Heart Disease
Introduction
Background - Heart diseases describes a collection of disorders that target the cardiovascular system (Centers for disease control and prevention, 2017).
Impacts on the quality of life of the elderly population-high mortality and morbidity.
Overview
Heart disease- describes a collection of disorders that target the cardiovascular system. Heart disease is the parent cause of cardiovascular disorders such as heart attack and congestive heart failure (Centers for disease control and prevention, 2017).
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A major disorder that encompasses heart disease is atherosclerosis, which is majorly related to progressive narrowing of blood vessels that are responsible for gaseous exchange within the body system (Centers for disease control and prevention, 2017)..
The progressive narrowing of blood vessels results from the continuous buildup of plaques within the endothelial areas of the artery walls.
Incidences
The World health organization- has reported that heart disease contributes to more than 29 percent of the total annual deaths worldwide (CDC, 2017).
Heart disease ranks as the United States’ most significant cause of death. Besides, heart disease is one of the principal causes of death for rest of the world, mainly among developed countries (CDC, 2017).
CDC estimate that a population of more than 61 million suffers from cardiovascular diseases in the U.S.
American Heart Association (AHA) past reports that a population of more than 870,000 died from heart disease in 2004 alone in the United States of America.
Approximated populations of 630,000 die each year from heart disease, which can be translated to one death in every four deaths that take place (CDC, 2017).
CDC (2017) also reported that Coronary heart disease is the most significant type of cardiovascular disease and which claims approximately 366,000 people in the year 2015 alone.
Statistics reveal that one person suffers a heart attack in America in every forty seconds, with more than one person dying from a cardiovascular disorder.
Prevalence
Prevalence by age and gender
Heart diseases are least prevalent among the young population. However, the current rise in incidences of obesity and diabetes at earlier ages has added to the risks of heart disease among individuals aged in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
The Burden of heart disease increases with increasing ages and gender (Benjamin et al., 2017).
Heart disease prevalence progresses gradually from close to 40% among men and women aged between forty and fifty-nine years, to between 70-75 percent among men and women aged between 60 and 79 (Benjamin et al., 2017).
Heart disease Prevalence increases further to 79-86 percent among individuals aged from 80 years and beyond. The AHA report also revealed that heart disease causes more deaths in women for each year compared to the next six other significant causes of mortality combined.
Prevalence by ethnicity
Cardiovascular disease is equally the leading cause of deaths among members of different ethnic groups in the United States.
Notably, there is a uniform trend in deaths caused by heart diseases across African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and whites.
Recent study reveals that heart disease follows cancer closely among the significant causes of mortality among Americans of South-East Asian origin, as well as the Native Americans.
Risk Factors
Leading risk factors for heart diseases include;-
Hypertension
Diets rich in cholesterol
Different types of smoking, especially tobacco cigarette
CDC outlines that close to half of the United States population (49 percent) possess at least one of the listed risk factors (Benjamin et al., 2017).
Despite the prominence of these risk factors, health conditions, and lifestyle options may further the risks of heart disease. Such include;
Diabetes
Frequent alcohol use
Physical dormancy
Unhealthy diets
Obesity
Conclusion
Impact of heart disease- Leads among the most significant causes of death in the elderly American population and beyond.
Recommended prevention- avoiding risk factors (Frequent alcohol use, increasing physical activity, and implementing healthier diets to reduce instances of obesity.
References
American Heart Association. (2019). What is Cardiovascular Disease? Retrieved from American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-cardiovascular-disease
Benjamin, E. J., Blaha, M. J., Chiuve, S. E., Cushman, M., Willey, J. Z., Wilkins, J. T., . . . Muntner, P. (2017). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2017 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 135 (10), e146-e603. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000485
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Heart Disease Factsheet . Retrieved from Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_heart_disease.htm
Centers for disease control and prevention. (2017, November 28). Heart Disease Facts & Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm.
