Cardiovacsular disease, better known as heart disease, affects over 81 million people in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. High blood pressure, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, and heart failure claimed over 800,000 lives in 2006, according to the American Heart Association.
Coronary heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the U.S. today affecting over 17 million people. Coronary heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the coronary arteries due to excess fatty build up of plaque. This year, it's estimated that 1.26 million Americans will have a new or recurring heart attack.
Heart Disease is the Number One Killer in the U.S.
With so many folks affected by heart disease, it just makes sense to be educated about the dangers and risks associated with this condition. Even though this disease is the number one killer of men and women in the U.S., many cases of heart disease are preventable. Both men and women are at risk for developing this disease.
Although not usually seen in folks under the age of 40, coronary heart disease can show up in anyone at any age. The risk of getting this disease is based on many different factors including lifestyle, family history, and body weight. Some of the risk factors cannot be changed, but others can be changed or controlled like weight, smoking, exercise, cholesterol, diet, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.
Time to Make a Personal Assessment for Heart Disease
Time to take a good, hard look at the current personal sate and condition of health. There are some important steps that can be taken in order to avoid, prevent, or lower the risk of heart disease. It's never easy to take a hard look at personal lifestyle and habits, but it's a necessary step toward getting on the road to better health.
Take the Heart Disease Assessment Test at the Your Disease Risk web site to estimate the current risk of heart disease and to learn about ways to loser that risk. This is an online interactive tool that estimates an individual's risk of coronary heart disease and also provides personalized advice and prevention tips.
The Next Step in Getting Better
Once an assessment has been made, the next step is to make a plan to get healthy. A good place to start is going to see the doctor or qualified medical professional and get a professional opinion and diagnosis if necessary. The next thing to do is make the necessary changes in lifestyle like quitting smoking, losing weight, or developing a plan to eat better.
If heart disease has already been diagnosed, there are still things that can be done to prevent the disease from progressing. Be sure to visit the doctor on a regular basis to checked out and to discuss new medications available to help battle heart disease. Existing conditions like hypertension or diabetes need to be closely monitored as these conditions increase the overall risk of heart disease.
There are really no good screening tests for coronary heart disease if an individual does not exhibit any symptoms of the disease. However, the obvious risk factors for coronary heart disease already exist if an individual has diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, or obesity. If these risk factors exist, it's probably best to get screened by a doctor for heart disease.
This article is for informational purposes only. The information provided herein is of a general nature and should not be substituted as advice from a qualified medical professional.
Sources:
AmericanHeart.org; Cardiovascular Disease Statistics (accessed April 7, 2010)
Mark Oehlert - Mark has 50 years life experience (wisdom comes with age, right?) and over 28 years experience writing copy for ads, articles, marketing ...
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