Heartcares

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN THE UNITED STATES

2009-03-31T21:43:00.007+01:00

Prevalence

An estimated 80,700,000 American adults (one in three) have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), of whom 38,200,000 are estimated to be age 60 or older. Except as noted, the estimates were extrapolated to the U.S. population in 2005 from NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey1999–2004.

(Total CVD includes diseases in the bullet points below except for congenital CVD.) Due to overlap, it is not possible to add these conditions to arrive at a total. • High blood pressure (HBP)—73,000,000. (Defined as systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or greater and/or diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or greater, taking antihypertensive medication or being told at least twice by a physician or other health professional that you have high blood pressure.)

• Coronary heart disease (CHD)—16,000,000.

• Myocardial infarction (MI, or heart attack)— 8,100,000.

• Angina pectoris (AP, or chest pain)—9,100,000.

• Heart failure (HF)—5,300,000.

• Stroke—5,800,000.

• Congenital cardiovascular defects—650,000– 1,300,000.

• The following prevalence estimates are for people age 18 and older from NCHS/NHIS, 2005:

(Vital Health Stat 10.2006[232]:1–153)

– Among whites only, 12.0 percent have heart disease, 6.6 percent have CHD, 21.0 percent

have hypertension and 2.3 percent have had a stroke.

– Among blacks, 10.2 percent have heart disease, 6.2 percent have CHD, 31.2 percent have

hypertension and 3.4 percent have had a stroke.

– Among Hispanics or Latinos, 8.3 percent have heart disease, 5.9 percent have CHD, 20.3

percent have hypertension and 2.2 percent have had a stroke.

– Among Asians, 6.7 percent have heart disease, 3.8 percent have CHD, 19.4 percent have

hypertension and 2.0 percent have had a stroke.

– Among Native Hawaiians or other Pacific

Islanders, 22.4 percent have hypertension (other prevalence estimates considered unreliable).

– Among American Indians or Alaska Natives, 13.0 percent have heart disease, 2.5 percent have

CHD, 25.5 percent have hypertension and 5.8 percent have had a stroke (estimate for HD may

be unreliable).

Incidence

• Based on the NHLBI’s (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Framingham Heart Study (FHS) (1980–2003)… (Hurst W. The Heart, Arteries and Veins.10th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2002)

– The average annual rates of first major cardiovascular events rise from three per 1,000 men at ages 35–44 to 74 per 1,000 at ages 85–94. For women, comparable rates occur 10 years later in life. The gap narrows with advancing age.

– Before age 75, a higher proportion of CVD events due to CHD occur in men than in women, and a higher proportion of events due to stoke occur in women than in men.

• Data from the FHS (Framingham Heart Study) indicate that the lifetime risk for CVD is two in three for men and more than one in two for women at age 40.

(Personal communication, Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill.)

Mortality

• Final mortality data show that CVD (I00–I99, Q20–Q28) as the underlying cause of death

(including congenital cardiovascular defects) accounted for 36.3 percent (869,724) of all

2,397,615 deaths in 2004, or one of every 2.8 deaths in the United States. CVD total mention deaths (1,357,000 deaths in 2004) accounted for about 57 percent of all deaths in 2004.

(NCHS, National Center for Health Statistics Compressed mortality file: underlying cause of death,1979 to 2004; http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortSQL.html)

• In every year since 1900, except 1918, CVD accounted for more deaths than any other single cause or group of causes of death in the United States.

• Nearly 2,400 Americans die of CVD each day, an average of one death every 37 seconds.CVD claims about as many lives each year as cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents and diabetes mellitus combined.

• The 2004 overall death rate from CVD (I00–I99) was 288.0. The rates were 335.1 for white males and 454.0 for black males; 238.0 for white females and 333.6 for black females. From 1994–2004, death rates from CVD (ICD/10 I00– I99) declined 24.7 percent. In the same 10-year period, actual CVD deaths declined 8 percent.

• Other causes of death in 2004 (based on final mortality figures)—cancer, 553,888; accidents, 112,012; Alzheimer’s disease, 65,965; HIV (AIDS), 13,063

• Final 2004 CVD death rates were 341.7 for males and 245.3 for females. Cancer (malignant neoplasms) death rates were 227.7 for males and 157.4 for females. Breast cancer claimed the lives of 40,954 females in 2004; lung cancer claimed 68,461. Death rates for females were 24.4 for breast cancer and 41.6 for lung cancer.

One in 30 female deaths is from breast cancer, while one in six is from CHD. By comparison, one in 4.6 women die of cancer while one in 2.6 die of CVD. Based on 2004 mortality, CVD caused about a death a minute among females —more than 460,000 female lives in 2004. That’s more female lives than were claimed by cancer,

chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, accidents and diabetes combined.

• More than 148,000 Americans killed by CVD (I00–I99) in 2004 were under age 65. In 2004, 32 percent of deaths from CVD occurred prematurely (i.e., before age 75, which is well below the average life expectancy of 77.9 years).

