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Important Heart Disease Facts & Resources
Heart disease and stroke are mainly consequences of atherosclerosis and high blood pressure (hypertension). Heart disease is sometimes included in the broader category of atherosclerotic and hypertensive diseases. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke have been well established for many years. Distinct from age, family history, and possible genetic determinants are modifiable risk factors that cause heart attacks and strokes, including high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes. Behaviors that contribute to development of risk factors for heart disease, partly by causing obesity, include adverse dietary patterns and physical inactivity. Discover how to Cure Your Heart Disease without Drugs Social and environmental conditions that may determine such behavioral patterns, in turn, include education and income, cultural influences, family and personal habits, and opportunities to make favorable choices.For example, dietary patterns result from the influences of food production policies, marketing practices, product availability, cost, convenience, knowledge, choices that affect health, and preferences that are often based on early-life habits. Because many aspects of behavior are clearly beyond the control of the individual, the scope of heart disease and Stroke and stroke prevention, from the public health perspective, extends far beyond the individual or the patient. Thus, a comprehensive public health strategy for heart disease prevention must address the broader determinants of risk and disease burden as they affect both the population as a whole and particular groups of special concern, including those determinants that make healthier choices more likely for defeating heart disease. congenital heart diseaseAuthor: encyclopedia heart disease Related: Pathology any of several abnormalities of the heart and its function in maintaining blood circulation. Heart disease is the cause of approximately half the deaths in the United States each year. Among the most common causes of heart disease are degenerative changes in the coronary blood vessels, infectious diseases, and congenital heart disease . Congenital defects result from abnormal development of the fetal heart, commonly in the valves or septa. Such defects can be precipitated by environmental conditions in the uterus, such as the presence of the rubella virus, or they can be inherited. Infectious diseases acquired after birth, such as rheumatic fever , syphilis , and endocarditis , can also damage the valves of the heart. In addition, the heart muscle itself can be affected: hypertensive heart disease (see hypertension ) can cause it to enlarge, and it can become inflamed by rheumatic fever. Arteriosclerotic depositions in the coronary arteries result in the narrowing of these vessels, causing insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle, a condition known as coronary artery disease . The characteristic radiating chest pain, angina pectoris , is the most prominent symptom of this condition. Coronary arteries already narrowed by arteriosclerosis are made susceptible to blockage by a clot (coronary thrombosis ), causing the death of the heart muscle supplied by the affected artery, a life-threatening event called a myocardial infarction , or heart attack. Hypertensive, coronary, congenital, and other forms of cardiovascular disease, either singly or in combination, can lead to a state in which the heart is unable to expel sufficient blood for the metabolic demands of the body, ultimately resulting in congestive heart failure . Disturbances in the normal heartbeat, called arrhythmias , can occur by themselves or in conjunction with other heart problems, for example infarction affecting the area of the heart that controls the heartbeat. ...
Health Info Advocate for Heart Disease InformationScott Parat has compiled and placed these pages on the web for the benefit of anyone suffering from heart disease. Scott has been involved in the health field for the last 20 years and focuses much of his attention toward natural solutions to health problems. Heart Attack SymtomsThe National Heart Attack Alert Program notes these major signs of a heart attack: Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Discover how to Cure Your Heart Disease without Drugs Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Four Primary Reasons Why the “Mediterranean Diet” Promotes Heart Health Introduction The term “Mediterranean Diet,” while widely in use in the 21st century, actually is something of a misnomer. In reality, there is not a diet regimen that is common to all of the countries of the Mediterranean region. With that said, there is some commonality between what people of the different nations of the Mediterranean eat on a regular basis. Equally important, there are food and beverage items that are not often found in the diets of the peoples of the Medite ... Four Primary Reasons Why the “Mediterranean Diet” Promotes Heart Health Introduction The term “Mediterranean Diet,” while widely in use in the 21st century, actually is something of a misnomer. In reality, there is not a diet regimen that is common to all of the countries of the Mediterranean region. With that said, there is some commonality between what people of the different nations of the Mediterranean eat on a regular basis. Equally important, there are food and beverage items that are not often found in the diets of the peoples of the Medite ... See entire summary of Heart Disease and Heart Attack Articles |