February has been recognized not only as Saint Valentine day, but also as an "American Heart Month" since 1963. Heart disease has been always considered the leading “killer-disease” cause and one of the main causes of disability in the United States.
New CDC 2010 report (Feb 16, 2011) accounts that heart disease is keeping its first place as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in America, followed by cancer. More than 600,000 (26%) Americans die of heart disease annually. Only in 2007, heart disease was the cause of death in 309,821 American men and in 306,246 females (Xu et al., 2007)
An AHA report (2006) declared that on the basis of 2005 mortality rate data, nearly 2400 Americans die of CVD each day—an average of 1 death every 37 seconds. The 2006 overall preliminary death rate from CVD was 262.9. More than 150 000 Americans killed by CVD in 2005 of 65 years of age. In 2005, 32% of deaths from CVD occurred before the age of 75 years, which is before the average life expectancy of 77.9 years.
Nowadays, an increasing number of Americans are suffering of obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease or diabetes- all parts of the metabolic syndrome cluster. This is a condition, known as the “silent killer” that can increase geometrically your chances to face heart disease in the near future.
According to most experts, the most troublesome news is the constantly rising obesity rates. When a decade ago—only one-third of the Americans were considered overweight or obese, the proportion of obese and overweight increased significantly with the years.
The CDC 2010 report, accounts that in 2007-2008 about one-third are considered obese and about two-third- obese and overweight, a significant increase of up to 29, 9 percent. The proportion of men with Grade 2+ obesity doubled from 5% to 11%; and of women nearly doubled– from 11 percent to 18 percent. Thus, in 2007–2008, 4% of the men and 7% of the women had a BMI of 40 or higher- equal to Grade 3 obesity, while the number of people with normal BMI (25- 29, 9) remained relatively stable until today.
Similarly to obesity, hypertension and diabetes rates are also on the rise, with 32.6 percent of the Americans suffering from high blood pressure (2007-2008), 28.9 percent (1999-2000) and 12 percent of U.S. adults suffering from diabetes comparatively with 8.5 percent(1999). More than 17 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, and heart disease death rates are two to four times higher for them compared to people without diabetes.(Source, the Accord Study Group)
Nowadays, 1 of 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure, which increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United Statesand about 1 of every 6 adult Americans has high blood cholesterol.(CDC, 2008)
The only positive news are that dyslipidemia rates (disrupted cholesterol levels) seem to be under control, maybe due to the fact that more Americans are starting to exercise and to watch their diet. Experts’ explanation is that 1/4 of U.S. of American adults in the 45 age group and older are using statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs. Bernstein believes that, “The increase in statin use is pretty dramatic," an increase from just 2 percent in the period 1988-1994.
An AHA (2006) report accounted that each year about 795 000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke and about 610 000 of these are first attacks, while 185 000 are recurrent attacks. Preliminary AHA data from 2006 indicated that stroke accounted for about 1 of every 18 deaths in the United States and on average, every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke. From 1995 to 2005, the stroke death rate fell 29.7%, and the actual number of stroke mortality declined 13.5%. (Source, AHA, 2006)
According to the CDC 2010 report mortality rates for 2007 were 25percentfor heart disease, followed by cancer - 23 percentand accounting for nearly half of the 2.5 million of deaths in the U.S.Only in 2010, an estimated 785,000 Americans had their first coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack. The report claims that every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one. Thus, heart disease and cancer are still holding the two leading morbidity and mortality places in America.
The most common heart disease in the United States is considered the coronary heart disease, often known as heart attack. Recognizing its main symptoms is crucial step for timely prevention and quick recovery. Symptoms as chest discomfort, pressure, or pain behind the sternum (the central bone of the chest) pain in one or both arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back pain, with shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, lightheadedness are the typical heart disease symptoms. (Source, CDC)
According to CDC report, there is an estimated 785,000 Americans that had their first coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack in 2010 only. CDC report claims that every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one. The chance of developing coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking immediate steps to prevention. People who have survived a heart attack should be oriented with their health care providers in order to reduce their future risk of a secondary heart attack or a stroke. (Source, CDC)
Everyone knows that having one or several relatives and siblings with heart disease history is strong predisposition leading to an increased risk of developing the disease. Some families have a common genetic disorder called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Despite relatively rare the disorder is causing elevation of bad cholesterol (LDL) and its very small particles known as very bad cholesterol (VLDL).
FH is one of the strongest predispositions to heart attacks, angina, and other cardiovascular diseases. Approximately 1 of every 500 people or an estimated 600,000 Americans has FH. The American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the American Red Cross, and the National Council on Aging have launched a new "Act in Time" campaign to increase people's awareness of heart attack and stroke.
Life expectancy, as a marker of overall health, is rising slightly-from 76, 8 at the beginning of the decade to 77, 9 years in 2007.(CDC, 2010) From 1980 to 2007, life expectancy in men reaches from 70 -75 years and in women from 77-80 years, with white females leading over minorities. An extensive body of literature data is demonstrating that individuals who survive to middle age (age 50) without developing traditional CVD risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes and smoking, enjoy substantially greater longevity. (Source, AHA 2006)
A healthy diet and active lifestyle are the best weapons you have to implement in order to fight heart disease. In order to make daily food choices, CDC advises you to learn reading food labels and to base your eating pattern on the following recommendations:
- Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans-fat.
- Select 1% fat and low-fat dairy products.
- Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans-fat in your diet.
- Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
- Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
- Select and purchase foods lower in salt/sodium.
- If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you're a woman and two drinks per day if you're a man.
- Keep an eye on portion sizes. (Source, CDC)
Physical activity in your daily life is an important step to preventing heart disease. You can take a few simple steps at home, at work, and at play to increase the amount of physical activity in your life. (Source, CDC)
