what are the common causes of heart diseases

Introduction

There are different types of heart diseases; they include valvular heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, heart disease due to high blood pressure and stroke, etc. More and more people across the world are getting affected by heart diseases and the age of people with heart diseases is decreasing by the day.

History

Heart disease is a major cause of death in the United States, and an estimated 12 million people die each year because of heart diseases. A majority of the people are affected by one of the many forms of this disease. Over the past few decades, extensive research has been done to know heart diseases causes. While many of the risk factors that cause heart diseases can be altered, modified or changed, some of them cannot.

Hyper tension or high blood pressure is a major risk factor. Obesity, hectic lifestyles, unhealthy eating habits, certain medications and other diseases can cause high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Large amount of the undesirable fat foods increase the blood cholesterol levels and are one of the major heart diseases causes. Plaque forms on the artery walls of persons with high cholesterol, and this leads to atherosclerosis. This disrupts the flow of blood to the heart leading to heart attacks.

People with diabetes are more prone to heart disease. Controlling the sugar levels in the blood will reduce the risk. Obesity causes various ailments. It increases the blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and this subsequently causes heart diseases.

Features

Bad eating habits and excessive smoking are two of the major heart diseases causes. Smoking can increase heart rates, cause irregularities in heart beats and causes the heart to pump hard. The various chemicals in the cigarette like nicotine, tar and monoxide are harmful to the heart. Fatty plaque builds up in the arteries because of these toxic chemicals.

People who are not active and live a sedentary life are at a higher risk of heart attack. Exercise helps maintain cholesterol levels, blood pressure and burn excess calories. A person who leads an active life or exercise regularly is less prone to heart diseases. While young and middle-aged men are predisposed to heart diseases as compared to women, after sixty years of age, both men and women face the same risks.

Apart from gender, age is also a risk factor. The heart fails to function effectively in old age. It is unable to pump blood properly; the arteries can stiffen, and walls may thicken and lead to heart diseases.

Like many other diseases, heart disease is also hereditary. It runs in the family, and if a person’s parents or siblings have had heart-related problems before the age of 55 then they are at a greater risk of getting heart disease. People belonging to certain racial and ethnic groups are also more prone to heart diseases causes as compared to others.

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