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Cardiovascular Disease
Brittney Iverson
HLTH 1020
3/8/17
While there are many diseases out there and many of them that run in my family, I
decided that I wanted to research Cardiovascular Disease. This disease is one that is very close to
my heart, (no pun intended), my grandma recently passed away from Cardiovascular Disease and
I wanted to learn as much as I could about it so that I could try and prevent ever getting this
awful disease myself and help share my knowledge with the rest of my family.
Cardiovascular Disease is defined as A general term that refers to any disease of the
heart and circulatory system. This disease is generally characterized by the deposition of fatty
material in the blood vessels (hardening of the arteries), which in turn can lead to organ damage
and death. Also termed coronary heart disease (CHD), as the vessels of the heart are the primary
sites of the disease. (Wardlaw, 9). Cardiovascular disease is caused by narrowed, blocked or
stiffened blood vessels that prevent your heart, brain or other parts of your body from receiving
Each year, about 600,000 people die of coronary heart disease in the United States.
About 715,000 people in the United States have a heart attack each year. Women generally lag
about 10 years behind men in developing the disease. Still, it eventually kills more women than
any other disease. The cost of coronary heart disease alone is $108.9 billion each year, which
includes the costs of health care services, medications, and lost productivity, (Wardlaw, 189).
The build up of plaque within artery walls is called atherosclerosis. The body sends white blood
cells called macrophages to the location of the plaque in an attempt to destroy it. The
macrophage surrounds the fatty deposit and produces lipid-loaded foam cells, seen here as a
Cardiovascular disease symptoms may be different for men and women. For instance,
men are more likely to have chest pain; women are more likely to have symptoms such as
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shortness of breath, nausea and extreme fatigue, you might not even be diagnosed with
Cardiovascular Disease until you have had a heart attack, (Mayo Clinic Staff).
Some symptoms you should be watching for are, chest pain (angina), shortness of breath,
pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms if the blood vessels in those parts of
your body are narrowed, pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen or back, lightheadness,
dizziness, fainting, racing or slow heartbeat, swelling in legs, abdomen, or around the eyes.
Common symptoms that are shown early and they are even shown in childhood and young adults
are, easily getting short of breath when exercising or doing an activity, easily getting tired when
exercising or doing an activity, or swelling in the hands, feet, and ankles, (Mayo Clinic Staff).
Risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease could include some of the following: Total
blood cholesterol over 200 milligrams per 100 milligrams risk is especially high when total
cholesterol is at or over 240 mg/dl and LDL-cholesterol readings are over 130 to 160 mg/dl;
Smoking is the main cause of about 20% of Cardiovascular Disease deaths and generally negates
the female advantage of later occurrence of the disease; Hypertension, systolic blood pressure
over 139 (milli-meters of mercury) and diastolic blood pressure over 89 indicate hypertension;
Diabetes virtually guarantees development of Cardiovascular Disease and so puts a person with
diabetes in the high-risk group; HDL-Cholesterol under 40 mg/dl; Age, men over 45 years and
women over 55 years; Family history of Cardiovascular Disease, especially before the age of 50;
Blood triglycerides 200 mg/dl or greater in the fasting state; Obesity, (especially fat
accumulation in the waist). Typical weight gain seen in adults is a chief contributor; and
Inactivity, exercise conditions the arteries to adapt to physical stress. Regular exercise also
If you are showing any signs or you are having symptoms of Cardiovascular Disease,
then you need to seek medical attention. Your doctor will want to run a lot of test on you to be
able to fully diagnose your health. Some of the test that your doctor might run could be: Blood
tests; X-ray of the chest; Electrocardiogram (ECG) which is where it records electrical signals
and can help your doctor detect irregularities in your hearts rhythm and structure, you might have
an ECG while resting and exercising; Holter monitoring, a Holter monitor is a portable device
you wear to record a continuous ECG, usually for 24 to 72 hours. Holter monitoring is used to
detect heart rhythm irregularities that aren't found during a regular ECG exam; Echocardiogram
is a noninvasive exam, which includes an ultrasound of your chest, shows detailed images of
your heart's structure and function; Cardiac catheterization, in this test, a short tube (sheath) is
inserted into a vein or artery in your leg (groin) or arm. A hollow, flexible and longer tube (guide
catheter) is then inserted into the sheath. Aided by X-ray images on a monitor, your doctor
threads the guide catheter through that artery until it reaches your heart. The pressures in your
heart chambers can be measured, and dye can be injected. The dye can be seen on an X-ray,
which helps your doctor see the blood flow through your heart, blood vessels and valves to check
for abnormalities; Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) Scan; and lastly Cardiac magnetic
Before doing any doing any test your doctor will need to do a physical exam as well and
they will need to ask you about your personal history and your family history. Your doctor may
just need to do a couple of those test or they may need to do all of them to determine if you have
Cardiovascular Disease. There are many complications that can arise from Cardiovascular
Disease this would include: Heart failure, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, peripheral artery
To help prevent Cardiovascular Disease from happening start by taking action. Live a
healthy lifestyle by eating a heart healthy diet. Diet plays a significant role in protecting or
predisposing people to heart disease. Diets high in animal fat, low in fresh vegetables and fruit,
and high in alcohol have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, (World Heart
Federation). Heart healthy diets would include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat free or low fat
dairy, protein rich foods, oils and foods containing high levels monosaturated and
polyunsaturated fats. Some other key factors are to maintain a healthy weight, be able to manage
stress. You should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity. You
should also avoid sitting for long periods of times because it can increase your risk for health
issues, (NHLBI).
