Heart Disease awareness month:
Heart disease is an umbrella term for any type of disorder that affects the heart. According to WHO (World Health Organization) and the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The number of US adults diagnosed with heart disease stands at 26.6 million (11.3% of adult population).
Some facts about heart disease are,
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
- Heart disease costs the United States about $207 billion each year.
- In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 42 seconds.
Risk Factors:
- High blood pressure
- high LDL cholesterol
- smoking
About half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three risk factors.
Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including:
- Diabetes
- Overweight and obesity
- Poor diet
- Physical inactivity
- Excessive alcohol use
Seven Tips for Preventing Heart Disease
- Control your weight.
- Get regular physical activity.
- Don’t smoke.
- Maintain tight control over glucose.
- Lower your LDL cholesterol (the “bad” type).
- Control your blood pressure.
- Consider incorporating aspirin into your daily routine. If you are older than thirty years of age, you may want to speak to your doctor about taking a baby aspirin daily.
Treatment & Care
Things that you and your health care professional can do for heart disease can be all over the map, from CPR, to high-tech surgeries, to caregiving. Chances are that you, or someone you love, may need different types.
Heart Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
Medical care is essential once heart disease is diagnosed, to stabilize the condition immediately, control symptoms over the long term, and cure the disease when possible.
Treatments include:
- Surgery – Angioplasty, Stents, Bypass surgery, Valve treatments, Pacemakers, Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator and ultimate is heart transplant.
- Medications – ACE Inhibitors, Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers, Antiarrhythmics, Antiplatelet Drugs, Aspirin Therapy, Beta-Blocker Therapy, Calcium Channel Blocker Drugs, Warfarin and Other Blood Thinners
How 24 hours care can help individuals with advanced heart disease
24 hours care has experience in helping seniors and their families live with advanced heart disease. We can individualize a program that:
- Teaches an individual how to recognize early changes in how they feel, and take appropriate action to decrease episodes of serious illness
- Provides medication reminders, assistance, administration and reconciliation
- Develops and/or prepares a heart healthy diet (including shopping and meal preparation, if necessary)
- Helps with the daily activities of living such as bathing and dressing
- Assists with physician appointments including transportation
References
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_heart_disease.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237191.php
