Cardiovascular disease is a broad term which is used to describe a wide range of diseases that impacts heart and blood vessels. Some of the important medical conditions related to cardiovascular disease are heart attack, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and many more. Medical studies show that cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading factors of death across the globe of the world. That’s why it is really very crucial to understand their root causes, symptoms and effective preventive measures. This comprehensive article is all about. Here we will talk about how they actually develop and how you can prevent them by following effective strategies. So without any further delay let’s talk more about this most important topic of the day. Let’s get started.
Causes of Cardiovascular Disease
There are actually a lot of factors that collectively result in creating cardiovascular disease. It is a reality that some factors are controllable while others are uncontrollable. If you understand these causes and factors in a comprehensive way then you will be in a position to manage and lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Here in the following we are going to talk about some of the important root causes of cardiovascular disease. Let’s have a look.
Lifestyle Factors
At number 1, there are lifestyle factors on this list. There are certain important factors that are directly related to your lifestyle. Let’s come and find these crucial factors.
Unhealthy Diet
Unhealthy diet is the major problem towards cardiovascular disease. What is the meaning of an unhealthy diet is an important question at the moment. Those diets that are loaded with saturated fats, cholesterol, trans fats, sodium and sugar are considered as unhealthy diets. These types of ingredients basically promote the development of atherosclerosis. It means these ingredients result in the buildup of deposits in the arteries leading to heart diseases.
Physical Inactivity
Lack of physical activity is another concern which is one of the reasons for cardiovascular diseases. Medical research has shown that people who are not giving importance to Physical activities in their life have higher levels of risk of high blood pressure, obesity or weight gain and high cholesterol level.
Smoking
Smoking is now very common in our societies despite the fact that it has serious consequences on your overall health. The use of tobacco actually damages your blood vessels and also results in increasing blood pressure. The use of tobacco for a longer period of time reduces the amount of oxygen that blood actually transports. Similarly, the chances of blood clotting also increase.
Medical conditions
There are certain medical conditions that also play their part in cardiovascular disease. Some of the important medical issues are as follows.
Hypertension
High blood pressure which is medically known as hypertension is one of the contributing factors towards cardiovascular disease. Try to understand that continuous high blood pressure can weaken arteries that results in losing elasticity. Besides that, the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart also reduces to a greater extent.
High Cholesterol
Higher levels of cholesterol in your blood play its part in the formation of plaque or deposits in the arteries. When it happens, the chances of a heart attack or stroke increase.
Diabetes
Diabetes is another medical condition which is one of the root causes of cardiovascular disease especially type 2 diabetes. It is because of the harmful consequences of high blood sugar levels on the blood vessels.
Genetic and Heredity Factors
Family History
According to research in medical science it is found that family history is responsible for creating cardiovascular disease. It is because inheritance can have an influence on blood pressure, cholesterol and other risk factors related to heart disease.
Age and Gender
Age and gender both factors can create cardiovascular disease. With the passage of time as a person becomes older the risk factor of cardiovascular disease also increases. According to research the risk factor in men at an earlier stage is greater than women. But remember those women that have menopausal issues are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Other Factors
Stress
We have talked about a lot of time in our previous articles about stress as it is one of the destroying factors for your overall health. Prolonged stress may result in heart disease. It is because the stress can increase blood pressure and cholesterol level which are one of the terrible signs of cardiovascular disease.
Alcohol
Extreme use of alcohol can also increase blood pressure to a greater extent that results in cardiomyopathy and some other cardiac issues.
Symptoms of Cardiovascular Disease
It is very important to identify symptoms in any kind of disease for effective treatment options. Same is the case here in cardiovascular disease. Let’s talk about one of the common symptoms that you can experience. Let’s have a look.
Coronary Artery Disease
Chest Pain
Chest pain is one of the common symptoms in cardiovascular disease. In this case an affected person experiences pressure, discomfort, squeezing or feeling of pain in the chest.
Difficulty in Breathing
A person starts feeling difficulty in breathing. This mostly happens during physical activities or at rest.
Heart Attack Symptoms
There are certain heart attack symptoms that point towards coronary artery disease. The symptoms include shortness in breathing, chest pain and discomfort in some other areas of the body like arms, neck, back, jaw or stomach.
Heart Failure
Tiredness and Weakness
A person starts feeling weakness and tiredness in their body in a consistent way. This is one of the big reasons for heart failure.
Swelling
An affected person may experience swelling in its legs, ankles and feet. Do you know why swelling becomes possible? When deposits start to build up in the blood arteries, the condition of swelling comes into existence.
Rapid Heartbeat
Fast heartbeat is one of the common signs of heart failure.
Stroke
Sudden Weakness
Sudden weakness in the body especially on one side such as face, arms and legs is an indication towards stroke.
Difficulty in Speaking
If anyone feels much difficulty in speaking or understanding communication then it may be the symptom of stroke.
Vision Problems
One of the most important symptoms in case of stroke is the sudden changes in vision. Sometimes the person suddenly feels difficulty in seeing one or both eyes.
