That OTHER form of CHD: Maintaing Cardiovascular Health
out of heart cells. When the heart's conduction system is impaired significantly, an arrythmia is born, which is otherwise known as a heart rhythm disturbance.
The most common disease to affect the coronary arteries is atherosclerosis. In laymen's terms, this condition is called hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis results from the damaging of the inner wall of an artery, which is often caused by the excessive accumulation of fats and cholestrol. Over time, the arteries narrow and harden, preventing adequate blood flow. When coronary artery disease is established but has yet to provoke the death of cardiac tissue, the resulting condition is called angina. Patients with angina should take great care to prevent the heart from sustaining any further damage so as not to deprive the heart of any more oxygen. Before angina symptoms appear, the capacity of the coronary arteries to carry blood must be reduced by 60 to 70%.
There are many elements which contribute to the development of CHD. The good news is that most of these are entirely preventable. The following section will examine risk factors associated with coronary heart disease.
Risk Factors to Consider:
HEREDITY: Heredity is the only unpreventable risk factor associated with CHD. If heart disease runs in your family, it is particularly important that you reduce all other preventable risk factors by as wide a margin as possible.
SMOKING: If you are a smoker, your risk of dying from CHD is five times times greater than it would be if you did not engage in this habit. Smoking stimulates the development of blood clots which can block even the healthiest of arteries. In addition, cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which reduces the amount of oxygen your blood is able to carry. This forces your heart to work harder to pump blood.
CHOLESTEROL: Cholesterol is a fat which has the tendancy to accumulate in the walls of the coronary arteries. It is interesting to note, however, that some people have a tendancy to retain cholesterol while others do not. Some people eat cholesterol-rich foods without ever developing a cholesterol problem while others eat only moderate levels of this fat with devastating consequences. While a predisposition to the retention of cholesterol is probably hereditary, the good news is that high cholesterol levels can often be controlled by dietary precautions.
WEIGHT: Significantly overweight people and particularly the obese are at more of a risk of developing CHD. This is due to the
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