• According to the NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics), if all forms of major CVD were eliminated, life expectancy would rise by almost seven years. If all forms of cancer were eliminated, the gain would be three years. (U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989–91, Volume 1, No.4. Eliminating Certain Causes of Death, 1989–91. NCHS,September 1999.)

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2008 Update, American Heart Association

Healthy Hot Breakfast Recipe Tips

2009-02-17T16:45:00.002+01:00

Variety in diet is said to be the essence of successful dieting. Because of the monotonous repetition of meals which ultimately becomes unpalatable, most of our diet are unsuccessful. But there are diverse variety of meals available to suit every taste and lifestyle no matter how hectic and tight our schedules may be. These low-carb diet breakfast recipes can easily be incorporated into the mos hectic of lifestyle.

Recipe 1

Basil tomatoes with smoked trout

Serve For 2

4 medium tomatoes

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Few drops of vinegar

Few drops of extra-virgin olive oil

2 small smoked trout

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Chop the tomatoes into halve and top with chopped fresh basil.

Drizzle the vinegar and the extra-virgin olive oil over the tomatoes, and place on a grill-tray.

Grill under a hot grill for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the smoke trout in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or place in an oven-safe dish covered with pierced aluminum foil and cook at 180^oC for 10 to 12 minutes.

Flake the smoked trout and serve with the grilled basil tomatoes.

Season to taste with the freshly ground black pepper.

Carbohydrate content per serving for this meal is 4 grams

Recipe 2.

Chestnut mushroom with scrambled eggs

Serve For 2

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 large chestnut mushroom ( wiped and stalks removed)

2 spring onions diagonal chopped

2 large eggs

1 tbsp mustard

1 tbsp chopped chives

Ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in frying pan and gently sauté the mustard and the spring onions.

Spread the mixture over the mushroom and grill under a hot grill for about 5 minutes.

At the same time, prepare the scrambled egg

Place a mushroom in the centre of each plate and top with scrambled eggs.

Garnish with chopped chives and season with the freshly ground black pepper for taste.

Carbohydrate content per serving for this meal is 3 grams

Recipe 3.

Egg Florentine

Serve For 2

60 grams unsalted butter

400 grams fresh spinach leaves (rinsed, drained and stalks removed)

4 large eggs

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (grated)

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then gently sauté the spinach and basil leave over a low heat for 1-2 minutes until softened. Not too long, or it will disappear.

Transfer the spinach mixture to a shallow, oven-safe dish and smooth evenly over the base.

Form four hollow shape in the spinach

Break an egg into the centre of each hollow.

Sprinkle ½ tbsp of Parmesan cheese over each egg, season with freshly ground black pepper and cook in the centre of a preheat oven at 180^oC for 12-15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Carbohydrate content per serving for this meal is 6 grams

These recipes can be satisfactorily serve with a typical fruit, vegetable juice or both by choice.

These hot breakfast recipes will definitely serve to cut down on morning fast food meals. So Enjoy!

Eating for a Healthy Heart – part 2

2009-02-03T15:34:00.003+01:00

Eating healthy does not mean giving up everything you enjoy. Changing the sort of food that you have eaten all life may not be easy, but it is important in reducing the risk of developing heart diseases. In continuation of eating for a healthy heart 1, this is the highlight on the remaining groups of foods so that you can know how to include all in your daily healthy balanced meals.

Group 3 - Fats and oil: There are two types of fats and oil, saturated and the unsaturated fats. They all contain the same amount of calories and are composed of fatty acids. At room temperature saturated fats are solid while unsaturated fats tend to be liquid. Example are:

Meat fat - (beef, pork, lard. Mutton, dripping).

Dairy fat - (cheese, butter, cream)

Plant fat - (palm oil, coconut oil)

Processed fat - (cakes, biscuits. Pies, snacks, margarine)

Saturated fats increase blood cholesterol and LDL-C levels rise is linked with risks of heart diseases. So it os highly required that you reduce your intake of saturated fatty acids.

Unsaturated fats are found mainly in vegetable. It is sub-divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. The monounsaturated fat is oleic acid, the main constituent of olive oil. This oleic acid is known to protect the heart by reducing the artery clogging LDL-C and then makes the blood platelets less sticky and less likely to form blood clots. Other major source of monounsaturated fats are canola oil, nuts, and peanut oil. Research showed that eating nuts can significantly lower the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood.

The polyunsaturated fats have two families, the Omega-6 and Omega-3. Omega-6 fatty acids are found mainly in vegetable source such as sunflower, sesame seeds, corn, safflower margarine and soy oil. While Omega-3 are found in oily fish such as trout, salmon, sardine, mullet, tuna, anchovies, herring, mackerel, also in green leafy vegetable,canola, soya , rapeseed and walnut oil. It is advised to consume more of Omega-3 because fish oil is a very rich source of eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and decosahexanoic acid (DHA) which helps maintain a healthy heart. They have shown to:

Reduce blood pressure

Reduce thrombosis (blood clot) by thinning the blood

Reduce blood triglyceride levels.

