Cardiovascular Disease: The Forms, The Risks, and The Prevention The heart is an amazing and essential organ to the human body. It pumps blood in and out, through a complex system consisting of arteries, venioles, and veins. This system is known as the cardiovascular system. The heart delivers blood to the organs and tissues in the body. Without a heart, basic biology tells us, we die. The heart we are born with is the heart that we must take care of, if we want to live a long life. One area of danger that threatens the heart is heart disease, otherwise known as cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a chronic disease that must certainly not be taken lightly. The term, “cardiovascular disease” refers to several problems dealing with primarily the heart. It is the leading cause of death in the United States. An important lifestyle change for college students is to develop healthy habits while in college so that when they are older, they may not contract heart disease. According to the New York Department of Health, 1.5 million people have suffered a heart attack or stroke, because of cardiovascular disease across the United States in 2013. In addition, it is estimated that nearly 80 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed or suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. There are three common kinds of cardiovascular diseases, many risk factors, and things a person can do to prevent their risk. The heart pumps about five quarts of blood each minute.
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That’s about two-thousand gallons of blood per day (Arkansas Heart Hospital, Amazing-heart-facts). The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body (WebMD.com). If this relationship is compromised or harmed in any way, the results could be devastating. Arteriosclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the heart that involves the arteries. Essentially, arteriosclerosis hardens the arteries. This issue can lead to atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, angina and heart attacks. Atherosclerosis is the result of “build-up of fatty deposits”, known as atherosclerotic plaque (Boe 159). When the build-up gets too thick and heavy, the arteries harden and start to close, thus resulting in arteriosclerosis, restricting normal blood flow to the heart. If left untreated, arteriosclerosis can lead to coronary heart disease, which is the reduction of blood flow in the body. This cuts off any blood supply from the heart to other parts of the body (New York State, Cardiovascular Disease). Unfortunately, a person cannot know for certain if they have arteriosclerosis unless they are displaying symptoms. Any cutoff or restriction from blood can result in severe symptoms. One symptom is known as “angina”, or chest pains. Angina is the result of the heart wanting oxygen-carrying blood but cannot obtain it. The feeling of pain is most commonly felt when an individual is experiencing stress or during exercise. Another devastating symptom of arteriosclerosis is a myocardial infraction, or a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart is dangerously decreased, the tissues of the heart die and the heart stops working (Boe 160). Blood pressure is the force of blood that runs through a person’s main arteries. Maintaining blood pressure is essential in preventing heart disease and living a healthy lifestyle. High blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, is the result of prolonged stress that does not decrease over time. According to DeSilva, hypertension “increases the heart’s workload by making it pump harder” (219). If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to arteriosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, damage to the eyes (through what is known as retinopathy), and failure of the kidneys (Boe 160). High blood pressure, unfortunately, does not have any outward symptoms. Therefore, hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer”. The only way to tell if an individual is at risk for high blood pressure is regular screenings. At a doctor’s office, when the doctor or another medical practitioner wraps a person’s arm with what is known as a sphygmomanometer. When a medical practitioner uses this instrument, he or she is looking for two things: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. When the heart beats, the blood surges out of the heart and into the arteries. The maximum pressure caused by this event is known as systolic pressure. When the heart relaxes, the blood flows into the heart and pressure
That’s about two-thousand gallons of blood per day (Arkansas Heart Hospital, Amazing-heart-facts). The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body (WebMD.com). If this relationship is compromised or harmed in any way, the results could be devastating. Arteriosclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the heart that involves the arteries. Essentially, arteriosclerosis hardens the arteries. This issue can lead to atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, angina and heart attacks. Atherosclerosis is the result of “build-up of fatty deposits”, known as atherosclerotic plaque (Boe 159). When the build-up gets too thick and heavy, the arteries harden and start to close, thus resulting in arteriosclerosis, restricting normal blood flow to the heart. If left untreated, arteriosclerosis can lead to coronary heart disease, which is the reduction of blood flow in the body. This cuts off any blood supply from the heart to other parts of the body (New York State, Cardiovascular Disease). Unfortunately, a person cannot know for certain if they have arteriosclerosis unless they are displaying symptoms. Any cutoff or restriction from blood can result in severe symptoms. One symptom is known as “angina”, or chest pains. Angina is the result of the heart wanting oxygen-carrying blood but cannot obtain it. The feeling of pain is most commonly felt when an individual is experiencing stress or during exercise. Another devastating symptom of arteriosclerosis is a myocardial infraction, or a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart is dangerously decreased, the tissues of the heart die and the heart stops working (Boe 160). Blood pressure is the force of blood that runs through a person’s main arteries. Maintaining blood pressure is essential in preventing heart disease and living a healthy lifestyle. High blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, is the result of prolonged stress that does not decrease over time. According to DeSilva, hypertension “increases the heart’s workload by making it pump harder” (219). If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to arteriosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, damage to the eyes (through what is known as retinopathy), and failure of the kidneys (Boe 160). High blood pressure, unfortunately, does not have any outward symptoms. Therefore, hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer”. The only way to tell if an individual is at risk for high blood pressure is regular screenings. At a doctor’s office, when the doctor or another medical practitioner wraps a person’s arm with what is known as a sphygmomanometer. When a medical practitioner uses this instrument, he or she is looking for two things: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. When the heart beats, the blood surges out of the heart and into the arteries. The maximum pressure caused by this event is known as systolic pressure. When the heart relaxes, the blood flows into the heart and pressure