Heart disease is a problem that affects a very significant number of people in industrialized countries. It is estimated that more than 7% of the global population suffers from heart diseases across the globe. And if that is not enough, it is spreading like wild fire. In this age of tough times, here are a few surprising facts about heart diseases that you should know about:
- The term heart disease is a universal term that covers a number of diseases like coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, heart attack, congenital heart diseases and angina.
- The most common cause of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which is a blocked or narrowed coronary artery that supplies the heart with blood.
- Worldwide, coronary heart disease kills more than 7 million people each year. Approximately forty two percent of all deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease.
- Men suffer heart attacks about 10 years earlier in life than women do. But it is a myth that heart disease is a man's disease. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of women claiming the lives of more than a half a million females every year. However, the symptoms of heart attack in a woman are completely different than in a man. While both men and women often feel pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach, women are far more likely to notice shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain than men.
- Contrary to what you see in the movies, the onset of symptoms in a heart attack is usually gradual, over several minutes, and rarely instantaneous. Also, about one fourth of all heart attacks are silent, i.e. without chest pain or other symptoms.
- People who live alone are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack or sudden cardiac death as those who live with a partner or roommate. According to researchers, men and women who live alone are more likely to smoke, be obese, have high cholesterol levels, and visit a physician less frequently than people who do not live alone. All of these factors have been associated with poorer health, including heart disease and its complications.
- South Asians are more prone to heart attacks at a much younger age in comparison to people belonging to other ethnic groups. According to the researchers, the reasons for high prevalence of the disease among south Asians could be due to differences in genetic make-up and differences in cultural and social practices between ethnic groups that might influence their risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
- Eating fish once a week can reduce your chances of a heart attack by 52 percent.
- Studies show that under-educated people without much awareness about the present day health and lifestyle related crisis are more likely to suffer heart attacks.
- While heart failure can affect either side or both sides of the heart, it usually affects the left side of the heart first.
- Smoking doubles your chances of getting heart diseases. Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of heart diseases. Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
- Studies show that moderate drinkers have 20 to 40 percent less coronary heart disease than non-drinkers.
- A study conducted by the researchers at Queen's University of Belfast tracked about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade and found that having an orgasm at least three times a week may decrease the risk of a man dying from coronary heart disease by half.
- People who are sedentary are almost twice as likely to suffer heart attacks as are people who exercise regularly.
- Within 5 years of the first attack, 13 percent of men and almost 40 percent of women develop a second infarction (the formation of an infarct, an area of tissue death due to a local lack of oxygen).
The above facts will provide you an interesting perspective to look at a heart disease and to counter them effectively. Remember, prevention is the key to surviving heart disease, so be sure to stay active and healthy!
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