So as you enjoy fish in your meals, try to include one portion of oily fish.

Group 4 - Proteins: are made up of amino acids and is required for the repair and maintenance of all body tissues, in fact it’s called the building block of life. The major dietary sources of protein are all type of fish, meat, eggs, milk, cheese, beans, peas, lentil, nuts, and cereal grains. Different food contain different type of protein, so it is important to eat a variety of protein source to ensure you are getting enough from each.

Group 5 – Vitamin and minerals: these are essential part of your diet. They are the anti-oxidant that your body need to fight off diseases. We have the fat soluble vitamins

(vitamins. A, D, E,& K) while the water-soluble vitamins are all the eight B vitamins, vitamin C and folic acid. The main anti-oxidant are vitamin C, vitamin A in form of beta-carotene, and vitamin E. This helps the heart by reducing the oxidation of LDL-C, thereby reducing the build up of fatty deposits in the arterial walls. Sources are all kinds of fruits, vegetables, corn, olive and vegetable oils,cottonseed, apricots, sweet potatoes. Most often folic acid and the B vitamins are readily available from our balanced diet. The good source includes leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, cereals, rice, milk, eggs, fish, citrus fruits, potatoes, berries.

Finally drinking enough water helps to flush out the unwanted materials in the body. By making good choices in your meal and eating well, you can reduce the risk of developing heart diseases. Enjoy! you deserve the good health .

To learn more about eating for a healthy heart Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Eating for a Healthy Heart – part 1

2009-01-31T10:42:00.002+01:00

The key to healthy and enjoyable meal is having a basic understanding of nutrition.The knowledge of food gives you control and allow you to make good choices about how you eat, as opposed to what the food manufacturers would like you to eat.
The availability of wide variety of foods now in the market, has given us a good range of choices than before. The question is are you making the best of it?
The science of nutrition has grown progressively over the last two decades and now provides us with a firm foundation on how to make recommendations for a healthy eating.
It is now very clear to us that a poor nutrition will increase the risk of heart and other various diseases, while good nutrition can substantially reduce these risks.

Because different food contain many different types of nutrient in various proportions, no single food can provide you with all the nutrient you need for a balanced diet. This why variety in your diet is very important because it allows you to obtain different nutrient from a wide range of sources. This can be best achieved by choosing food from these five main food groups daily.

Group 1 - Carbohydrates: Is a dietary source of glucose that is very important to our body and they come in two main forms – simple and complex sugar.
The simple sugar are the simplest form of carbohydrate and comes as one or two molecule combination, i.e.:
Monosaccharides (one molecule sugar) - glucose, galactose and fructose.
Disaccharides (two molecule sugar) - lactose, maltose and sucrose.
Glucose , the one we call blood sugar is found mainly in all fruits and vegetables. Fructose been the sweetest known natural sugar, is found in honey and some sweet fruits.
The diasaccharides which are monosaccharides linked together always contain at least one molecule of glucose. Lactose which is made up of glucose and galactose is mainly found in milk sugar. Maltose is found in malted milk drinks and it’s made up of two glucose molecules. While sucrose, our familiar white packet sugar is made up of glucose and fructose.
Simple sugar stimulates the release of insulin and, since insulin is related to hunger, you’ll tend to feel hungry again in less time than with a complex sugar
Although the consumption of white sugar may have fallen dramatically in the U.S. and U.K, still other source of sugar such as candies, chocolates and confectioneries continues to make a large contribution to our daily diet. In fact, it's quite difficult to find any processed food that doesn’t contain at least some amount of sugar.
The complex sugar, on the other hand, are made up of glucose but unlike the simple sugar, they do not dissolve in water and need cooking before it could be digested. Examples are flour, pastas, beans, bread and potatoes.
believe this, sugar is not as evil as we are meant to believe, in fact it is very essential for a balance diet and for a healthy meal, but caution and moderation is required.

Group 2 - Dietary fiber: or roughage is a form of carbohydrate. It forms the cell wall of plant foods. It is the part of our food that is not digested by our body. Fiber comes in two forms, the soluble and the insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber is are found in oatmeal, lentil, peas, beans, citrus fruits, apples, bananas and some vegetables. They dissolve in water and form gel in the stomach and helps lower level of blood cholesterol, especially the bad cholesterol.
The insoluble fiber helps to promoted soft bulky stool. You get this type of dietary fiber from whole grain meal, nuts, breakfast cereals, bran products and brown rice. Eat more of wholemeal bread which contains twice as much fiber as which bread.

