What disease kills more people annually than influenza, pneumonia, diabetes and Alzheimer’s combined? The answer, heart disease.
Every year in the United States approximately 610,000 people will die due to heart disease. Heart disease is ranked first in the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Locally speaking, in 2016 of the 303 deaths that occurred in Montgomery county 93 were cardiac related (approximately 30 percent). While these statistics are rather startling it is important to understand what exactly heart disease is, and manners in which you can prevent it.
Just as you should only flush specific things down your sinks and toilets, the same applies for the human body. Veins and arteries are just that, a pipe, and like a pipe they successfully transfer liquid to the designated locations. And just like the pipe the more junk you force into the system the more likely one is to experience serious piping issues. For those who don’t take care of their “piping” one might expect to develop heart disease. Heart disease is a blanket term that includes many different conditions that affect a person’s heart. Some examples of conditions that are labeled under heart disease include: heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia), plaque buildups (coronary artery disease), heart defects you are born with (congenital heart defects) and more.
Of all of the disorders that arise, coronary artery disease is the most common of these. CAD alone manages to kill approximately 370,000 Americans yearly. Over time, as plaque builds up in the arteries (atherosclerosis) of a human this leads to irregular blood flow in the body. This irregular blood flow deprives the body of oxygen. If untreated this can lead to shortness of breath, chest pain (angina), heart attack (myocardial infarction), and other serious repercussions. Like our pipe, the plaque buildup is a result of forced “junk” that creates plaque. Yet, unlike a burst pipe that will only set you back hundreds dollars a burst artery will take years off of your life, or worse yet cost you your life.
With all this being said it’s important to understand what factors can increase a person’s chances of getting this disease. There are some factors that are unavoidable for individuals. Unavoidable factors include things like sex, age and family history. If an individual is older, a man, or has a family history of heart disorders, generally these will increase the chance for developing heart disease. However, hope is not lost, there are plenty of avoidable measures one can take in preventing this disease. Smoking, poor diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, stress and poor hygiene are all avoidable factors that can affect heart health.
Stay tuned for part two of the series on ways in which to prevent heart disease and remember, #WellnessBeginsWithME!
Ben Geier, Wabash College ’18, is serving as an intern with the Montgomery County Health Department.
