Cardiovascular disease includes many conditions: hypertension (high blood pressure), heart attacks, strokes, angina (chest pain), atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), heart valve disease and arrhythmia.
Cardiovascular Disease Can Cause Heart and Blood Vessel Damage
A heart attack occurs when blood supply to part of the cardiac (heart) muscle, called myocardium, is reduced or cut off altogether. The heart works endlessly to supply blood to the body; however, it first supplies itself with oxygen infused blood to keep its own cells alive. Coronary arteries are narrow, branched arteries responsible for carrying blood to the heart muscle.
Blockage in the coronary arteries is caused by the build-up of hard fatty or cholesterol plaque or deposits, which accumulate over time, narrowing the arteries. This is called atherosclerois or coronary artery disease (CAD). When a blockage or clot occurs, the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart is interrupted and the area of the heart muscle supplied by that artery is damaged. Over time this can weaken the heart muscle and cause angina (chest pain) and arrhythmias (problems with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat). Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is so weak or damaged that it cannot pump enough blood throughout the body.
Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
There are several risk factors that increase the chance that an individual may suffer from a heart attack, stroke, hypertension or form of cardiovascular disease. In some cases these factors can be controlled, while others cannot. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include:
- family history
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol levels
- diabetes
- smoking and second-hand smoke
- kidney disease
- low levels of physical activity
- being overweight
- poor sleeping habits
- sleep apnea (snoring)
- poor dental health and gingivitis (gum disease)
- chronic and high levels of stress
- poorly controlled emotions such as anger
- ethnicity (Individuals of Asian and African descent are at higher risk)
Ethnicities Such as South Asian and Chinese Genetically Predisposed to Heart Disease
According to medical research from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, individuals of Asian descent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and surrounding areas) are more likely to suffer from heart disease than individuals of European or Chinese origin.
The British Heart Foundation states that the death rate from coronary heart disease is 46% higher in Asian men and 51% higher in Asian women than the overall UK population. People of African descent also have a higher incidence of high blood pressure which leads to heart disease. Differences in heart disease between ethnic groups may be due to genetic factors as well as diet and lifestyle. Understanding the prevalence of heart disease in certain groups is important to increase awareness and to prevent and treat this disease.
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Reference:
The Heart and Stroke Foundation (Accessed June 26, 2010)
Noreen Kassem - Noreen Kassem is a hospital doctor based in London, UK. She has extensive experience in clinical research and an undergraduate honors ...
