The term “cardiovascular disease” is often used reciprocally with the term “heart disease.” Cardiovascular disease broadly refers to the disease involving the heart and blood vessels. It generally includes diseases such as, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure and many others. Indeed, CVD affects the heart and it’s main functions such as the cardiovascular system, the pulmonary circulation and the systematic circulation. The pulmonary circulation’s main function is to pump oxygen-poor blood towards the lungs and pumps oxygen-rich blood to the right side of the heart. Whereas the systematic circulation is the opposite, it pumps oxygen-rich blood to the body and pumps oxygen-poor blood to the left side of the heart. The underlying process …show more content…
According to Teague, author of the textbook Your Health Today, “An estimated 16.3 million Americans are living with CHD [and] those who survive a heart attack are often left with damaged hearts and significantly altered lives” (316). Clearly, coronary heart disease affects numerous families and individuals and it is a worldwide disease. So, what causes coronary heart disease? As a coronary artery becomes blocked with plaque, a condition called ischemia is developed. Ischemia condition refers to the lack of oxygen supply and nutrients in the heart muscle due to a narrowed or blocked artery. However, if the artery is completely blocked, an individual has a myocardial infarction; which is the insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle, in simpler terms, a heart attack. The blockage and narrowing of an artery may be the result of plaque that has broken loose or a formation of a blood clot, which can cause coronary thrombosis, which may cause sudden death. Ultimately, a heart attack occurs when during a lack of oxygen blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced or cut off due to the blockage of arteries with …show more content…
It even attacked my family numerous times. In February 2017, my great grandmother at the age of ninety-four experience her first TIA. It was a very scary situation because after ninety-four years, that was the first situation she experienced regarding her health. A couple of years ago, I lost both of my grandparents due to heart disease, which is why I chose to explore this specific topic. In doing so, I learned a great amount of information regarding the disease. Both of my grandfathers lived in the Philippines where healthy food is hard to come by. Their cholesterol levels were at an increasingly dangerous level and they did not maintain a healthy lifestyle. In today’s society, especially in California, we are fortunate enough to have healthy food easily available for us to consume. We are exposed and encouraged to live a healthier lifestyle, but other countries do not have to same resources we have. That is why it is important to learn and research this disease. With our technology today, we are able to run tests in order to predict if there is an underlying disease. With healthy food available, we are able to maintain our health and prevent CVD. My family was greatly affected by CVD numerous times, it is time to take measures into our own hands to prevent the disease and prolong our
Coronary artery disease is one of the common forms of heart disease. It’s caused by the narrowing occurs in the coronary arteries so that reduces the flow of blood to the heart tissues. Through the artery is gradually narrowing because of a substance called plaque builds up inside the wall of coronary arteries, the heart may not get enough blood to work. (coronary artery disease)If the plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form around on its surface. Over the time, the blood clot can completely block the pathway, which can’t let any blood to go through.
The first step in the prevention process is understanding the disease itself. Coronary artery disease and coronary heart disease are terms usually used interchangeably. In actuality, coronary artery disease causes coronary heart disease, or CHD. Heart attacks are then the result of CHD. Coronary arteries originate in the aorta and function to supply oxygenated blood to the muscular tissue of the heart. Plaque can build up and block these arteries over several years, reducing the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart. Eventually, the plaque can harden or even rupture, which increases the risk of a blood clot formation because platelets are attracted to the site. If a blood clot forms, the coronary arteries can become completely blocked. Heart attacks result when oxygenated blood does not reach a section of the heart, and the section
Similar to other diseases coronary heart disease affects thousands of people. The disease affects the heart in that it causes a waxy substance called plaque where it builds up inside of the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. When a person has coronary heart disease the hardened arteries restrict blood flow, which means that the heart cannot receive enough oxygenated blood, especially when it beats quickly during physical exertion or stress. This can cause chest pain and shortness of breath. However, if the artery is completely blocked, a heart attack can occur. Lack of oxygen during a heart attack causes damage as the heart muscle dies and is replaced with scar tissue. If damage is severe, the heart
Have you ever imagine a body functioning without a heart? The heart, the center of the cardiovascular system, is the essential manager for just about everything that gives the body life. Correspondingly, most of the heart diseases are fatal and cannot be ignored. In fact, "heart disease is the leading cause of death for women as well as men"(1). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 25 seconds someone has a coronary event(1). One of these diseases is coronary heart disease (CHD). "CHD is a condition in which certain substances builds up inside the coronary arteries"(2). When these substances block the flow of oxygen-rich blood, heart attacks most often occur. Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, is a serious event and a leading killer that has numerous symptoms and certain risk factors.
