Cardiovascular Disease

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Cardiovascular Disease Facts    Cardiovascular Risk factors   

Mechanism of a heart attack

Symptoms of heart attack

Causes Of Heart Attack    Cardiovascualr Disease Management

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), principally heart disease is among the nation's leading killer for both men and women and among all racial and ethnic groups. More than 61 million Americans have some form of CVD, including high blood pressure, heart disease, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. More than 2,600 Americans die each day of CVD. That is an average of 1 death every 33 seconds.

Cardiovascular Disease Facts

The heart is a unique muscle that functions as a pump, the normal heart is about the size of a fist. Each year, the heart beats more than 35 million times! and pumps 730,000 gallons of blood!! The circulatory system would stretch for 60,000 miles - about a quarter of the distance from the earth to the moon!!! The circulatory system is a "river of life" for trillions of cells that receive nutrients from the network of blood vessels. One of the requirements for healthy heart function is that the blood vessels should be strong but supple, free of debris and damage, the blood should be clean, oxygen rich and flow without any obstruction or interruption. Despite the amazing advancements in healthcare technology and new medications, heart attacks are still the number one killer in the U.S. "For a 100,000 people a year" Allan Wasserman, MD says "the first symptom is that they die suddenly, for a lot of other people, the first warning is the heart attack itself! For another group there are no symptoms, it's just discovered on routine examination, with the use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) that they had a so-called "silent heart attack". A fifth of all attacks are "silent", coming and going without immediate detection, the deadliness of the rest is enhanced by their shocking suddeness.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease that may ultimately lead to a heart attack include: 1) high blood pressure 2) high blood cholesterol 3) tobacco use 4) physical inactivity 5) poor nutrition 6) overweight/obesity 7) diabetes 8) stress.

Mechanism of a heart attack

A heart attack is injury to heart muscle known as myocardium. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart muscle is severely reduced for any reason or completely stopped. The blockage is sometimes a result of the buildup of cholesterol and fatty deposits(plaque). The oxygen supply may be reduced due to blockage and deprives cells of the oxygen needed causing pain or constricting pressure impairing heart function and causing heart muscle cells to suffer irreversible damage and death. A heart attack can result in disability or death for the individual depending on how severely the heart muscle was damaged. There are three basic scenarios that can produce a heart attack, the first and most common occurs when the arteries mainly the coronary(heart) artery becomes narrowed over the years by fatty deposits or blood clots, causing complete or partial blockage. The second scenario is that of arrhythmia(variation from normal heart rhythm), in this situation the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to ensure enough supply. The third scenario is when there is a ballooning of a weak artery which may eventually rupture causing internal bleeding and disrupting blood flow. When a heart attack strikes, it can disrupt the electrical signals that regulate the heart rhythm and cause its pumping chambers called ventricles to malfunction. Instead of beating normally, the heart twitches and the ventricles fail to pump blood, this causes ventricular fibrillation, If it is prolonged it is usually fatal. Heart attack is a process that may last hours and with each passing minute more tissues are deprived of oxygen. The principal way to prevent progressive damage from a heart attack is to call 911 right away without delay so the patient may be quickly taken to the hospital and treated right away.

Symptoms of a heart attack

1) Uncomfortable pressure, fullness or excruciating pain in the chest radiating to the neck, jaw, shoulders or arms.

2) Lightheadedness, fainting, increased sweating, shortness of breath or nausea. Many people mistake these symptoms for indigestion or bloating and delay getting to the hospital or calling 911 for help. This can prove to be a dangerous and deadly error, calling 911 is the best option.

Causes of heart attack

Some of the causes that may precipitate a heart attack include infection, inflammation of any part of the heart or major artery supplying blood to the heart, oxidized LDL cholesterol, homocysteine - promotes the oxidation of LDL, blood clots - especially when they lodge in the coronary(heart) artery, rupture of artery or disruption of blood flow. Harvard University researcher Kilmer McCally MD presented his theory in (Nutrition Science News) that hardening of the arteries was directly related to the amino acid homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid produced in the process of protein metabolism, its normal role in the body is to control growth and support bone and tissue formation. The scientific study confirms that elevated homocysteine can significantly increase the risk of a heart attack and stroke. Elevated Homocysteine levels can be due to high coffee intake , deficiency of folic acid and deficiency of vitamins B12 & B6, (which catalyze the conversion of homocysteine to other byproducts). People on a high protein diet especially, need adequate B vitamins to control homocysteine levels.

Cardiovascular Disease Management

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