high blood pressure is strongly associated with increased risk of both heart attack and stroke. Blood pressure is composed of two measures – the ‘systolic’ pressure (arising as the heart contracts, pushing blood through the vessels) and the ‘diastolic’ pressure (arising when the heart muscles relax between contractions). An ideal reading for a healthy adult at rest is a systolic pressure of 120mm of mercury and a diastolic pressure of 80; the crucial reading is the lower one. If persistently high, damage will inevitably occur. Blood pressure can be adversely affected by poor diet, high total cholesterol reading, obesity, and smoking, although it can also be influenced by genetic predisposition. Having it checked as part of regular, routine medical assessment is exceptionally important.

Cholesterol is a lipoprotein found in all healthy cell membranes and in many hormones: the liver produces precisely the right quantity for these purposes. Any excess comes from diet – and the most dangerous form is ‘LDL’ (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, found in abundance in many food products high in unsaturated fats. This is the substance which gets deposited in the inner lining of blood vessels as inflexible platelets, which collectively cause hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. In the vessels supplying the heart, this condition can be fatal, contributing significantly to the likelihood of a heart attack.

Obesity frequently leads to higher cholesterol, atherosclerosis and higher blood pressure in and of itself and is also associated with high rates of type 2 diabetes, itself a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (the American Heart Association has estimated that as many as 65% of type 2 diabetic patients will die of cardiovascular illness).

The association between smoking and lung cancer is widely understood; less widely appreciated is its correlation with cardiovascular disease. The chemicals ingested during smoking have multiple effects: increasing heart rate, constricting major arteries, raising blood pressure (especially dangerous in individuals who already have hypertension), and increasing the deposits of inflexible plaques of fatty material in artery walls. Moreover, they increase the concentration of the blood-clotting agent, fibrinogen, leading to an amplified risk of potentially fatal thrombosis.

Other major risk factors include increasing age (less easy to prevent), physical inactivity (regular exercise removes many toxins from the blood, lowers blood pressure, reduces blood cholesterol and strengthens the heart muscle) and heredity (anyone with a parent who developed significant cardiovascular disease before the age of 55 is at increased risk of being affected).

Contributory Risk

While excess alcohol consumption and even sex hormones play a contributory role, a significant contributory factor is, undoubtedly, stress. It is known to increase heart rate and elevate blood pressure, both of which raise the heart’s need for oxygen. Individuals who already have coronary disease are likely to suffer chest pain – angina pectoris – as a result of this increased demand on the heart.

When blood pressure is persistently raised through high cortisol levels, the walls of the blood vessels are damaged and the subsequent healing leaves rigid scar tissue in its wake. Stress also predisposes individuals to seek transient respites through smoking, comfort-eating and alcohol consumption, all of which can contribute to hypertension and high blood cholesterol.

Reducing Risk

Despite the gloomy statistics, sound measures can be taken to prevent serious cardiovascular disease. Medically approved increases in physical exercise can play a major part in reducing blood cholesterol and high blood pressure. 30 minutes of daily cardiovascular exercise, even if it is split into three 10 minute segments, can be sufficient to have a positive effect. Individuals who know that they have a significant family trait are strongly advised to take strenuous measures to avoid additional risk factors, such as smoking, eating saturated fats, or over consumption of alcohol. Regular screening by a physician will also help.

Shifting dietary preferences will assist prevention – eating a high fiber diet (6 – 11 servings of fruit and vegetables daily), as well as whole grains and fish, will help reverse damage and prevent further harm. Learning to relax and ‘de-stress’ on a regular basis will also diminish the harmful effects of high blood cortisol levels. And reducing weight by as little as 10% can significantly lower glucose and cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure.

Finally, patients should be encouraged to pay attention to any ‘minor’ symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness on minor exertion and certainly any form of chest pain – early detection can quite literally save lives and prevent irreversible damage.

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