Since 1960 the age-adjusted mortality rates for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has declined steadily in the U.S. due to multiple factors, but still remains one of the primary causes of morbidity and premature mortality worldwide. Greater control of risk factors and improved treatments for cardiovascular disease has significantly contributed to this decline (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). In the U.S. alone it claims approximately 830,000 each year and accounts for 1/6 of all deaths under the age of 65 (Weiss and Lonnquist, 2011). Based on the 2007 mortality rate data an average of 1 death every 37 seconds is due to cardiovascular disease (Lloyd-Jones et al., 2009). Controlling and reducing risk factors is crucial for saving lives. There are a number of contributing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which may appear in the form of hereditary, behavioral, and psychological, all of which ultimately converge in social or cultural factors.
The hereditary risk factors for cardiovascular disease are primarily those of which individuals are unable to control, the ones for which they are born with. These risk factors would include an individual’s sex, race, age, and genetics. One out of every five males has some form of cardiovascular disease and the same applies for females. More women than men have cardiovascular disease in this country, but this is only due to the fact that there are more women within the U.S. population (Weiss and Lonnquist, 2011). Men percentage wise are at a higher risk than women. There is a somewhat reduced probability for females to have cardiovascular disease before menopause. This is believed by medical researchers and scientists to be directly related to the natural hor...
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Weiss, G. L., & Lonnquist, L. E. (2011). The sociology of health, healing, and illness (7 ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.
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Cardiovascular disease is an epidemic that is afflicting this great nation. It makes up 42% of all deaths, and CVD, principally coronary artery disease and stroke, is the nation’s leading killer for both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups. However, CVD affects one part of the population in an incredibly serious manner. This section is the African American community, and among blacks age 20 and over, 40.5% of men and 39.6% of women are affected by CVD. General practitioners need to focus on the causal biologic and social factors, such as background, heritage, and diet that add to the disparity in the prevalence of CVD in the black community. As well as, efforts to boost consciousness about the associations between lifestyle choices and cardiovascular outcomes must be strengthened and expanded. This multi-tiered approach is the only way to combat this killer, and salvage the lives our the African American people.
Today, CVD (cardiovascular disease) remains the most likely cause of death for women. The false perception that CVD is more often a man’s disease can now be put to rest. Through time research has identified that best way to combat this epidemic of...
There are several factors that cause heart disease such as: smoking, certain fats, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hi...
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Current research suggests the countries with the smallest income differences have the best health status rather than the richest countries. Where income differences remain great, as in this country, health inequalities will persist. For example: Children in the lowest social class are five times more likely to die from an accident than those in the top social class, Infant mortality rates are highest among the lowest social
Social determinants of cardiovascular diseases are found largely outside the healthcare systems, social factors of cause-and-effect work with traditional risk factors within the health care system to determine ones overall health.
Today, cardiovascular disease is “the number one killer in the United States and the developed world” (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 41). Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease, and is responsible for claiming an unreasonable amount of lives every year. CHD can begin to accumulate in young adults, but is prominently found in both men and women in their later adult lives. As a result of CHD, men typically experience heart attacks, whereas women present with chest pains, known as angina (Matthews, 2005).
The American Medical Women's Association. Guide to Cardiovascular Health, New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 2009.
Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death in the United States. It is responsible for one in four deaths every year, about 600,000 mortalities. This disease affects men and women, as well as every ethnic group. Coronary artery disease is the most common cardiovascular disease, representing approximately 400,000 deaths per year of the aforementioned 600,000 total deaths from cardiovascular diseases as a whole. In 2010 alone, coronary artery disease cost the United States $108.9 billion for health care services, medication, and lost productivity. These chilling statistics, published every year by the American Medical Association, demonstrate the immediate need for new and innovative ways to prevent, detect, and treat coronary heart disease. This paper will explore the molecular biology behind the disease while explaining the current treatments and prevention that are available today, why they work and what can be done to improve them.
One of the leading causes of death in the United States is heart disease. “Approximately every 29 seconds one American will have a heart attack, and once a minute one American will die from a heart attack” (Ford-Martin and Odle, 915). According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine men over the age of 45 and women over the age of 55 are considered at risk for heart disease. Heart disease is a major cause of death. It is beneficial to individuals who seek to prevent heart disease to recognize the risks leading to heart attacks as they are one of the primary indications of developing heart disease; especially those that fall into the at risk age groups. These risks consist of some that cannot be changed such as heredity risks, or those that can change such as smoking habits. It is very important to know these specific risks for prevention and to understand the symptoms of heart attacks, such as sweating or the feeling of weakness so if these or other symptoms occur people are aware. Finally heart disease treatment is of vital importance if you experience a heart attack so you can learn how to prevent another one from occurring.
Cardiovascular disease, also known as heart disease, is a term used for diseases involving the heart, arteries, capillaries and veins. The problems associated with cardiovascular disease are often a result of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is caused by a buildup of plaque in artery walls, which disrupts blood flow through the arteries (American Heart Association, 2011). Cardiovascular disease causes a variety of conditions including heart attacks, ischemic stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias and heart valve problems (American Heart Association, 2011). These conditions lead to serious health related issues for individuals, including death. Every year there are around 600,000 individuals in the United States that die from cardiovascular disease, making heart disease the leading cause of death in both men and women (CDC, 2014). Although there are ways to decrease the risk of heart disease, the rate has been consistently increasing over the years, costing America billions of dollars in health care services annually. Contributing factors to the rise in heart disease includes the rate of obesity and a lack of physical activity (Dhaliwal, Welborn & Howat, 2013; Poirier, Giles, Bray, Hong, Pi-Sunyer & Eckel, 2006). These articles provide research that answers the question of how obesity and physical activity are linked to cardiovascular disease.
“Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease, and can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse.” (“Lower Heart Disease Risk”). The main risk factors for heart disease includes the following: High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity, being physically active, and having history of heart disease in the family. Unfortunately, family history of heart disease cannot be altered in any way.
The mortality rate of men aged 55 years is higher amongst those with at least two major modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors than those with no or one CVD risk factors. Women aged 55 years on the other hand are three times as likely to die from CVD than those with no or one risk factor (Heart Foundation, n.d.). Men are at higher risk of heart disease however the risk for CVD in women increases after menopause. On the contrary, CVD is the cause of more female deaths than male deaths because females usually live longer than males and the risk of a cardiovascular condition increases rapidly with age (AIHW 2011, Cardiovascular disease: Australian facts 2011, p.
The main purpose of this article was to take patients without established Coronary Heart Disease and reveal the risk equivalents that they could have in the future. I believe the author’s purpose was to inform patients who are on the boarder of Coronary Heart Disease that they are at risk of developing major problems in the future. If they were not going to try and prevent this disease then it will lead to more serious health problems and maybe even death. I believe that they author did make his purpose very clear throughout the paper.