Running head: Cardiovascular diseases 1

Cardiovascular Diseases Risk Factors and Prevention

Luis A. Arnal Ortiz

The University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

For many years, chronic diseases have developed and spread all throughout the world.

One of these major chronic diseases which is currently the number one cause of death in the

world is cardiovascular diseases. They have had a serious effect in the United States as the

number of cases presented has not reduced over the past five years and it is more present than

ever before. The purpose of this literature review is to present information on the prevention of

cardiovascular diseases and the different risk factors that lead up to them. The United States will

be used as a case of an affected country in which these diseases are very common amongst its

population. The effect these diseases have on the majority of the population and some data will

be presented which will help understand the development and spread of these throughout the

country including different demographics. Cardiovascular diseases can be prevented very easily

if taken care off during and prior to being affected by one. With the right information presented

to the people, these diseases can be severely reduced.

Keywords: Cardiovascular Diseases, Social Demographics, Risk Factors, Prevention

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Cardiovascular Diseases Risk Factors and Prevention

Introduction

Chronic diseases affect many people throughout the world, in recent years, cardiovascular

diseases are at the top of the list of many countries most serious health problems. In fact,

according to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of

death globally, more people die from these diseases than any other cause. They are the United

States leading cause of death with statistics showing they are Americas leading health problem.

The number of deaths and diseases across the country have not gone down significantly

throughout the years and little improvement has happened in reducing or preventing them. Most

of these diseases are easily preventable from occurring, and information on how to prevent them

is easily accessible for people to find about. It is estimated that 90% of all cardiovascular

diseases are preventable. With the right tools and the right information, the number of diseases

and deaths can be significantly lowered across the United States. For these reasons and more, it

is important to know more about this problem and develop questions which will further analyze

cardiovascular diseases and help us understand more about them. The following questions will

serve to guide research into this topic:

1. What is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases?

2. How are cardiovascular diseases prevented and are they hereditary?
3. What effect does someones diet have in the prevention for developing such diseases?
4. How does it affect different demographics throughout the country?

These questions will narrow down the purpose behind this literature review and research

report and will help to inform people about the different risks these diseases have on citizens and

to present helpful information to prevent these problems

What is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases?

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To understand how cardiovascular diseases occur and why they are the leading cause of

death. We must first define what constitutes a cardiovascular disease and the main reasons as to

why they develop. A cardiovascular disease is a class of disease where disorders occur in the

heart and where blood vessels are involved. They can be divided into two types, vascular

diseases and heart diseases, the former being those diseases in which the blood vessels are

involved and the latter where the heart is mainly involved. There are many risk factors which can

cause a cardiovascular disease, some of them being age, gender, physical activity, unhealthy diet,

obesity, tobacco use, and even a family history of cardiovascular diseases. Some people are

predisposed to these diseases due to their genetics, however, with the right care and healthy

habits, the chances of getting one can be severely reduced. Some of the main symptoms of

cardiovascular diseases are: pain or certain discomfort in the center of the chest as well as in the

left arm, jaw or back. Many of these risks factors end up leading to atherosclerosis, which is the

most common cause of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is when the arteries begin

narrowing and become thick which slowly blocks the arteries putting blood flow at risk. This

disease is very preventable and curable if detected at an early stage, some symptoms which will

develop if a person is affected with such disease are: chest pain or pressure, sudden numbness in

your arms and/or legs, high blood pressure and abnormal pain. Given the right information in

regards to such diseases, is definitely helpful in knowing what constitutes a cardiovascular

disease and how it can be prevented.

How are cardiovascular diseases prevented and are they hereditary?

