Health
Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is sweeping into countries that have adopted the western lifestyle through time.
It is caused by atherosclerosis, which is the fatty substance, plaque, which builds in and around the arteries. It was believed for a long time that plaque only built up in the arteries but recent discoveries have shown that plaque build up around the arteries can be even more dangerous. The plaque narrows and closes the arteries and pathways to the heart, leading to other problems like stroke, chest pain and shortness of breath with little physical activity.
The many known risk factors of coronary heart disease include smoking, poor diet causing high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease in family history, age, alcohol abuse, and lack of exercise for extended periods of time.
Medical surgeries, drugs and changing one’s lifestyles are the only treatments available. Prevention is the best way to stay in good health and avoid heart disease. It is important to quit smoking if one is, exercise regularly, take medications for high blood pressure, and maintain a balanced diet.
Atherosclerosis starts the day anyone is born and continues to develop throughout life, no matter how healthy one may be. The only way to stop heart disease from being the leading cause of death in the future is prevention and spreading knowledge about good health habits. The treatments will never stop heart disease from developing further but will just slow the development.