There's really no cure for heart disease, but prevention and screening are the best tools for delaying the onset or minimizing the damaging effects.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is also known as coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease, and it kills more than 7 million people in the world each year. CAD results from atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). In atherosclerosis, plaque deposits build up in the arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances from the blood. According to the American Heart Association, CAD's damage is caused by elevated levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, and tobacco smoke.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is the result of your heart working harder than normal to pump blood out into the arteries. The blood pressure is at the highest when it pumps blood out (systolic pressure) and the lowest in between pumps (diastolic pressure). The higher a person's blood pressure measures, the greater that person's risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and eye damage (retinopathy).
Stroke
A person suffers a stroke when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or if a blood vessel breaks and you bleed into the brain, causing brain cells to die. Over 15 percent of people who have a stroke die within 30 days. Of the people who survive a stroke, 15 to 30 percent suffer from some type of permanent disability. The major risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure and tobacco use. There are three main types of strokes:
- Ischemic stroke: This stroke is the most common type accounting for over 80 percent of all strokes. During an ischemic stroke a clot forms, usually caused by atherosclerosis, which blocks a blood vessel that's supplying blood to various areas of the brain.
- Hemorrhagic stroke: This type of stroke results from a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. It's usually much more damaging and has a higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke (see preceding bullet). The cause of this stroke is either high blood pressure or an aneurysm (a weak spot on the artery wall that balloons with blood and may eventually burst from pressure).
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA): This type of stroke is often referred to as a mini stroke because it only causes a short interruption of blood flow to the brain. The symptoms of a TIA last less than 24 hours and are considered warning signs, because about one-third of people who have a TIA will suffer from a stroke in the future.
