|
HEART DISEASE 101
|
Think of your heart as being a car engine. It has its own electrical (conduction) system that causes the motor (heart muscle) to beat in a rhythmic pattern. The heart “pump” is fueled by its own blood supply from arteries, and valves in the pump control the flow of the blood in the four heart chambers.
How well your heart runs depends on a healthy pump (heart muscle and valves), constant flow of fuel (unblocked arteries) and an effective electrical system (conduction system). Like the engine of a car, your heart may start to have problems if you don’t care for it properly. Learn more about keeping your heart tuned-up.
Understanding heart disease and the key factors that contribute to it can be the first step in leading a healthier lifestyle. The Heart Institute of Northwest Ohio is committed to providing relevant education about heart disease and cardiovascular conditions, such as stroke, to help reduce the risk factors of our patients, their families, and the general public.
The following information provides some specific information about understanding heart disease:
|
|
|
Understanding Your Risk Factors
Risk factors are things that make you more prone to developing heart disease. Some risk factors are lifestyle choices that can be controlled (they’re called “modifiable risk factors”) and others are called “uncontrollable risk factors” because you cannot change them.
Modifiable risk factors:
Tobacco smoke – A smoker’s risk of having a heart attack is double the risk of someone who does not smoke. Cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden cardiac death. Smokers who have a heart attack also are more likely to die suddenly.
High blood cholesterol – As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of heart disease. When other risk factors (such as high blood pressure and tobacco smoke) are present, this risk increases even more. Your cholesterol level can also be affected by age, sex, heredity and diet.
High blood pressure – High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, causing it to thicken and become stiff. This increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and heart failure. If you have high blood pressure and also are obese, smoke, have high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes, your risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times.
Physical inactivity – Being inactive can lead to being overweight and increase your cholesterol level and blood pressure. Regular physical activity helps prevent heart and blood vessel disease—the more vigorous the activity, the greater your benefits.
Obesity and overweight – People who have excess body fat (especially at the waist) are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Excess weight increases the heart's work. It also raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol and makes you more prone to diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus – Diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing heart disease. Even when blood-sugar levels are under control, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, but the risks are even greater if blood-sugar is not well controlled. About three-quarters of people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.
Uncontrollable Factors
- Gender - Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when a woman’s death rate from heart disease increases, it’s not as great as men’s. (Women are still at risk, however; see note below.)
- Age - Over 83 percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men to die within a few weeks.
- Heredity - Children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. African Americans have more severe high blood pressure than Caucasians and a higher risk of heart disease. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes. Most people with a strong family history of heart disease have one or more other risk factors. Just as you can't control your age, sex and race, you can't control your family history. Therefore, it's even more important to treat and control any other risk factors you have.
|
|
|
Understanding Heart Attacks
The technical term for a heart attack is “myocardial infarction” or MI. It occurs when there is sudden death of a portion of the heart muscle caused by a sudden decrease in blood supply to that area.
Warning signs:
The following symptoms may indicate a heart attack:
- uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back;
- pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, upper back, jaw, or one or both arms;
- difficulty getting your breath;
- chest discomfort with lightheadedness, nausea or sweating; and/or
- less common signs, such as unusual chest, stomach or abdominal discomfort, nausea, dizziness, unexplained weakness or fatigue, heart palpitations (skipped beats) and/or a cold sweat.
If you experience these symptoms, call 911 and chew and swallow one adult aspirin (not another pain reliever).
A special note to women
Heart attacks don’t just happen to men. Current research shows that women are also at risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Read the facts:
- Cardiovascular disease (of the heart or blood vessels) is the #1 cause of death in women.
In fact, it kills more women than the next 16 causes of death combined. For more than 20 years, heart disease has killed nearly as many women as men.
- Women are more concerned about breast cancer.
True, one in 29 women will die of breast cancer. But one in three women will die of heart disease or stroke.
- Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of premature, permanent disability.
One in five adult women lives with heart disease, while two-thirds of women who have heart attacks never fully recover.
- Women are diagnosed and treated differently.
Women are less likely to receive cardiovascular tests and medications … and less likely to have heart surgery.
- Women ARE different, but we’re not sure how.
Until the past decade, women weren’t even included in cardiovascular research. The first large study of women, begun in 1991, still hasn’t reported its final results.
|
|
|
USEFUL LINKS
|
The American Heart Association
The official web site of the American Heart Association is an excellent resource for the public and healthcare professionals. It contains practical information about the prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke including the most up-to-date research on a whole host of heart and vascular related conditions.
www.americanheart.org
|
Mended Hearts, Inc.
Mended Hearts is a national nonprofit organization that is affiliated with the American Heart Association. Partnering with hospitals and rehabilitation clinics, this organization offers services to heart patients such as support group meetings, visiting programs and educational forums.
www.mendedhearts.org
|
HeartInfo.org
HeartInfo.org is an independent, educational Web site that provides consumers with instructional information and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
www.heartinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Glossary of Terms Browse our online form directory for important documents and forms relating to your treatment. more
|
Treatment Options The Heart Institute offers the latest, most advanced treatment options and procedures to meet your needs. more
|
|