Generally increase your consumption of fiber, particularly soluble fiber. And if you must drink alcoholic beverage, consume in moderation. Lower or if necessary avoid foods high in cholesterol e.g eggs, liver, kidney,red meat. Choose complex sugar over simple sugar. Reduce salt intake because salt is linked to development of blood pressure and drink plenty of water. Eat to live and live to eat. Enjoy!

To learn more about eating for a healthy heart Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Contributing Risk Factors to Heart Disease

2009-01-24T18:30:00.003+01:00

We all must know by now that heart disease is the number one cause of death for men and women in the United States and the U.K. if not the world over. The risk of suffering from heart disease can be lowered through healthy habits, diet and exercise. Realistically, we can achieve this with a proactive changes in our lifestyles.

- High alcohol consumption: When taken in moderation, it has no negative effect but high level of alcohol taken on a regular basis can poison the heart as well as other internal organ as the liver and the brain. Despite the claims by some producers that red wine was particularly good at preventing heart attack, scientific evidence suggests that any form of alcohol has the same effect.

- Stress: Simply put, stress is a series of biochemical and physiological reaction in the body due to some external threat or stimuli. We all experience some degree of stress from time to time. And while there is still no direct evidence that stress can cause heart attack, individuals with other risk factors may be at a greater risk from stressful life.
The pressure to take on more than you can manage , to set unrealistic goals, has created the idea of the type A personality. This makes it difficult for relaxation and can double the risk of heart attack especially in individuals with existing heart problems like chest pain. To explain this better, a damaged or diseased heart can be unstable and the adrenaline surge produced by a stressful event could provoke a change in the normal rhythm of the heart. So BEWARE!

- Homocysteine: This is the amino acid produced in the body during metabolism. It’s simply the normal breakdown product of dietary protein. Raised level of homocysteine are associated with arteriosclerosis i.e. an arterial disease, by causing damage to the endothelial (internal tissue) lining of the arteries. It can also promote movement of bad cholesterol (LDL-C) particles into the arterial wall, thereby increasing the risk of plague formation and thrombosis. So know it today that raised level of homocysteine is associated with increase risk of heart disease especially coronary heart disease (CHD).
Homocysteine level are usually checked by vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid which breaks it down in the body. This means that when you lacks these vital vitamins, homocysteine levels rises along with the risk of heart diseases.

- Raised insulin level: High insulin level in the body have been found to cause direct damage to the fragile cells in the arterial lining. This makes them more susceptible to plague formation and thrombosis.

- Cocaine and Amphetamine: Cocaine can increase blood viscosity i.e. resistance to flow. This therefore promotes blood clot. It can also trigger the rise in blood level of a protein that helps blood to clot by causing platelets to stick together. When platelets sticks, they clot the arteries and we all know what that means. So a word is enough for the wise.
Amphetamine stimulates the release of neurotransmitters (a chemical that transmits message between different nerve sells and muscles) such as epinephrine,which increase blood pressure and raise blood sugar levels.

To learn more about contributory risks factors to heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Obesity and Heart Disease

2009-01-22T20:44:00.003+01:00

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, nearly 40 per cent of it’s population is obese. The number of obese children have tripled over the last 2 decades.
Despite the exhortations of different health experts to eat less and exercise more, millions of people in industrialized nations have been getting fatter. Latest figure show that more than half the adult population is overweight, and about one in five is obese. Basically speaking, this means that one out of three of you reading this, is technically overweight or obese.

Obesity is simply an excess of fat deposit in our body cells. When deposited as a high risk abdominal fat, they make the body resistant to the effect of insulin causing it’s level in the blood to rise. Raised insulin can lead to high blood pressure, raised blood lipids and increase in blood sugar level. And all this indicates greater risk of coronary heart disease.

Are you at risk?
There are several ways of knowing and measuring obesity- Body mass Index (BMI). This is commonly used to measure your weight relative to your height. That is by taking your weight in kilogram and dividing it by the square of your height in meters
i.e.:
BMI = Weight (kg)
Height (m)2

An individual weight is commonly classified this way:
Less than 25 - Healthy
25 – 30 - Overweight
Over 30 - Obese
So the greater the BMI, the higher the risk of developing heart disease. About 70% of heart disease cases in the United States are linked to excess body fat.

Why are we getting fatter?
That’s a one million question we have to ask ourselves. In our modern society, the wide availability of energy-dense food in large portion combine with the fact that we are less active in exercise has resulted in our getting fatter everyday. Moreover, a good deal of our meal has been based around fast foods like burger, pizza and chips instead of fruits and vegetables. Obesity thus can be regarded as a chronic energy imbalance, in which intake exceed expenditure and excess energy is stored as fat.

You may ask why some people put on wight easily while others can eat anything they want and never gain an ounce of weight. In this case, it can be genetically influence whereby obesity runs in the family. Children with obese parents have at least 60% chance of becoming obese compared with less than 20% in children of lean parents. Other factors may be social, psychological or can be a medical disorder and drugs.

