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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 9 July 2015

What causes heart disease

Smoking: Any amount of smoking, even light smoking or occasional smoking, damages the heart and blood vessels. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), raises blood pressure and damages heart tissue.

High amounts of fat and cholesterol in the blood: When there is excess cholesterol (a fat-like substance) in your blood, it builds up in the walls of the arteries causing them to harden and narrow. This can slow down the flow of oxygen-carrying blood to the heart, leading to chest pains. If blood flow is completely restricted the patient has a heart attack. 

High blood pressure: Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. High blood pressure causes the arteries to weaken or narrow increasing the risk of rupture or clogging from particles of plaque that build up inside the arteries. 

High amounts of sugar in blood due to diabetes: Blood sugar damages the blood vessels of the body, including those related to the heart. 

Blood vessel inflammation: Risk factors like smoking or cholesterol can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels. This has been conncted to heart attacks.

Are you at risk of developing heart disease

Yes, if you

  • Smoke
  • Are overweight: This makes the heart work harder. Plus, it increases other risk factors like diabetes, high cholesterol and triglycerides 
  • Eat a high-fat diet: This leads to fat being deposited in the arteries, narrowing them and making them prone to blockage.
  • Physically inactive: Like other muscles, the heart muscles need exercise. Plus, the lack of exercise leads to obesity and its related problems, like high blood pressure and diabetes, which increase likelihood of developing heart problems.
  • Family history: Heart diseases often run in families. Studies show that genes play a role in heart disease. These genes get activated based on lifestyle and environmental factors such as stress, smoking, obesity etc.

Stories

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  • Yoga comparable with walking, biking to improve cardiovascular risk
    Yoga has roots as an ancient mind-body practice that incorporates physical, mental and spiritual elements. Originating in India, yoga has been proven effective in numerous studies to improve cardiovascular risk factors, with a reduction in the risk of heart attacks and strokes. When compared with no exercise, yoga was associated with significant improvement in each of the primary outcome risk factors measured: Body mass index (BMI) reduced by 0.77 kg/m2 (measured as a "mean…
  • 43% of Heart Attack Patients Had Anaemia
    India and South-east Asia has high incidence of anaemia. Family practitioner Dr Gita Mathai tells you all you need to know about this often-silent threat that can pose many complications.  What is anaemia? Anaemia (or Anemia) is a generic term for low haemoglobin in the blood from any cause. It is not a disease by itself. It can occur in different forms and be caused by many factors.  Anaemia is diagnosed when the haemoglobin value checked in the laboratory is…
  • Mediterranean diet is best way to tackle obesity, say doctors
    A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said. Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ), the doctors said a Mediterranean diet quickly reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The PMJ editorial argues a focus on food intake is the best approach, but it warns crash dieting is harmful. They criticise the weight-loss industry for focusing on calorie restriction rather than "good nutrition". And they make the case…
  • Heart attack 101
    By family practitioner Dr Gita Mathai What is a heart attack? A “heart attack” is a general, rather vague, term used to describe damage to the heart muscle. This occurs when the blood supply to that particular part of the heart is compromised. The blood vessel may be abnormally situated from birth. It may be blocked with atherosclerotic plaques. The vessel may have a compromised lumen (channel inside the vessel) and then go into spasm so that the blood supply falls below critical levels and…
  • Eating healthily at food courts
    Just choose one of the following options, says nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju • Yong Tau Foo (Hakka dish)  Make it healthier still by choosing bee hoon, mee sua or kway teow (100-140 calories) instead of yellow noodles (200 calories per 100g of cooked noodles). Limit the intake of crab sticks, fish balls and cakes, and fish-paste stuffed veggies, which are loaded with sodium (15g of fresh fish comes with 10mg of sodium compared to 15g of crab stick with130mg…
  • Super Fit And Sudden Death
    Have you been surprised to hear about fit and even young athletes having a cardiac arrest and even a sudden death? Can exercising be bad for you? Dr Shital Raval Patel unpacks the causes, risks, and the screening recommended. We often read and hear about young, fit people and athletes having a sudden heart related incident and even succumbing to it while performing or working out and it is the most shocking news ever! It’s incomprehensible especially because we know them to be the…
  • DASH Diet To Control High Blood Pressure
    About 35% of the Asian adult population suffers from hypertension or High Blood Pressure.  Hypertension raises risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. However, simple dietary awareness and measures, like following the DASH diet, can help control as well as prevent its risks. By Ujjwala Baxi, dietitian and diabetes educator DASH diet, i.e. Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, comprises foods that are higher on nutrients like calcium, potassium, magnesium…
  • Yoga Urdhwahastottansana - Hypertension, Respiratory
    Urdhwahastottansana opens up the chest, improves blood circulation around the thoracic area and the heart and is beneficial for respiratory disorders, hypertension and heart problems Meaning Urdhwa means upward, hasta is hands, uttana is stretching and asana is posture. Benefits of Urdhwahastottansana 1. This asana stretches both sides of the body, so it massages, loosens and exercises the sides of the ribcage and the waist 2. Opens up the chest 3. Improves blood circulation around the…
  • High blood pressure in women 'more dangerous' than in men
    New research suggests that women with high blood pressure are at higher risk than their male counterparts, prompting researchers to recommend different treatments in women. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270747.php