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[H221]Heart Attacks And Strokes

by Mayur Vibhakar, May

Your fitness level and what you eat plays a major role. Approximately 64 million Americans have cardiovascular disease, and here's the shocker; as many as 40 percent of those who suffer a heart attack have no symptoms.

A heart attack may occur due to heart disease but not always and although it is the leading cause of death it can be prevented. Women usually have fewer heart attacks than men but after menopause women catch up to men in the number of heart attacks experienced.

So, what are the factors that lead to heart disease?
The most commonly recognized risk factors are:

1Stress
2Smoking
3High levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
4Low levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
5High Blood-pressure.
6Obesity
7Diabetes
8Destructive form of amino acid called homocysteine
9Heredity

The heart is the most crucial organ to sustain life and to keep it ticking efficiently, our priority should be to prevent its deterioration. The simplest Mantra for prevention of heart disease is; eat well, exercise and adopt a healthy lifestyle. This has been said countless times before and the simple truth is that those who do follow through with the advice enjoy a much healthier and longer life.

NOTE: Always check with your physician first before changing or implementing any sort of a diet or exercise program especially if you're taking prescription or over the counter medicines.

Some factors to consider when adopting a healthier lifestyle include but not limited to: (also check with your physician)

1 Cut down on dietary fat and cholesterol

2 Check your blood pressure regularly

3 Don't smoke (fortunately there are a lot of resources available for those wanting to quit).

4 Learn to meditate, this will lessen stress.

5 Exercise - Being sedentary is one of the biggest risk factors for heart attacks.

6 Control your weight - If you're obese

7 Control your diabetes

Symptoms of a heart attack

NOTE: These symptoms may or may not indicate a heart attack. In any case medical help should be sought immediately because some heart attacks are the ?silent type?.

The American Heart Association lists them as:

-Uncomfortable pressure, fullness or squeezing and excruciating pain in the chest.
-Pain spreading to shoulder, neck, and arms. Specifically left sided neck and arm pain.
-Light headedness, fainting.
-Shortness of breath with little exertion.
-Profuse sweating.

The first hour is very critical. So, don't waste time thinking its gas or flatulence. Act immediately and call 911 don't waste time calling your doctor, he'll most likely ask you to call 911 anyway.

Heart disease can be easily prevented it's just a matter of implementing a healthier lifestyle.

At one time, little could be done for people with heart disorders, and for those who suffered from a heart attack. Today, improved medicines and new methods of treatment allow many cardiac (heart) patients to live normal or nearly normal lives. Also, new kinds of equipment and new methods of performing heart operations have saved the lives of many people for whom there was formerly no hope.

The arteries of older people may become hardened or narrowed. This may be serious if it happens in the coronary arteries, for the blood supply of the heart is cut down. Severe chest pain may result. A heart attack occurs if the heart muscle is deprived of its blood supply. The heart muscle may be permanently damaged and replaced with scar tissue. Most people who have heart attacks recover. They must rest for several weeks or more, but they can usually then lead normal lives.

A heart whose muscle has been badly damaged cannot do a good job of pumping the blood. This condition is called heart failure. With this condition, fluid collects in some parts of the body, such as the lungs and ankles.

Doctors have a large variety of medicines and other treatments for dealing with heart disorders. A drug named digitalis is given to strengthen weak heart muscles. Drugs called Diuretics help to rid the body of excess fluid by way of the kidneys.

Diet is usually an important part of the treatment of cardiac patients. The doctor may prescribe a diet that is low in salt content. This is because fluids tend to collect in the body in the presence of salt. The heart must work harder to pump the extra fluids. The doctor often advises a patient to lose weight. The heart of an overweight patient must work harder to pump blood to the extra, unneeded body tissue. A low-fat diet may be prescribed because of a possible connection between fats and hardening of the arteries. Patients are also advised not to smoke. Smoking is a cause of serious lung diseases, and it also appears to increase the risk of getting some kinds of heart disease.

The beating heart provides the pressure to move the blood along in the blood vessels. When the space within the smaller arteries is narrowed, as may happen in older people, the heard must push harder to make the blood move. This results in high blood pressure. Drugs are used that cause the arteries to relax and thus lower the blood pressure. Other drugs bring about a lowering of the pressure by their effect on the nerves that control the small arteries.

The rate of the heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses from the nervous system. These impulses set the pace for the heartbeat. Sometimes the impulses may cause an irregular beat or one that is too fast or too slow. Usually this is a temporary condition. If the problem is a serious one, an artificial pacemaker is set into the heart painlessly. The pacemaker is powered by a tiny battery that lasts for years. The life-saving pacemaker supplies electrical impulses to the heart, causing it to beat regularly and at a satisfactory rate.

Medical and surgical skill have saved or prolonged millions of lives. But some hearts are so badly damaged that they cannot be repaired. The first heart transplant was performed in December 1967, and we've come a long way since then. Take care of yourself. Your family loves you.

Article Source : Coronary

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Both Mayur Vibhakar & Cp are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Mayur Vibhakar has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Heart Conditions and Vitamin Guide. Website -