You can choose any type of weight loss plan you like but make sure you create a sensible energy balance of around 500 -600 calories per day. Regular exercise is highly recommended to maintain this daily. The type of exercise is not important provided it stimulates the heart and body circulation sufficiently. Any activity like jogging, walking, running, dancing, swimming, aerobics, cycling or gym work out will definitely help put off CHD at any rate.
So, it’s clear that physically active people have only half the risk of heart attack compared to sedentary ones.
Not only will physical exercise lower your risk of coronary heart disease, it will also give you a stronger and well conditioned heart.

To learn more about obesity and heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Diabetes – A high risk for Coronary Disease

2009-01-19T11:50:00.003+01:00

It is alarming to know that every year diabetes mellitus kills more than 70,000 United States residents and about 20 million people in U. S. alone suffer from this disease. Five in hundred people in the U. K. are affected with diabetes.

In Canada about 6 per cent of it’s population are with diabetes mellitus which invariably accounts for about 20,000 deaths annually according to experts. In addition, diabetes is a contributory factor in heart diseases and other related health conditions.

Diabetes is caused by the body resistance to, or deficiency of the hormone "insulin" which helps in removal of excess sugar from the blood stream into the body cells so that it can be used as a source of energy.

If this hormone insulin is deficient or ineffective, blood sugar rises causing excessive urination, hunger and thirst. Apart from excess urine, additional symptoms may include weight loss, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, irritability, weakness and fatigue.

There are two main types of diabetes:

Type 1: Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or otherwise known as "juvenile onset" diabetes this type normally starts at childhood or early adulthood and has a very strong genetic components. This type is characterized by a complete lack of insulin as the name implies and must be treated with regular insulin injections.

This type 1 diabetes is also an autoimmune disease ( that is a condition whereby the body’s disease fighting immune system attacks it’s healthy tissues and cells). In this case the immune system attacks and destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Type 2: Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or "maturity onset" diabetes tens to develop in middle age or older individuals particularly those who are obese.

In this case the pancreas secrets enough insulin, but the body cells seem resistant to it’s effects making the body to release more insulin in the blood by trying to overcome the resistance.

Most cases of type 2 diabetes can be managed with a combination of diet, exercise and oral medication. Symptoms includes repeated infections or skin sore that heals slowly or not at all, numbness in the hand or feet, tiredness and nausea.

For women, it is particularly important because diabetes seems to affect the female hormone and as a result, many women with diabetes develop coronary heart disease. Diabetes may cause blockage of large blood vessels that can lead to severe cardiovascular problems.

Studies have shown that some environmental factors can trigger type 1 diabetes in people with genetic predisposition for the disease.

Researchers attributes type 2 diabetes to obesity. So every pound of excess weight you gain increases your chance by 5 per cent at least.

Treatment includes controlling the amount of glucose in your blood stream depending on the type of diabetes, physical exercise, controlled diet and medication makes it less common. Most importantly, check your blood sugar regularly and see your physician for a more qualified advise.

A couple of drugs like, Glucophage, Actos, Precose, Avandis and many others have been developed to help with type 2 diabetes. Consult your doctor for a detailed and proper form of treatment.

To learn more about diabetes and heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Blood pressure : Take a hint

2009-01-17T11:48:00.004+01:00

Do you know that in the United States and across the U.K, high blood pressure or otherwise known as HYPERTENSION is responsible for more heart attack than stroke.
Hypertension affects about 25% of people living in America today and one third are unaware of this condition until it’s fatal. This is significantly more common in Africa Americans of both sexes than in other racial group.

Hypertension or High blood pressure is a medical condition in which fatty deposits in the blood vessels block and increase the resistance of blood flow thereby causing an increase in blood pressure against vessel wall. The pressure stresses the vessels that supplies blood to the heart muscles. The heart works harder to pump blood that circulates to all parts of the body tissues. The more blood the heart pumps, the smaller the arteries, then the higher the blood pressure.

If this condition persists, damage to the vessels and the heart will likely increase to a high extent the risk of a heart failure. Unfortunately in most cases, high blood pressure show no symptoms at all. And for this reason, it will be sensible to have your blood pressure checked from time to time.
Blood pressure is usually measured in the upper arm with an instrument called SPHYGMOMANOMETER which you might have seen lying on your doctor’s desk. It consists of an inflatable cuff that is placed around your upper arm and a tube of mercury that measures the pressure. The readings is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and is written in two numbers with one number over the other, e.g. 120/80 mm Hg, both of which are important to your health.
The top number i.e. the 120 is called the Systolic blood pressure (SBP) which is the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats or contracts, while the lower number i.e. 80 is called the diastolic blood pressure (DBP), being the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting between beats.

