Facts About Heart Disease You Need to Know

Heart diseases or cardiovascular diseases refer to conditions that involve the heart and blood vessels. They also include blood vessel disease, such as coronary artery disease, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), heart defects you're born with (congenital heart defects), heart valve disease, disease of the heart muscle, and heart infection.

Most heart diseases are connected to atherosclerosis, a condition caused by plaque buildup in the arterial walls. As a result, blood flow is slowed down, which may form blood clots and block blood flow, causing heart attack or stroke.

1. We only need 10 minutes of brisk exercise a day to reduce heart attack risk by nearly 50%. Thirty minutes cuts the risk by 75%

2. There is a 50% reduction in heart attack risk 1 year after a smoker quits the habit.

3. Spending more than 4 hours a day in front of a computer or television can double ones’s risk of a heart attack.

4. While genetics plays a role, one international study found that 90% of the risks associated with heart disease are within our control (blood pressure, physical activity, smoking, diet).

5. Best way to survive a heart attack is recognize the symptoms, call 911, and chew (not swallow) an aspirin while waiting.

6. Recognize the symptoms: Over 70% of women have flu-like symptoms and NO chest pain at all! Others can feel chest pressure, squeezing or tightening that can radiate down the left arm, jaw or between the shoulders. Many people have nausea, indigestion, lightheadedness, sweating, shortness of breath and exhaustion.

7. Stress is considered an underlying factor in 70% of heart disease. Research shows that 1 single episode of anger increases the risk of a heart attack by 230%.

8. According to the American Heart Association, 19% of men and 26% of women over age 45 die within 1 year of having their first heart attack.

9. Best time to get to the hospital after the onset of heart attack symptoms is 1 hour. The typical time is 3-4 hours. The more time it takes, the more heart muscle dies.

10. Cardiovascular disease starts in your teens and 20’s. Autopsy reports from Korean War vets and Vietnam vets showed people just 18-20 years old had extensive coronary heart disease. The fact that childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years clearly shows the urgency and seriousness of this growing health problem.

11. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world, with 17.9 million deaths per year. Moreover, 50% of people who have a heart attack have normal cholesterol.

Family medicine clinic

The family medicine doctors of Adam and Eve Specialized Medical Centre will help you manage or treat your heart disease. They can also detect early on if someone in your family has a heart disease. Consult our family medicine doctors today.