Severe Headache
Sometimes an affected person can experience a sudden headache without any physical reasons. In this case it is important to consult your healthcare provider for professional guidance.
Loss of Balance
Sometimes it is observed that a person feels unexpected dizziness that means an indication towards stroke.
Prevention from Cardiovascular Disease
As you know that prevention is better than cure so it is important to take steps that prevent you from any type of cardiovascular diseases. This part of the article is really very important as we are going to talk about some effective tips that will help you to prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease. Let’s have a look.
Healthy Diet
Balanced diet
When we talk about a healthy diet it means a balanced diet full of nutrients, vitamins and all the necessary ingredients. If you want to prevent yourself from cardiovascular diseases then make sure to eat fruits and vegetables and add healthy fats, lean proteins and whole grains in your diet. Just stop eating those foods that increase your blood pressure.
Reduce Unhealthy Fats
Always focus on healthy fats like olive oil, fish and nuts and stop using unhealthy fats like cholesterol, trans fats and saturated fats.
Reduce Sodium and Sugar
Blood pressure is the root cause in most cardiovascular diseases. So it is very important to reduce the consumption of sodium and sugar in your diet because they can increase blood pressure, weight and also result in diabetes.
Regular Physical Activity
Those people who make sure to take regular physical activity are less victims of cardiovascular diseases as compared to those who ignore them. There are some important points that need to be focused. Let’s have a look.
Regular Exercise
Make a habit to take regular exercise at least 150 minutes and 75 minutes each week. You must be thinking at the moment what is actually the meaning of 150 and 75 minutes of exercise. 150 minutes are for moderate intensity aerobic exercise and 70 minutes for vigorous intensity exercise. It is also better to perform those activities as well that are related to muscle strengthening. At least two or more days in a week are required for these types of exercises.
Stay Active
It is important for you to stay active throughout the day. For this purpose just add those physical activities in your daily routine that are helpful in this case, common examples are walking, biking or taking the stairs.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Overweight is one of the reasons for creating cardiovascular disease. How you can maintain a healthy weight is actually an important question at the moment. Let’s find out the answer.
Monitor Your Weight
It is really important to monitor your weight on a regular basis. This will help you to reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease to a greater extent. Healthy weight is really very important because it not only improves your blood pressure but is also helpful in controlling cholesterol and blood sugar level.
Get Professional Advice
It is somehow difficult for a person to manage and control its weight. But with the help of your professional physician you can do it in an easy way.
Avoid Tobacco and Reduce Taking Alcohol
If you are a smoker or drink alcohol on a regular basis then stop right now. Here in the following we are going to talk about in a brief way what to do if you are suffering from cardiovascular disease. Let’s find out.
Stop Smoking
It is very difficult to stop smoking if you are a regular customer but with the help of professional support you can do it. Remember smoking is one of the biggest reasons to create different cardiovascular diseases.
Reduce Alcohol Consumption
Excessive use of alcohol is really very dangerous for your overall health. If you are fond of drinking alcohol then try to reduce its quantity first and then eliminate it if possible.
Manage Stress
It is really important to manage your stress from your daily routine. Stress is one of the major contributing factors towards various diseases especially in case of cardiovascular disease. There are some important steps for you in this context.
Stress Management Techniques
There are a lot of stress reducing techniques and activities that you have to perform on a regular basis. The common examples are yoga, deep breathing exercises, meditation and sparing some time in nature.
Seek Support
Try to get in touch on social activities. Share your thoughts with friends and family and your mental health professional for better managing stress.
Regular Health Monitoring and Management
There are some important points on how you can monitor your health on a regular basis. Let’s have a look.
Blood Pressure
Make sure to monitor your blood pressure on a daily basis. If you find any disorder then manage it with the modification in Lifestyle if required.
Cholesterol Levels
High Cholesterol is another dangerous indication towards cardiovascular disease. Try to maintain your cholesterol level in a normal way and if you find any increase then immediately take some suitable steps to tackle this issue in time.
Blood Sugar Level
High blood sugar level is the root cause of diabetes. It is really important to monitor blood sugar level without any delay. If you are at higher risk for diabetes then it is very important to increase your focus in this case.
Regular Checkups
Just make it possible to go for a regular check up in order to be updated about any possible abnormalities and their solution.
Conclusion
Cardiovascular disease is a combination of various diseases that makes it really very challenging to manage it. That’s why it is very important to fully understand what actually cardiovascular disease is, what are its root causes and how can you prevent it. There is no need to be worried at the moment because you can reduce the risk of developing this disease simply by taking some steps. Make sure that you are taking a balanced diet, physical activity and maintaining your healthy weight. Besides that, it is important to prevent tobacco and reduce the quantity of drinking alcohol. Stress is really an enemy of your health. Try to manage it by implementing specific strategies.
While these steps are really very important to manage cardiovascular disease to a greater extent but remember it is not enough and guaranteed towards full recovery. You must have to consult your professional healthcare provider for effective and better management on a priority basis.