An average normal blood pressure for adults according to scientific study is said to be around 139/89 mm Hg or below. A systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg is a borderline of stage 1 hypertension where as 150/100 mm Hg or higher is definitely high and it’s stage 2 hypertension. Of course blood pressure varies considerably throughout the day and night. During sleep, when our system is relatively inactive, blood pressure falls because of the low demand for oxygen. It begins to rise when our day begin with activities. But be reassured that the doctors know best when and how to read your blood pressure.
Since high blood pressure appears to accelerates the development of plagues in the arterial wall, damaging the arterial lining and places an additional strain on the heart’s capacity to pump blood, there’s much bigger chance of developing Angina (chest pain) or heart attack.

The kidney plays an important role in regulating blood pressure. It secrets the hormone called RENIN, which cause arteries to contract and raise blood pressure flow. The kidney also control the fluid volume of blood as they retain salt in the blood stream. This salt attracts water thereby increasing the volume of blood that passes through arteries, so also the pressure increases.
Hypertension may develop as a result of some other medical disorder such as kidney or liver diseases. A high diet in salt could also elevate blood pressure in some people. Hereditary , lack of exercise and alcoholism plays a big role in raising blood pressure too.

To learn more about blood pressure and heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Cholesterol and Heart Diseases - Exposed

2009-01-09T13:42:00.001+01:00

You must have heard of the term ‘blood lipids’? which is a medical name given to all the fatty substance in the blood, including cholesterol. Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all body's cells. It is produced by the body, and is important for the body to function properly. In fact, the body makes about 80%, the rest 20% comes from dietary sources. Without cholesterol, our bodies would be unable to function properly. About half of American adults have high level of cholesterol and about 1 in 5 has a high-risk zone level.

Cholesterol is particularly important in the formation of brain cells, nerve tissue, and the spinal cord. It help to produce bile that metabolize fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for coronary heart disease and stroke.

As we all know, fat deposits in the arterial wall is the major cause of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The deposits of fats in the arteries makes the wall narrower and so reduces blood flow to the heart muscles (myocardium). The arteries can become clogged and narrow, and blood flow reduced. If this plaque ruptures, a blood clot may form here or a piece may break off and travel in the bloodstream. If a blood clot blocks the blood flow to your heart, it causes a heart attack. If a blood clot blocks an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results. This whole process is more likely to happen to a person with a high level of bad blood cholesterol in the blood.

But Cholesterol is difficult to measure because the level in the blood includes several different types, and put simply, there are good and bad cholesterol in our body. There is enough evidence to show that the risk of Coronary heart disease rises as total cholesterol level increases.

First let’s get to know the different types of cholesterol to determine which one is actually a threat to our health. Blood cholesterol is referred to as total cholesterol (TC) and there are two types:

High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) often called the good cholesterol helps to protect against heart diseases. This type of cholesterol transfers the fatty deposits away from the arteries and they are usually low in hyperinsulinism which is dangerous to the heart.

Low-density Lipoproein Cholesterol (LDL-C) is a bad form of cholesterol which deposits blood fats in the arteries and therefore are associated with increase risk of heart attack. Triglycerides are another common type of fat in the body. They’re a good energy source that our body also makes mostly. High levels of blood triglycerides are often found in people who are overweight, have high cholesterol levels, heart problems,and diabetes.

So, we no know that a measure of cholesterol by itself does not count since if the cholesterol level is high, it may be due to high HDL-C (good one) or high LDL-C (bad one). So a breakdown of the type of cholesterol have to be measured.

There is enough evidence to show that the risk of heart disease rises as total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C levels increases. And because HDL-C is the good cholesterol, it is expected that high level of it will help lower the risk of coronary heart disease. So high level of HDL-C appears to neutralize the potential adverse effect of raised total cholesterol level in our blood.

Blood cholesterol level are measured by blood test and the ideal total is less than 5.0mmol/L. for instance, in the Framingham Heart study, people with a total cholesterol level of about 6.5mmol/L had a heart attack risk two or three times higher than people with level less than 5mmol/L.

Your genetic make up is partly responsible for determining your blood cholesterol level. Some families carry genes for raised level of various kind of blood fats. But in all, diet plays the most important role in determining cholesterol levels in the body.

Animal and dairy fats like beef, pork, eggs, cheese, some vegetable oil raises blood cholesterol, do the first step of preventing heart diseases significantly in both men and women is to reduce the amount of saturated or animal fats contents in meals. But rather, replace animal and dairy fats with vegetable fats which are low-saturated and may lower
blood cholesterol. Eat more of fruits,wholegrain meal, and fresh vegetables. Do physical activities at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week.

Many people who have angina or a heart attack have high lipid level which are partly as a result of diet and partly genetic. By good and careful dieting plan, you can reduce blood cholesterol levels by 10-20%. For greater lowering of cholesterol, drugs are usually necessary. Drugs like Statins, Resins and Fibrates are very useful. See your doctor for effective treatment plan.