Something else that you should avoid is smoking, if you dont smoke dont start and if
you do smoke then quit! Smoking can raise your risk factors for heart disease. You should also
even try and avoid second hand smoke because that will also play a factor into developing heart
disease, (NHLBI). Smoking damages the lining of blood vessels, increases fatty deposits in the
arteries, increases blood clotting, adversely affects blood lipid levels, and promotes coronary
artery spasm. Nicotine accelerates the heart rate and raises blood pressure, (World Heart
Federation).
However, just because you are physically active and eat a heart healthy diet, it doesnt
mean that you still wont get Cardiovascular Disease. There are still other factors that play a role
in developing Cardiovascular Disease. Some of these other factors could be age, gender, and
family history, (NHLBI). Age starts adding to the increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease when
men are 45 years or over, for women it could increase at 55 years or over.
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Many people assume that women are safe from heart disease because of estrogen but
thats not the case. It may help raise good HDL cholesterol, however, once a woman goes
through menopause they can just be as affected as men. The symptoms of a heart attack can be
quite different between men and women, The symptoms of heart attack in a man are intense
chest pain, pain in the left arm or jaw and difficulty breathing. A woman may have some of the
same symptoms, but her pain may be more diffuse, spreading to the shoulders, neck, arms,
abdomen and even her back. A woman may experience pain more like indigestion. The pain may
not be consistent. There may not be pain but unexplained anxiety, nausea, dizziness, palpitations
and cold sweat. A womans heart attack may have been preceded by unexplained fatigue. Women
also tend to have more severe first heart attacks that more frequently lead to death, compared to
Family history and genetics can play a significant role in Cardiovascular Disease. If
someone in your family had Cardiovascular Disease your chances for getting it the disease grow
higher, especially if you are not living a healthy lifestyle. Looking at how genetics were
discovered in Cardiovascular Disease and the link there is between this disease. Wardlaw
explains how there is a genetic link, The gene-diet interactions being discovered for
cardiovascular disease, particularly the cases of high blood lipid levels, will likely be the first to
lead to nutrition plans personalized to decrease cardiovascular disease risk. About one of every
500 people in North America has a defective gene that greatly delays cholesterol removal from
the bloodstream. Another genetic variation can cause abnormally high levels of an amino acid
called homocysteine, which increases cardiovascular disease risk. Diet changes can help these
people, but medications and even surgery are needed to address these problems, (Wardlaw,103-
104).
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Kathiresan explains how genetics were discovered for part of Cardiovascular Disease,
To discover genes for CVD and its risk factors in humans, two major approaches - linkage
analysis and genetic association - have been utilized. The choice of approach has depended on
the pattern of segregation, whether consistent with the ratios described by Mendel or more
complex. Some forms of CVD exhibit a simple pattern of inheritance suggestive of a single
causal gene that confers a large effect on phenotype. For many of these Mendelian forms of
CVD, direct DNA sequencing and/or linkage analysis has successfully yielded the causal gene
Treatment options for Cardiovascular Disease include making lifestyle changes, this
would be eating a healthy low fat and low sodium diet and getting at least 30 minutes of
moderate exercise a day. Quit smoking if you do smoke and limit your alcohol intake. If
changing your lifestyle isnt enough your doctor may want to prescribe you some different
medications to control your heart disease. The type of medication will depend on what kind of
heart disease you have. If the medications are not enough, your doctor will recommend that you
do a certain type of procedure or surgery. The type of procedure will vary on your condition,
Can you live with Cardiovascular Disease? Of course! About 5.7 million Americans are
living with heart failure today. In fact, its one of the most common reasons why people 65 and
older go into the hospital, (American Heart Association). To live with Cardiovascular Disease,
you need to completely change your lifestyle. It will be difficult at first but once you get rid of
the bad habits and replace them with healthy ones it will be easy.
Cardiovascular Disease8
such a common disease for people to develop from their family and their own lifestyles. You
need to watch what you eat and make sure you maintain a healthy lifestyle to decrease your
chances of developing the disease. By doing this you will greatly reduce the risk of developing
Works Cited
Answers by Heart Fact Sheets: Cardiovascular Conditions. The American Heart Association,
Kathiresan, Sekar, and Deepak Srivastava. "Genetics of Human Cardiovascular Disease." U.S.
National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Mar.
2017.
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Heart disease Symptoms." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical
NHLBI. "How Can Coronary Heart Disease Be Prevented or Delayed?" National Institutes of
Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 22 June 2016. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.
Wardlaw, Gordon M., Anne M. Smith, and Angela L. Collene. Contemporary Nutrition: A
Functional Approach. Fourth ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. Print.
World Heart Federation. "Frequently asked questions." Frequently asked questions | World Heart