11 Risk Factors For Heart Disease
Overview
Heart disease is sometimes known as coronary heart disease (CHD). Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in many countries. Coronary heart disease is highly predictable, preventable and treatable. In India the beginning of cardiovascular disease is at an early age; it is more severe and the progression is rapid and aggressive. The incidence of cardiovascular disease is 47 per cent in developing countries, as against 27 per cent in developed countries among people below 70 years.
Learning about the causes and risk factors of the disease may help you avoid heart problems.
Cause
plaque (atheroma) is a sticky film made up of fatty molecules, cholesterol and minerals. Plaque usually develops slowly and insidiously over many years beginning from childhood. There may be progress from a fatty streak to a fibrous plaque and then to a complicated plaque that is likely to lead to clinical effects.
This plaque get accumulated in inner lining of an damaged artery which may be due to elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, triglyceride etc.
Heart disease occurs when sticky plaque develops in the damaged arteries and blood vessels that lead to the heart. This blocks important nutrients and oxygen from reaching your heart.
Risk factors
Following are the risk factors associated with heart disease.
1. Obesity
Obesity is associated with several other heart disease risk factors, such as hypertension, sedentary life style, glucose intolerance and low HDL cholesterol. Obese person require more blood to supply oxygen and other nutrients to their body, which causes increases in blood pressure and blood pressure is also a common cause of heart attack.
2. Saturated fat & Cholesterol
Elevated low- density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) have strong relationship with heart disease. High intake of saturated fatty acid increases plasma cholesterol and so promote formation of plaque. Saturated fats reduce the formation of LDL receptor or VLDL receptors. Animal fat like egg yolk, butter, meat fat have not only high amount of saturated fat, but also contains high amount of cholesterol.
3. Alcohol
Individuals who consume moderate amounts of alcohol (1-3 drinks per day) have 40-50 per cent lower rate of coronary heart disease than those who abstain. Although people are not advised to begin consuming alcohol to prevent heart disease due to associated risks. At the time of drinking alcohol there would be temporary increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In long term drinking more can lead to on-going increased heart rate, high blood pressure, weakened heart muscle and irregular heartbeat.
4. Smoking
Smoking enhance endothelial (cell of blood vessels) damage, increase heart rate and blood pressure, lowers HDL cholesterol, increases LDL, contracts blood vessels and promote thrombus (blood clots) formation. There is reduction of cardiovascular risk of those who quit smoking after a myocardial infraction (heart attack) compared with those who continue to smoke.
5. Hypertension
Hypertension is an independent risk factor for both heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure leads damage to cells of blood vessels and heart. In addition hypertension is often associated with other risk factors, such as obesity, blood lipid abnormalities, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Reducing blood pressure has been undoubtedly shown to lower the incidence of stroke, CHD and heart failure.
6. Diabetes mellitus
Patients with diabetes mellitus have at least a three times greater risk of CHD than does the general population. People with diabetes have metabolic alterations like insulin resistance, blood lipid abnormalities, hypertension and Central obesity. Diabetes eliminates the protection against CHD afforded by female gender.
7. Menopause
Menopause is associated with potentially proatherogenic (promote the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries) changes in the blood lipid profile. LDL cholesterol increases by approximately 20-30 per cent whereas HDL cholesterol decline by approximately 10 per cent.
8. Age
The incidence of the diseases increases with age having peak at middle age around 50 to 55 years. Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels. For example, as you get older, your heart can not beat as fast during physical activities or times of stress as it did when you were younger. However, heart rate (the number of heartbeats per minute) at rest does not change significantly with normal aging.
9. Psychological factor
Depression, hostility and social isolation have been associated with CHD incidence. Poor relationships might literally hurt the heart. When you experience depression, anxiety or stress your heart rate and blood pressure rise, there’s reduced blood flow to the heart and your body produces higher levels of stress hormones and Too much stress, consistently feeling sad, or both may affect your heart health.
10. Sex
Heart disease condition is twice as high in men as in women. After menopause the incidence is increased in women, by the age of 70 there is no difference between the sexes. Relative immunity of women during their reproductive life is due to secretion of ovarian hormones. If ovaries are removed after the age of 35 there would be a rise in cholesterol level. There is increased risk of CHD with oral contraceptive. The incidence of the disease among males and females is in proportion of 9 : 1 .
11. Family history
In some families there is early onset of cardiovascular disease. Some families are likely for hyperlipidemia (an excess of lipids or fats in your blood). There are 30 genes involved in the disease process with many variants. The gene for apolipoprotein E, a fatty protein molecules that helps remove cholesterol from blood has three variations. It appears that people with one form of gene are more prone to fatty streak and plaque than people with the other two.
If there is history of heart attack before 55 in father and before 65 in mother, the offspring are likely to get a heart attack at an earlier age.
Prevention
(a) Exercise regularly.
(b) Avoid smoking.
(c) Avoid alcohol consumption.
(d) Maintain a healthy diet.
(e) Reduce stress in your life.
(f) Maintain a healthy weight.
Living a healthy lifestyle is one of the most effective ways anyone can prevent heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Make preventing heart disease a priority, whether you’re in your 30s or 60s.