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.
Ischemic Heart Disease or Coronary Heart Disease is a condition in which there is an imbalance in the oxygen demand and supply to the myocardial. An underlining cause of this is atherosclerosis, a process in which there has been a gradual build -up of fatty metabolic waste deposits (plaque) on the inside walls of the coronary arteries the vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. The coronary arteries eventually become mostly or completely blocked causing angina and can ultimately lead to a myocardial infarction due to the heart muscle not receiving adequate blood supply to function properly.
Cardiovascular disease is a disease that affects both the heart and the blood vessel condition. Cardiovascular disease is a major health concern today because it is the leading cause of death in the United States. One in every three deaths are caused by this disease. You can prevent getting cardiovascular disease by eating healthy, not smoking, being active and exercising, watching your blood pressure, maintaining stress at a healthy level and maintaining good cholesterol levels. The health care in the United States work hard to help fight this disease. They spend about $320 million to help those affected by this disease.
The main effect that Coronary heart disease has on a person’s body is interruption of blood flow to the heart. It blocks the blood flow in many different ways. One way this disease does this is building up plaque in the arteries leading to the heart. This plaque hardens making a wall. This wall does not allow any blood or oxygen to the heart. Another way that Coronary Heart Disease stops blood flow to the heart is by narrowing the small blood vessels that provide blood and oxygen.
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.
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as heart disease, is defined as the “narrowing or blockage of the arteries and vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart” (Milto, Odle, p.1). The main cause of CAD is an accumulation of fatty materials on the lining of arteries. Once the fatty materials line the inner arteries, it restricts blood flow to the heart. When blood is can no longer long flow to the heart, it causes a heart attack. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men in the United States. The American Heart Association states that since 1990 deaths caused by the coronary artery disease have decreased, however, “more than 40,000 people still died from this disease in 2000” and about 13
A heart attack occurs when the oxygenated blood that typically flows to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off. This happens because the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood slowly become narrow from built up plaque. If a piece of plaque breaks off, a blood clot typically forms around the plaque and the clot can block the blood flow through the heart. When blood flow is blocked, the muscles of the heart becomes starved for oxygen and nutrients, this is known as ischemia. Because the body needs oxygen to carry out vital life processes, ischemia can cause damage or death to parts of the heart muscles. When damage occurs it is called a heart attack or myocardial infarction (American Heart
CHD is the most common type of cardiovascular disease [2] and was the leading cause of death globally between 2000 and 2012 [3] – accounting for 14.6% of all deaths in Australia in 2011 (21,513 persons) and 7.8% of all disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in Australasia in 2010 (471,550 DALYs) [4]. In 2011-12, CHD was estimated to affect 585,900 Australians, with the condition being more common in men (3.3%) than women (2.0%) and among those aged 70 and over (15% compared with 2.2% for those aged 25-69) [4]. In 2008-09 more than $2 billion was spent on CHD treatment and expenses – more than any other disease in Australia [5].
Around 7 million men and women are affected yearly by a disease known as Coronary artery disease (CAD). If one has a reduction of blood flow going to the myocardium, they may have angina pectoris. Some people may not experience any pain, while others will have heart attacks, due to developing atherosclerotic plaques.
Research has shown that mortality rate for coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease have decreased over the past ten years, however both heart disease are still major contributors of death among Americans—coronary heart disease is actually the leading cause of death in the United States (Kones, pg. 325-326; Stephen, Marmot,
Coronary heart disease is caused by the narrowing of the coronary arteries which is because of the deposition of fats and cholesterol on the inside lining of the arteries. These deposits which also cause hardening of the walls of the arteries also block the flow of oxygen to the heart. This deprives the heart of the needed oxygen that is required for its proper functioning.