The Growth of Coronary Heart Disease and How We Can Prevent It

Killing nearly 380,000 people a year, Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for males and females. Coronary Heart Disease occurs to a person when there is a build of plaque in the coronary arteries. These arteries are vital because they pump blood that is heavy in oxygen to the heart. The build of plaque in the arteries is a condition called Atherosclerosis and takes many years to occur. Over the years medical practices have found many ways to diagnose CHD but only three are listed next. The first test is an Electrocardiogram test; which records and tests the strength of the heart’s electrical activity. Also how many beats per minute or any abnormalities in heart beat rhythm. The second test is an Echocardiography test; which use sound waves to show you how your heart is moving, where the valves are blocked and to see if any of the heart is not receiving an adequate amount of blood. The third way is a blood test which can tell you how much cholesterol and excess fats you have and whether you are at risk for CHD.

What types of lifestyles and habits cause Coronary Heart Disease? There are many factors that may cause this disease. If a person smokes, if a person has high blood pressure or cholesterol, how obese he or she is, what sex that person is, men generally tend to get CHD more often than women, and also if the disease has been in your family history. All of those things play a factor into whether a person suffers the condition of CHD.

The risks and symptoms associated with CHD are generally very severe and is the main reason why CHD remains one number causes of death in the U.S. Risks that are associated with CHD are listed below.

• Heart Attack- One of the most known and deadliest, a heart attack can occur to a person without he or she even feeling it. However, most people get slight signs that they are having a heart attack like pain in chest or shoulder, shortness of breath, tightness or even neck and jaw main.

• Chest Pain – Also known as angina, it usually occurs near the heart and shoulder area. Pain includes burning, pressure, tightness and major short of breath. Also can occur near jaw or neck.

• Shortness of breath – Since the correct amount of oxygen is not reaching the heart, the amount of air person can take in is significantly reduced.

Now, even though there are a lot of things that cause CHD, there also quite a few things a person can do to avoid it or treat it. There are two types of treatment to CHD, medical treatment and lifestyle treatment. The lifestyle treatment options include eating healthy foods, exercising daily, avoiding cigarettes, and losing excess fat that may put pressure on arteries. Medical treatments include Aspirin; reduces tendency of blood clots, Nitroglycerin; which reduces your heart’s need for blood and also dilates arteries, and Beta Blockers which reduce your heart’s need for oxygen and reduce risks of future heart attacks. All of these treatments and many more treat CHD and introduce a better and more medically advanced future.

Works Cited

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20165340

https://www.google.com/search?

q=aspirin+heart&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6i57p7tLOAhVHdR4KHX2pCfYQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=kRVNWB3hjTlNlM%3A

http://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-disease-statistics/

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/diagnosis

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/disorders/coronary-artery-disease/cad-symptoms

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007115.htm