Heart Disease

Keeping your heart healthy is one of the most important things you can do. To do this you must start this at a very young age. Although you may not have a heart disease at a young age the decisions you make then will affect you later in life.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

*Men over 35

*High Cholesterol

*Family history of Heart Disease

*Diabetes

*High Blood Pressure

*Smoking

*Sedentary Lifestyle

*Being Overweight

**If you have any of these factors you are at a greater risk of getting a heart disease.

Heart Attack

A heart attack occurs when blood supply to part of the heart is severely reduced or stopped. Some of the warning signs of a heart attack are:

*Uncomfortable pressure fullness, squeezing or pain in the center lasting more than a few minutes.

*Pain spreading to shoulders, neck, or arms

*Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.

Not all of these signs occur in every heart attack, but if they do you need to get to a doctor fast!

Coronary Disease

Arteriosclerosis, or the build-up of plaque in the arteries is the number one killer of Americans each year. Each year for 150,000 people their heart attack is their first and only symptom of heart disease. This is why early detection of heart disease is so important. Most people experience heart disease in their late 50’s. Symptoms are.......

*Shortness of breath upon exertion

*Chest pains, or tightness

*Dizziness

*Feeling of nausea and sweats

Artery Bypass Surgery

picture of a blocked artery that

causes a heart attack

This is the most common type of heart surgery. Artery Bypass Surgery, or open heart surgery is performed on blocked or narrowed arteries.

Tests to Diagnose Heart Disease

*resting electrocardiogram

*chest X-ray

*Hoter monitor(electrocardiogram for ambulance)

*echodardiogram

*exercise stress test

Works Cited

http://www.coloradoheart.com/chfaq.htm

http://www.ctsa.com/html/cabg.html

http://ww.amhrt.org/

http://www.reg.uci.edu/UCI/CARDIOLOGY/PREVENTIVE/FACTS/

risk.html

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