There are many ways of preventing cardiovascular diseases, some of which require little

work which will pay off in the long run and there are also prevention methods which may require

a lot more from the individual. Easy prevention methods against heart diseases are: increasing
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the amount of physical activity done throughout the day, minimize or completely reduce the use

of tobacco, and eat a diet low in saturated fats and low in salt. Throughout this research

conducted in regards to cardiovascular diseases, a local cardiologist of the El Paso region was

interviewed in regards to this topic. Dr. Juan Taveras who works at the Las Palmas Del Sol

Healthcare Hospital, said that heart diseases can impact anyone, not just smokers or overweight

people, the best way to take care of your health and reducing the risk factors for heart diseases is

maintain a healthy diet, exercising at least three times a week and visiting a doctor for frequent

checkups to get your blood pressure check, regardless of the age. Dr. Taveras said this is one the

most overlooked risk factors that people just ignore and ends up being a big problem. With this

mention, Dr. Taveras also mentioned the most common symptoms for a heart disease and

recommended and going to the doctor right away if any of these symptoms appear and persist in

an individual. This is some very helpful information provided by an expert in the field, which

also states this will decrease the chances of having a cardiovascular disease. In the other hand,

there are risk factors which cannot be controlled by an individual, such as family history and

diabetes. Amongst the most commonly asked questions and concerns with cardiovascular

diseases is the likelihood of these being passed on to others relatives and how is this preventable

if possible. Research has shown that up to 90 percent of all cardiovascular diseases can be

preventable by simply modifying our daily habits. This is already a big advantage for many as it

reduces the probability by nearly 100 percent. However, there is still many risk factors which

contribute to the development of these diseases including the predisposition of certain people to

develop such diseases. According to the World Heart Federation, the chances of a person having

a stroke increase much more if any first degree relative has had a stroke. (World Health

Organization, 2016) However, if such relative suffered from the stroke while they were young,
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the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases and having a stroke is slightly higher. One of

the most common risk factors known to develop in families is familial hypercholesterolemia,

which is a high cholesterol level. When inherited with such condition the person will experience

a buildup of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood. This is incredibly dangerous as it

can lead to a coronary heart disease more likely than any other risk factor. As in most cases,

when dealing with higher chances for a cardiovascular disease a persons living lifestyle should

be modified in a positive so that the chances are reduced as much as possible. The best way of

knowing whether there is a history of cardiovascular diseases in your family is by consulting

with your relatives the different diseases that have been passed on throughout generations and

those that seem to be very common amongst the family. You may not know the full history, and it

may not be necessary, but find out at least where your immediate family (brothers, parents,

grandparents) stands with cardiovascular diseases and if they have suffered from one, know

when it occurred. In response to the proposed research question, yes, heart diseases can be

hereditary on some individuals, however, the prevention should be the same as in any other

person looking to reduce the chances of such cardiovascular diseases, in case it is specified

otherwise or differently by a doctor.

What effect does someones diet have in the prevention for developing such

diseases?

Preventing cardiovascular diseases is a process which begins at a persons daily habits;

maintaining a healthy weight, physical activity, etc. One important factor in preventing these

diseases is the effect a persons diet has on the probabilities of developing a heart disease. It has

been researched that the diet of an individual plays a very important role in the prevention and

development of heart diseases. Diet is the one thing a person can change which will impact and
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possibly reduce all other risk factors. The difference between a diet which is low in saturated fats

and sugars with plenty of fruits and vegetables and a diet of an average person in a developed

country is that the former reduces the risk factors of having a heart disease by nearly 73 percent.

Research studies have shown the relevance and effects of fish consumption, fish oil and omega-3

fatty acids have on a persons health in regards to cardiovascular heart diseases. The risk factors

are greatly reduced if someones diet is high in fish consumption, at least two times a week, as

these decrease the progression of atherosclerosis in coronary patients. These food products are a

much healthier option as they are low in saturated fat and the levels of omega-3 fatty acids are

helpful towards maintaining a healthy blood pressure. As most people would know, high levels

of fat in someones diet have a strong correlation with coronary diseases, saturated fats and trans

fats, both present in many of our daily eating products, lead to high levels of cholesterol, which

in turn can then lead to the main cause of cardiovascular heart diseases, atherosclerosis. These

essential fatty acids cannot be made by our body, therefore we must get them from other sources.

