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Coronary Heart Disease

Katie Powers
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Coronary Heart Disease Outline

Introduction: CHD is a serious health risk that takes hundreds of lives each year.

1. Smoking Cigarettes

a. Cholesterol and BP levels

b. Kills a high amount of people each year

c. If smokers reduce amount of cigarettes better off they are

d. Other facts

2. Diets and life style

a. Red meats

b. Dietary Fats/ processed

c. Exercise

3. Diabetes

a. Higher risk of developing CHD

b. Arteries

4. Obesity

a. Increases the chance

b. Surgeries

5. CHD leads to other health issues

a. Strokes

b. Hypertensive disease

6. Reduction of CHD

a. Medications

b. Treatments
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Katie Powers

Dr. Penner

Writing 2

16 April 2014

Coronary Heart Disease

Many people seem to believe they are immune to any health risks. People assume they

are in perfect health and do not need to be evaluated. Having a mindset like this will have a

major affect on the body and how the individual’s life is lived. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is

very dangerous and life threatening to all people in the world. It is a high risk to anyone’s health

who encounters this disease. If the heart is not in a healthy condition then the rest of the body

will not function appropriately. Coronary heart disease can lead to myocardial infarction also

known as a heart attack and many other issues associated with the cardiovascular system. In the

United States, heart problems have become the second leading cause of death. Coronary heart

disease can occur in anyone at any age, but it does not usually or normally affect children. It can

occur due to many reasons and choices made throughout life. Smoking is a major cause in the

development of heart disease. People might have other health issues that may increase the

chances of getting this condition. Also, the regulations of diets and physical activity put in a

daily routine have become an effect on the heart. Gender may even have a role in getting this

disease along with the genetic make- up of the body. Even though heart disease is a high risk

health issue, treatments can restore the ill back to health and also explaining the causes may help

avoid the issue.

A big issue in the United States is smoking cigarettes. About 30% of deaths from heart

disease are from smoking cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes is a major cause of coronary heart
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disease. Tobacco is one of the few legal and available products that is used and kills one out of

two users. Cigarette smoking lowers the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which is “good

cholesterol” in the body. This can lead to injuries in the lining of blood vessels that can cause

blood clots due to buildup of plaque. Having low HDL also leads to greater risks of heart attacks

and strokes. If a person previously has high cholesterol and smokes cigarettes the damage is far

greater on the body because of cholesterol levels. Even secondhand smoke can lead to lowering

the cholesterol in the body of non-users. It has been shown that if the person quits smoking their

levels of “good cholesterol” will increase. Blood pressure is also affected by cigarettes. It

dramatically increases your blood pressure levels making your body work twice as hard. Even

myocardial infarction is a result of coronary heart disease due to smoking. Studies have shown

that if a user stops smoking there chance of reducing myocardial infarction is by 65%. Cigarette

smoking has many other affects that lead to heart disease due to the nicotine in the product. The

nicotine decreases oxygen to the heart and damages cells to the coronary arteries along with

other blood vessels.

Americans are known to have one of the unhealthiest diets. Americans are viewed this

way due to all the processed foods and high dietary fats put into the diets. Scientist Adam

Bernstein of a clinic in Cleveland says, “high red meat intake is associated with coronary heart

disease, stroke, diabetes and premature death.” According to Bernstein, it is highly recommended

to eat as little red meat as possible. If people eat a high amount of red meats daily then they have

a higher risk of dying then those who eat a small amount. People do not have to completely

diminish eating red meat to avoid coronary heart disease; they just have to reduce the amount in

their diets. Another link between diets and coronary heart disease is dietary fats. Not only do

some dietary fats cause CHD some also prevent the disease. Saturated fats are what can cause
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someone to get CHD like trans fatty acids from “hydrogenated vegetable oils”. People can

replace the saturated fats with combinations of poly- and mono- unsaturated fats. The

polyunsaturated fats have been shown to lessen the chance of CHD as well as the

monounsaturated fats. These beneficial dietary fats are found in certain foods like nuts and fish

and the non-beneficial fats are related to red meat. These dietary fats and cholesterols in foods

cause arterial lesions; which relate to the buildup of plaque, being one of the causes leading to

coronary heart disease.

Exercise is very important to input in daily life schedules. An inactive lifestyle is a top

risk factor in developing coronary heart disease. This is an easily avoidable situation according

to multiple doctors that work with patients who have CHD. Daily exercise can reduce the risk of

getting the disease. Doing simple regular exercise and aerobic exercise can benefit the body in

multiple ways. Aerobic exercise is extremely important because it exercises many of the large

muscle groups. The exercise can strengthen the heart and lungs, improve the ability to use

oxygen, and over time can improve breathing so the heart doesn’t have to work as vigorous.

Regular exercise can also strengthen the cardiovascular system improving circulation, lowering

blood pressure, and many other beneficial outcomes for the body.

Coronary heart disease is a major cause of death among people who have diabetes. If a

person has or develops diabetes then they will most likely die from CHD. This is because the

glucose that is broken down in the body is not properly used. This issue leads to high blood

glucose levels that allow fatty material to stick to the insides of blood vessels and damage

nerves. This causes clogs and hardening of arteries leading to coronary heart disease. Having

diabetes can also lead to high blood pressure which is another risk potential to getting CHD.
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Controlling diabetes is critical in knowing how to help reduce the risk of developing coronary

heart disease.

Obesity is increasing at a very fast pace; affecting all ages in the United States. As the

prevalence of obesity continues to increase, so does the number of people with coronary heart

disease. Obesity can cause many other health issues that link to CHD like atherosclerosis,

diabetes, hypertension and stroke. After noticing the other health issues that are occurring people

want to have surgeries to fix the situation. Obese people who undergo the surgeries sometimes

already have developed the late onset of CHD. These people are more at risk of surgical

complications like mortality owing to the fact that they are overweight. There are some chances

and types of surgeries that could turn out to be very helpful to the person, like gastrointestinal

and weight reductions. Also diets have a major affect on gaining weight. People tend to eat the

unhealthy processed foods instead of the healthier choices like fruits and vegetables. They also

tend to be unfit and let the calories build up and turn into lipids or fats leading to obesity. If

people were to restrict sodium intake and small reductions in their weight this will improve their

ventricular function and oxygenation lessening the chance of CHD.

Coronary heart disease can lead to many other health issues which are very life

threatening. CHD being listed as one of the leading causes of death in the U.S is due to strokes,

hypertensive disease and other health issues. If someone has CHD they are at twice the risk of

having a stroke. Strokes are linked to CHD because they both have high low density lipoprotein

(LDL) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and many other similar

factors. The major risk factors they have that relate to one another are hardened arteries, atrial

fibrillation, and heart failure. Another health concern for CHD is related to hypertensive disease.

Hypertensive disease is high blood pressure and sometimes chest pain also known as angina. The
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pressure inside the blood vessels is too high and causes the heart to work harder. This can cause

the heart muscles to thicken and not allow enough oxygen to the heart causing heart failure or

death.

People who encounter coronary heart disease can be treated or medicated. There is no

cure for this disease beyond orthotopic heart transplants.

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