What are the Heart risks?
By: Robert NamTotal Views: 232, Word Count: 768,
Heart is one of the very important organs of the body. It is responsible for pumping blood through out the blood vessels in rhythmic contractions. Usually, risks related to the heart do not seem to be the direct cause of the heart disease, but it remains associated in some or the other way. Some of the risks, which relate to the heart can be controlled where as some of them cannot.
Risks of Heart That Cannot Be Changed
- Increasing Age- Increasing age is the important risk factor, which tends to damage your heart. At older ages, people are more likely to die due to a heart disease.
- Gender- Men have a greater risk of a heart attack than women do. Even after menopause, women stand a lesser chance of a heart disease.
- Heredity- Children whose parents have a heart disease are also more likely to develop this disease. You cannot control your age, race and sex, the same way you cannot control your family history. It is very important to control and treat your risk factors which you have inherited.
Major risks for heart, which can be modified, treated, or controlled
- Smoking
Smoking is the major risk factor involved for the heart damage or heart problem. It develops the risk for coronary heart disease for about 2 to 4 times more. Cigarette smoking is a powerful independent risk factor for the sudden cardiac death of the patient with coronary heart disease. Smoker doubles the chances of heart risk as compared to non-smoker.
- High Blood Cholesterol Level
As the blood cholesterol level rises, the heart risk also rises simultaneously. With the presence of other risk factors such as high blood pressure and tobacco smoke, the risk enhances itself even more. A person’s cholesterol level also gets affected due to certain factors like the person age, sex, heredity, and diet.
- High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure increases an extra workload on the heart, which results in causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer. It also increases the risk for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and congestive heart failure. When the high blood pressure exists with an obesity, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol level the risk of heart increase at a greater level.
- Physical Inactivity
Physical inactivity is the another important risk of the heart. A modern sedentary life style increases the risk of heart problem with a very high level. Regular exercise helps to prevent the risk of heart problems. Physical activity can help to control your blood cholesterol level, blood pressure level, diabetes, and obesity.
- Obesity
People who have an excess of body fat, especially lot of it at a waist are more likely to develop the heart disease or risk for heart. Being obese increases the hearts work. It also raises the blood pressure level, cholesterol level, diabetes and triglycerides levels. Loosing even a few pounds of weight can aid to reduce the risk of heart problems.
Other factors, which contribute to Heart Risk
The other factors which contribute to heart risk includes,
- Manage your Stress Level
The stress level can be the other important factor, which contribute to the heart risk. People go through many different types of stress such as personal life stress, health behavior stress and socio economic stress. These factors may affect the risk factors of heart. Try to manage your stress level in order to live a healthy life
- Drinking Excessive Alcohol
Drinking excessive alcohol can raise your blood pressure level, which may result in heart failure and stroke. It also contributes to the factors like cancer, irregular heartbeats, high triglycerides and other disease. In some of the cases, it also contributes to obesity, alcoholism, accidents, and suicide.
Therefore, this above-mentioned point explains that there are several factors, which contribute for the heart risk. One should take care of above risk factors in order to live a long life without any heart problems.
About the Author
Dr. Robert Nam is a well known heart specialist and has done postgraduate training in cardiology at the national heart hospital, the London chest hospital and UCL hospital, London. He was also engaged in research at the national heart and lung institute. Nowadays he is working as a consultant cardiologist at UCL hospital, London.
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