Omega-3 and omega-6 are found only in fish, and in some nuts and seeds, they help maintain the

human body keep a low cholesterol level. It is worth noticing that if your total calorie intake

consists of 40 percent fats, whether they are unsaturated or saturated, you increase the risk of

developing a heart disease. Alongside the many things you should avoid in your daily diet, a high

dose of fats in your diet for example, a high intake of sodium in your diet can also contribute to

the risk of a heart disease. High levels of sodium can lead up to hypertension, abnormal blood

pressure, which is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended to

have plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet, not only for preventing cardiovascular diseases,

but for a better and healthier life. Fruits and vegetables contain components that protect your

heart and can even match the effectiveness to lower high blood pressure as medications would on
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a patient. The antioxidants present in fruit contribute to a healthy heart and provide many

nutrients which people dont get enough of such as; magnesium, potassium, and dietary fiber.

With these results, it is clear that a persons diet clearly has an effect in the prevention and

development of cardiovascular diseases. Maintaining a healthy diet low in saturated fats and

sodium will reduce the risk factors for heart diseases as previously stated in the report.

How to cardiovascular diseases affect different demographics?

As cardiovascular diseases affect many people across the country and across the world,

there are different statistics present which show some prevalence amongst certain demographics,

race, sex, age, etc. As it can be seen in the following map presented, heart disease rates differ

across the United States, the statistics were based off from around 100,000 people and they are

divided into each county in the country. Heart Diseases and their death rates are more prominent

in the lower southeastern region of the United States as shown by the map. This can be related to

a lower socioeconomic status that can be present in the area and the food consumption of their

residents. There are several factors which determine the chances for heart diseases. Some of

them have a bigger role than others, for example, ethnicities, despite all the different ethnicities

present throughout the world and the United States some are affected by cardiovascular diseases

more than others. For example, it is known due to research presented by the American Heart

Association that African Americans are affected by such diseases more than others due to their

death rate in relation to heart diseases being 34 percent higher than the overall population of the

United States. Despite this fact, every ethnic group studied by the Centers for Disease and

Prevention contribute the leading cause of death to heart cardiovascular diseases and strokes.

Another demographic which shows an increase in the prevalence of heart diseases is the

socioeconomic status/level of a person. As research shows, a lower socioeconomic status leads to

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a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases as the stress present in a person increases leading up to

high blood pressure problems. A lower income also affects the quality and quantity of food that

an individual can purchase, which then leads to higher quantities of fast food, saturated fats, trans

fats, high cholesterol and

carbohydrates. As there

is a lack of money

present, this also leads to

limited access available

for healthcare and health

insurance. Lastly, and

perhaps one of the most

important and noticeable

demographic present is

the age of an individual. The risk of cardiovascular diseases increases as someone ages.

However, it is possible for a young person, even teenagers, to develop and suffer from a

cardiovascular disease. For men, the risk increases as they get closer to 45, and for women the

risk increases as they get to around 55 years of age, this happens around ten years later than men

due to the onset of menopause. As mention before, cardiovascular diseases can affect people of

all ages, and it is possible to affect younger people due to the rise of child obesity and diabetes.

The lack of physical activity and a poor diet present in todays younger generation is setting the

risk much higher for heart diseases to become more frequent and common across the United

States.

Conclusion
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This research report has discussed and presented several information available for an

individual to know more about the prevention and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. The

proposed and stated research questions have been thoroughly discussed and answered with

information gathered through primary and secondary resources. In the end, it has been clearly

stated throughout the report, how cardiovascular diseases can be easily prevented by an

individual by simply modifying their daily habits as well as their diets. The different risk factors,

main causes and different demographics relating to cardiovascular diseases have been discussed

showing very significant information for the prevention of these diseases. By promoting

awareness and useful information of cardiovascular diseases, the death rate pertaining to heart

diseases and the number of cases present in the world can be significantly reduced, which will

enable people to have better and healthier lives leaving a much healthier family history for future

generations to come.
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