Most are actually chronic and they can affect your heart function:
- Congenital heart defects
- Arrhythmias
- Coronary artery disease (CAD)
- Atherosclerosis
- Heart infections
- Cardiomyopathy
Have you heard of Broken Heart Syndrome? It is also a form of heart disease, but researchers are still not sure of its origin.
Heart disease kills more people each year than any other health problem. With about 1 death every 37 seconds, cardiovascular disease is the number one threat to your health. But the good news is that there is a lot you can do to prevent heart disease.
If you already have heart disease, you can also use medication, manage your lifestyle and more to help protect you and your heart.
The risk factors for Heart Disease
There are many risk factors that may lead to the development of heart disease. Some can be controlled, but others cannot.
Risk factors you can control
- Smoking,is a controllable risk factor. People who smoke double their chance of developing heart disease.
- Drinking alcohol,drinking too much alcohol can also damage your heart. Excessive drinking raises blood pressure, heart rate, and they can lead to hardening and thickening of the arteries.
- Sleep apnea,it causes difficulty in breathing during sleep, which reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood and leads to higher blood pressure. Together, these factors can weaken your heart function.
- Diabetes,people with diabetes may also have a higher risk of heart disease. If you have diabetes, managing your glucose can limit your chance of developing heart disease. If you have diabetes, managing your glucose can limit your chance of developing heart disease.
- Obesity,because your body needs more blood for oxygen and nutrients, obesity forces your heart to work harder, which can lead to high blood pressure. If you already have heart disease, obesity can make it worse. Obesity is also associated with heart failure and coronary heart disease.
Risk factors you can not control
Other risk factors for heart disease include
- Race,Non-Hispanics, Asians, or Pacific Islanders are at higher risk for heart disease.
- Family history. Heart disease runs in families.
- Age, the older you are, the more likely you are to develop heart disease. More than 80 percent of people who die from heart disease are over 65 years old.
- Gender, men are as likely to develop heart disease as men of the same age, but by age 65, women are as likely to develop heart disease as men of the same age.
While these risk factors cannot be controlled, you can monitor their impact.
What are the treatments for heart disease?
Treatment for heart disease depends greatly on the type of heart disease and how far it has progressed, but there is no complete cure. Treating heart disease can include medication, changes to your lifestyle, and even sometimes surgery. Each person’s treatment is based on a variety of factors, such as your age, overall health, and other chronic conditions you have (such as diabetes or kidney disease).