Risk Factors For Heart Disease

When you are young and enthusiastic, you might think that you have a lot of time to worry about cardiac or heart problems. But do you know that your heart needs your attention and care, irrespective of age and sex. Nevertheless, it is highly essential for a person to known about the potential risk factors that can lead to heart disease.

Heart is an integral part of a human body that pumps blood and gives oxygenated blood to different organs of the body for nourishment and proper functioning. That is achieved only when your blood circulation is at a healthy pace. Any hindrance in blood vessels, circulation and heart can lead to heart disease. The condition “heart disease” is often described as “cardiovascular disease”, that’s because heart problems are usually associated with blood vessel (artery) diseases, coronary artery disease, heart rhythm problems, birth defects in heart, etc.

In fact, cardiovascular disease is characterized by the narrowing of blood vessels; thereby, giving rise to heart disease symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, sweating, heart attack and even stroke. Approximately, 1.2 million people suffer from heart attack each year, and out of them 40% people die before receiving emergency medical service. In United States, nearly 7 million adults have experienced a cardiac arrest once in their lifetime.

Risk factors of heart disease –

Few risk factors for heart disease are totally under your control and some of them are not, like a strong familial history of hypertension or cardiac disease is somewhat unavoidable. Following are the potential risk factors for developing cardiac disease:

·      Age – As the age progresses, a person undergoes several biological changes in their body, including heart and blood vessels. Aging is the most common and inevitable factor for heart disease as it weakens and thickens heart muscles.

·      Sex – According to medical experts, men are at higher risk of developing heart issues than women, However, in women, the risk is greatly increased after menopause i.e. cessation of menses.

·      Genetic influence – A strong familial history of heart disease may increase your chance of contracting cardiac problems. This risk factor is actually unavoidable; therefore, people with such history are advised to undergo regular medical checkup.

·      Smoking – Smoking is one of the leading causes and risk factors of developing heart problems. Unfortunately, maximum number of deaths caused by heart attack is mainly due to smoking. There are numerous toxic materials in a cigarette, which are responsible for damaging the blood vessels, heart and lungs. Smokers are more vulnerable to a chronic blood vessel disease – atherosclerosis (explained later).

·     Unhealthy diet – People who consume diet rich in fat, sugar, salt and bad cholesterol are more likely to develop heart disease.

·     Sedentary habits – Lack of physical activities (exercises) makes a person obese that is associated with cardiac problems and other chronic diseases.

·     High blood pressure – High blood pressure, also referred as hypertension, is the root cause of many forms of heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can make the arteries narrow that decreases the blood circulation, eventually enough blood is not reached to the heart for pumping, leading to cardiac arrest.

·     Diabetes – Uncontrolled high blood sugar levels can significantly increase your risk of developing heart disease. A diabetic person often tends to accumulate more fat in the body, which gives rise to obesity, hypertension and heart attack.

·     High blood cholesterol levels – When bad cholesterol is high in blood, it gets deposited in the blood vessels making the arteries narrow – this condition is known as atherosclerosis. Almost every heart patient seems to have this condition.

·     Mental stress – Prolonged stress puts pressure not only on your brain but also in your heart and blood vessels; thereby, damaging them steadily.

How to prevent heart disease?

Many types of heart disease can be prevented and managed effectively with the help of few healthy lifestyle habits. You can easily take care of your heart by implementing the below-mentioned heart disease preventive steps:

• Choose healthy diet that is rich in essential nutrients and avoid foods that are loaded with salt, sugar and fat
  
• Regular exercising for at least 20 to 30 minutes per day
  
• Quit or stay away from smoking and other bad habits
  
• Try to manage stress with Yoga and Meditation
  
• Get proper treatment for health issues like hypertension, diabetes and high blood cholesterol
  
• Maintain good hygiene in surroundings
  
•  Regular medical check up