Heart Disease - What is Heart Disease?

Heart Disease is one of the biggest killers with both women and men. A recent study was done and the American Heart Association said that around 70% of the US now has problems that are mild related to heart disease. In America, around every 34 seconds, there is at least one person that dies of a heart attack or either heart disease. These statistics the study and the American Heart Association found, researchers believe can be reduced with some modifications in lifestyle for those most at risk. Diet and exercise can make a large difference in whether an individual’s medical condition.

Heart disease affects millions of people yearly and while it is often believed that it is a disease more prevalent in men than women. In reality it is known as the silent killer of women and is the leading cause of death. This is because women often are not diagnosed with this medical condition and do not get the proper treatment. There are numerous factors that can cause heart disease; it can be caused by plaque buildup in the arteries, while another type can be caused by existing diseases of the organs or certain viral infections. Heart disease is a serious condition that left untreated or the patient not following the treatment plan can have a heart attack.

Coronary artery disease is caused by a buildup of plaque caused by high cholesterol and is also known as hardening of the arteries. The plaque builds up in the arteries and hardens, which then restricts the amount of proper blood flow to the heart, making the heart work harder. Coronary heart disease is similar to coronary artery disease, but occurs in the coronary artery leading to the heart. Then there is cardiomyophathy, which can be in one of two forms, it can be primary or secondary. This means that the heart disease can be the result of another factor like diseases that affect the organs, like diabetes, or it can be caused by specific types of viruses. When this type of heart disease is a primary factor it occurs due to congenital heart defects, high blood pressure or heart valve disease. No matter what causes heart disease it needs to be diagnosed and the patient will need to follow the treatment plan. This treatment plan will include exercise, a restricted salt free diet and prescription medication taken daily to avoid heart attacks.

Coronary Heart Disease - Steps of preventing

It is easy to prevent coronary heart disease by following these steps:

• Quit smoking: Smoking and other tobacco products are one of the key reasons behind heart diseases. Also, if you already suffer from a heart related problem, you need to give up smoking and quit using tobacco products immediately.
• Exercise: You need to involve yourself in more physical activities like exercise, playing a sport, jogging and brisk walking and cardio workouts. But you must exercise caution while starting an exercise regimen and consult with your doctor so that you do not do anything which strains your heart too much.
• Eat healthy: You should stop eating all kinds of junk food; fat and calorie intake should be reduced. Your blood sugar levels should not cross the normal limit. Eat healthy foods so that you can control your blood LDL levels. Also, include cereals, fruits, vegetables, salads and whole grain bread in your everyday diet. Make sure that your daily diet contains a lot of fluids.
• Maintain a healthy body weight, preferably within the range of ideal BMI for you. Go in for frequent overall health check-ups and regularly get your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels checked. Remember, prevention is always better than sure.