Facts about Heart Disease

There are many types of heart disease. The term, heart disease covers things like coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, congenital heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, angina and coronary thrombosis. These are some general facts about heart disease.

Important Facts about Heart Disease

One of the most alarming facts about heart disease is the prevalence of the disease. For example, in the United States, it is estimated that there are 50 million people with hypertension, there are 12 million people afflicted with coronary heart disease, 7 million angina patients, 4.4 million who suffer from strokes and over a million with congenital cardiovascular defects.

Every 29 seconds, an American will suffer from a medical emergency relating to heart disease. Half of all heart attack victims received help after two hours. Around 250,000 people die of heart attacks each year, unable to reach a hospital in time, and cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of both sexes.

The important facts about heart disease pertain to the causes. The major cause of heart disease is due to the thickening of the inner walls of the coronary arteries called atherosclerosis. The arteries are layered with hardened cholesterol and the flow of blood is restricted, starving major organs including the heart of oxygen.

The other major causes of heart disease are hypertension, high cholesterol level and obesity. The lack of exercise also increases the likelihood of developing heart disease.

Knowing the facts about heart disease is important in order to prevent heart disease from developing in the first place. Although there is currently no positive prevention, by maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle you can minimize the risk of developing heart disease. A strong and healthy body will also be better placed to fight against heart disease if it does develop as well as other disease.

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