To learn more about cholesterol and heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Smoking and Heart Diseases

2008-12-19T02:39:00.001+01:00

Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of Coronary Heart Disease. It's the inhalation and exhalation of fumes of burning tobacco chemicals through the lungs to our blood stream. As our body absorbs these chemicals, it circulates throughout our body, affecting every cell and tissue. Smoking might be addictive, but is it worth it after all?

These chemical known as Nicotine causes the blood cell called platelets to become stickier, thereby increasing the chances of blood clot or thrombosis formation in the blood vessels. About 50 million people in the United States smoke an estimated 450 billion cigarette each year. Whoa! what a number.

The amount of cigarette smoked is reflected in the risk. The more you smoke, the greater the risk of angina (chest pain) or heart attack. For women that smoke about 30 or more cigarette per day, it’s a six-fold increase in risk for heart disease. About half a million people in the United States die each year from illness caused by cigarette smoking. Alarming isn't it.

Nicotine as we know causes arteries to constrict, lowering skin temperature and reducing blood flow to the lower part of the body thereby forcing the heart to pump more blood through the body.
Nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco team together to damage the lining of the arteries and other blood vessels, making platelets stickier. So for this reason, one third of smoking related deaths are caused by CHD.

Studies have shown that cigarette smoking are addictive because of the nicotine in them. Also an unknown substance in tobacco appears to destroy an important brain enzyme called monoamine oxidase B responsible for breaking down excess amount of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers pressure-seeking behavior like smoking and drinking.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), smokers who quit smoking before the age of 50 reduce their risk of life threatening diseases like CHD by half. Nevertheless, quitting is always difficult as the crave of the effect of nicotine is unbearable.
But there are many books and products that helps, support groups are also available in your local areas. There are number of nicotine replacement products like nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine nasal spray, nicotine inhaler, anti-depressant and many more in the pharmaceutical stores.

To learn more about smoking and heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Risk factors in Coronary Heart Disease

2008-12-19T02:09:00.001+01:00

There seem not to be one single cause of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), but medical research have, however, shown that a whole range of things can make you more likely to develop Coronary Heart Disease.
Just like a very high speeding car is more likely to hit and crash into another car than a slower speeding car. So a person with one or more risk factors will be more likely to develop heart disease than someone without any. Though not every very high speeding car crash and not every with Coronary Heart Disease risk factors gets a heart attack, but the chances are undeniably greater.

These risk factors are divided into two groups: the non-modifiable and the modifiable factors.

The non-modifiable risk factors: are as the name implies, are those risk that we cannot do anything about. They can’t be altered by our lifestyle changes or medical treatments. And they include:

Age and gender: Coronary heart disease becomes more common with older age and it is the strongest predictor of coronary deaths in women. Two third of women who die from heart diseases are ages between 55 – 65 years old. Below the age of 65, it is much more common disease among men then women. This is because after menopause (a period when women menstruating).

Coronary Heart Disease becomes more common among women. It does seem likely that age different among men and women with CHD is related to estrogen hormone that disappear once menstruation stops, this hormone has a way of regulating and maintaining the effects of the Coronary Heart Disease in women. But test carried on women who are undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have shown some evidence that this can protect against heart diseases. Many doctors are recommending HRT for this reason as well as, of course for other reasons.

Family history or Genetic factor: as with age and gender, we don’t choose our parents so we’re stuck with our genetic history. If your father or mother had a heart attack below the age of 65, this may increase your own risk significantly, but getting it from a second or third degree relative is less likely. The reason being that the gene we inherit from our parents may make us more liable to have high cholesterol or less insulin production in our body.
It is advisable to have a medical check up from time to time with your doctor in order to reduce or treat the risk on time.

The modifiable risk factors: are the ones that can be influenced by changes in our various lifestyles such as diet, physical exercise and medical treatment. The major risk factors include smoking, raised blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of exercise. While the contributory risk factors are obesity, stress, alcoholism, raises insulin level, fibrinogen, homocysteine and some others.

The risk of you developing Coronary Heart Disease becomes greater the more risk factor you have. Some risk however has much greater effect on your chances of developing Coronary Heart Disease, for instance a smoker with high blood pressure and a raised cholesterol level has a much higher risk than a non-smoker who has these factors.

In general, Coronary Heart Disease is a disease of the affluence, it’s rare in the tropics and developing countries but common in North America, northern Europe and Australia and it’s more related to lifestyle.

To learn more about risk factors in coronary heart disease Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Coronary heart Disease - What you should know

2008-12-16T11:26:00.002+01:00

Do you know that CORONARY HEART DISEASE is the most common type of heart disease in developed and industrialized countries? Have you heard that CHD is responsible for over half a million death in the United States and more than 150,000 death in the U.K. alone yearly? What is this Coronary Heart Disease all about anyway? Let’s get to know CHD and what causes it.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is simply the disease of the coronary artery, a situation whereby the artery that supply blood to the heart is clogged or blocked, reducing blood flow to the heart muscles which need oxygen from the blood supply and this could lead to a complete artery blockage . When this happens in the heart, the result is heart attack medically known as myocardial infarction. The same process in blood vessels supplying the brain results in a stroke.
Coronary Heart Disease is caused mainly by:
-formation of plagues (fatty deposits) in the lining of the and,
-rupture of this plagues and a subsequent development of a blood clot known as thrombosis in the artery.
These plagues narrow the arteries so that less blood flows through them thereby depriving the heart muscles of the much needed oxygen. If blood supply is not restored, there will be a permanent damage to the heart.

