Hospitals
Worldwide hospital database, search by country or keyword.
Coronary Heart Disease
Main Entry: coronary artery disease
Function: noun
: A condition and especially one caused by atherosclerosis that reduces the blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle and typically results in chest pain or heart damage -- called also coronary disease, coronary heart disease
There are several risk factors associated with coronary heart disease. Some of them are uncontrollable:
Age: Persons who are over the age of 65 have a greater risk of developing the disease
Sex: Men have a greater chance of heart attack than women
Biological Characteristics: You can't control your family history, so people who have the disease in previous generations of their family are at higher risk
Race: Heart disease has been found to be for predominant among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This has found to be true due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes
There are some risks that you are able to avoid and control however. They include:
Consumption of Alcohol: Drinking can raise your blood pressure, cause heart failure, and sometimes stroke. Not to mention the other liver related diseases it can be associated with
Smoking: Those who smoke are 2-4 times more likely to develop heart disease. People with coronary heart disease and smoke are at a great risk of cardiac arrest
Blood Cholesterol: People who have high blood cholesterol have high risk of heart disease. Cholesterol levels can also be affected by age, sex, race, and heredity
High Blood Pressure: Having high blood pressure causes your heart to work harder, putting more strain on it. This causes your heart to thicken and become stiff. Blood pressure can also raise your risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and congestive heart failure
Lack of Exercise: Exercising not only reduces your risk of heart disease, but also the risks associated with blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as help lower blood pressure in some people
Obesity and Being Overweight: Excess weight creates excess work on your heart, especially if you are carrying extra weight around the waist. It can also raise blood pressure and blood cholesterol
Diabetes: Even if your glucose is under control, people with diabetes still have a much greater chance of dying from heart disease. It's very important for people who have diabetes to make sure that they are talking to their doctor to find the best ways to control their personal cases and eliminate other risk factors
When uncontrollable factors are mixed with any of the avoidable factors, the risk of
developing heart disease increases. Removing all possible risk factors you can will
greatly reduce your chances of heart disease.
