Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases which affect the heart and is the leading cause of death in the United States as of 2007. Heart disease is synonymous with cardiac disease but not with cardiovascular disease which is any disease of the heart or blood vessels. Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women. Being overweight raises your risk for heart disease.
Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol can clog your arteries and keep your heart from getting the blood it needs. People with high blood cholesterol or high blood triglycerides often have no symptoms, so have your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked regularly. There are two types of cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often called the “bad” type of cholesterol because it can clog the arteries that carry blood to your heart.
Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular disease is any of a number of specific diseases that affect the heart itself and/or the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries leading to and from the heart. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, remains the leading cause of death in the United States despite improvements in prevention, detection, and treatment. Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of disability among working adults.
Arteries
When you have CAD, your arteries become hard and narrow. High blood cholesterol can clog your arteries and keep your heart from getting the blood it needs. Heart disease is caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries that feed the heart. When damage occurs to the lining of our arteries (or even elsewhere) chemicals are released to initiate the process of inflammation. And the constriction of our arteries and the “thickening” of our blood further predisposes us to high blood pressure and heart attacks.
High blood pressure is a primary risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Angina pectoris and myocardial infarction (heart attack) are symptoms of and conditions caused by coronary heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease is a narrowing of or blockage in the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle itself (coronary artery disease). You can find out more about heart disease by contacting the National Women’s Health Information Center at 1-800-994-9662.
By: Gina Reay
Posts Tagged ‘High Blood Cholesterol’
What Do We Know About Heart Disease?
January 20th, 2010Hypercholesterolemia Statistics For The U.S.
December 18th, 2009
Hypercholesterolemia statistics tell us about the number of adults in the United States with levels of total blood cholesterol above 200 mg/dL, the beginning level for high risk hypercholesterolemia.
This information is the latest on hypercholesterolemia statistics from the National Center For Health Statistics, 1999-2004.
Over 105 million adults in the United States have total blood cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dL. About one out of every three people are at high risk. Of this group, more than 36 million adults have extremely high risk cholesterol levels over 240 mg/dL.
For men over the age of 20 years, approximately 48% of white men, 45% of black men, and 50% of Hispanic men have hypercholesterolemia, or high blood cholesterol.
For women over the age of 20, approximately 50% of Hispanic women, 42% of black women, and 50% of white women have hypercholesterolemia, or high blood cholesterol.
High risk levels of LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad cholesterol,” runs around 30-40% for both men and women. But when it comes to HDL, or “good cholesterol,” more than twice as many men as women have high risk levels.
Men between the age of 35-74 have more than twice the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia as men under age 34. Women, age 45 to 74 have more than twice the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia as women under age 44, and women age 65 to 74 actually have four times the prevalence as the younger women under age 44.
High blood cholesterol levels are consistently associated with higher risk of coronary heart disease, and other life-threatening cardiovascular and cerebrovascular damage, including fatal strokes.
While successful treatments are available, prevention is always the most cost-effective solution to health problems. In addition, prevention provides broad-spectrum benefits that enhance both the physical and psychological areas of our lives.
Lifetime habits of weight control, eating nutritious food, daily exercise, addiction control including tobacco, and stress management can take a while to learn but the benefits can add many healthy and useful years to your life. Research also shows that one easy habit that may help manage cholesterol is adding daily green tea. Here’s information about green tea and cholesterol, including 7 important ways to protect against cholesterol damage
If we want to help protect ourselves from dangerously high blood cholesterol levels, we all must start early with regular preventive habits. Hypercholesterolemia statistics show us that preventive action should be encouraged as early as the 20s for men and the 30s for women, if not before.
By: Sharon A Jones