Because of our western lifestyle especially in dieting, the health of arteries gradually deteriorates as we grow older. Fats and cholesterol is the major cloggier of the arteries. The fatty deposits (plagues) in the artery are medically called atheroma and the whole process is known as atherosclerosis.
The more the fatty deposits (plagues), the greater the risk of heart attacks. Women should beware because a woman's heart is smaller and has narrower coronary arteries than a man's, so it takes less plague to block them.
Plague rupture and thrombosis leads to a complete blockage of an artery. When these plagues break, it releases a complex chemical which triggers a lot of events leading to thrombosis.

The most common symptom of CHD is Angina Pectoris (chest pain). Angina occurs as a result of restriction of blood flow to the heart due to plague formation in the coronary arteries. The pain is described as a crushing or gripping pain across the chest which may also radiate into the teeth or throat and followed by sweating and breathlessness.
The pain arises from the muscle fiber of the heart that has insufficient supply of oxygen. The harder the heart muscles works, the more the oxygen will be required and the greater the imbalance between the oxygen supply and demand. This is why Angina is typically triggered by physical activities. It can also occur after stress and anxiety.

Heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when the degree of narrowing of the coronary is high or if there has been a blood clot (thrombosis) which blocks the arteries. It is important to know that heart attack can occur anytime, anywhere without warning. These are the warning symptoms of heart attack.

- Chest discomfort
- sweating
- Dizziness or nausea
- Fatigue, palpitation
- Fainting, breathlessness. Not all these symptoms occur in every attack

CHD and stroke are two most common form of cardiovascular disease. They account for about 75% of all the deaths relating to heart diseases.

To learn more about Coronary heart diseases Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!

Understanding the Uniquenss of the Human heart

2008-12-11T23:47:00.006+01:00

What is this astonishing organ called the heart. This organ which is the most vital part of our being, without it our body will not function, what actually makes this organ so important and special that when mentioned in poetry, it warms us, but by mere mention of it by our doctors, alas! we’re alarmed.
So let's see what makes this organ the HEART of our being.
The heart in anatomy is a hollow muscular organ in the middle of our chest just to the left of the center that pumps through the body.
It's comprised of four chambers, the right and atrium (auricle), the upper part and the right and left ventricle, the lower part. It's weight around 10oz and beat on average of 50 -70 times per minute, 100,000 per day and a roughly 40 million times per year. At average lifetime of about 76years, it will beat for at least 3 billion times. It pumps around 500 gallons of blood everyday.
The heart is our body system power house because every organ and tissues in the body needs a continuous supply of blood to function normally, especially the circulatory system, the brain and even the heart itself. If the heart does not pump blood for a few minutes, death will be the result.
The heart is made primarily of muscle tissues that rhythmically contracts to pump blood to all parts of the body. This start from when you are born to entire lifetime.
The upper part, i.e. the atria or auricle acts as a collecting reservoir while the lower part, the ventricle contract to pump the blood on. The right side of the heart receives blood throughthe veins coming from all over the body and pump the oxygen-poor blood that it has received to the lungs so that it can pick up oxygen from the air we breath in, while the left side then collect the oxygen-rich blood coming from the lung and pumps it to all the tissues and organs in need of oxygen.
There are four valves that prevents blood from flowing back to the heart. They are the pulmonary, aortic, mitral and the triscupic valves.
The heart muscle medically known as myocardium requires a very good supply of oxygen in order to be able to pump blood different organs and tissues of the body. And this blood supply is provided by the coronary arteries and their branches
The heart is surrounded by a tough, double-layered sac known as the pericardium which has an inner layer called the epicardium. The outer layer of the epicardium helps to hold the heart in place and between these two layers is a tiny space filled with fluid which prevent them from rubbing against each other when the heart contracts.
The coronary arteries come off the aorta (the largest blood vessel in the body). The right coronary artery is usually smaller and supplies the down side of the heart while the left artery has two main branches called the Circumflex and the anterior descending. These coronary arteries are so special that blood can flow through them into the heart muscles between heart beat i.e. as it relaxes.
The Heartbeat: the right and left halve of the heart contracts in unison to produce a single heartbeat. The two phase of heartbeat are called the systole where the heart chambers contract to move blood and the diastole where the heart chambers are relaxing between a beat. Because of these two phases, the heart is able to pump much blood with each beat.

To learn more about coronary heart disease Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit http://www.americanheart.org

Knowledge is power, so Learn and Live!