Heart Disease 

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are ranked number 1 in causes of death worldwide. An estimated 17.5 million people died from CVDs in 2012, which represent 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.4 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.7 million were due to stroke. Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol using population-wide strategies, says the World Health Organization sources.

 

Cardiovascular diseases are composed of heart and blood vessel disorders such as:

• Coronary heart disease
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Rheumatic heart disease
• Congenital heart disease; and
• Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism

 

 

People may wonder whether they are at risk for heart disease. According to the World Health Organization, the most common risk factors of heart disease are an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol. A heart attack or stroke may be the first warning of underlying disease from the blood vessel. Symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Pain or discomfort in the left shoulder, arms, back, elbows, or jaw
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Vomiting
• Paleness; and
• Breaking into cold sweat

 

Symptoms of a stroke include:

• Numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Confusion, difficulty speaking
• Difficulty seeing with one or both eyes
• Difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance
• Severe headache
• Fainting; and
• Unconsciousness

 

Seek care immediately if you are experiencing these symptoms. The World Health Organization also states that in order to prevent cardiovascular disease in those with established disease such as diabetes, the following medical treatments are necessary:

• aspirin
• beta-blockers
• angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; and
• statins

 

In addition, costly surgical operations are sometimes required to treat CVDs. They include:

• coronary artery bypass
• balloon angioplasty (where a small balloon-like device is threaded through an artery to open the blockage)
• valve repair and replacement
• heart transplantation
• artificial heart operations; and
• Medical devices are required to treat some CVDs

 

Such devices include pacemakers, prosthetic valves, and patches for closing holes in the heart.

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Heart Disease description, symptoms, and treatments.