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It’s American Heart Month. And Wear Red Day…

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Originally published on February 9, 2022. Updated on February 3, 2023.


February is American Heart Month. As you get older, the risk of developing heart disease increases. It’s important to know some of the risk factors for developing heart disease, so you can attempt to improve your risks—starting now!


Several risk factors have been known to cause heart problems in both men and women. These factors usually range from factors that people can easily control to factors that are out of your control. Even if you cannot control some of these factors, knowing what they are will allow you to know how to deal with them.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure will increase the amount of work that your heart has to do. Just like all other muscles found in your body, your hard-working heart will enlarge for it to handle the extra workload. As your heart grows bigger, it will demand more oxygen-rich blood. Also, an enlarged heart can’t pump blood as required in order to maintain proper blood flow. This usually leads to heart failure if not treated.

High Blood Cholesterol

There are two main types of cholesterols in the human body. There is the good cholesterol which helps your body form cell membranes and some very essential hormones.

If your blood has too much of the bad cholesterol, which health professional refer to as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), it will lead to the formation of plaque on the walls of your arteries. This places you at a higher risk of having a heart attack.

Diabetes

There are several major types of diabetes. These include:

Type 1 diabetes: This type of diabetes occurs during childhood or during the teenage years. In recent years, evidence shows it can occur at any age. Type 1 diabetes treatment includes insulin therapy. The patient has to inject themselves with artificial insulin.

Type 2 diabetes: It is the most common type of diabetes and, in most cases, it occurs in people who are above the age of 20. In recent years, this condition has been increasing in young adults and children.

Since type 2 diabetes can go undetected for years, it usually places people at a higher risk of developing heart disease. This does not mean that people who suffer from type 1 diabetes cannot get heart problems. Two-thirds of the deaths in people with diabetes result from cardiovascular disease.

Obesity

Being overweight will increase your chances of having diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure. All these are major risk factors for heart disease.

Smoking

Smoking increases your chances of getting lung cancer. One thing that many people don’t know is that this habit can cause heart disease.

Smoking can narrow your arteries, increase your heart rate, and also can cause your heart to have an irregular heart rate. On top of all this, smoking can cause you to have increased blood pressure. All this can increase the workload on your heart.

Cigarettes contain harmful compounds. These include tar and carbon monoxide. These components lead to the build-up of plaque in your arteries. They also increase both fibrinogen and cholesterol. Fibrinogen is the material that makes your blood clot. Having increased Fibrinogen increases the chances of your blood clotting in your arteries. This can lead to a heart attack.

Smoking affects not only people who inhale the firsthand smoke. It also affects people who inhale secondhand smoke.

Gender

Men are at a higher risk of having a heart attack than women. But, for people who are above the age of 50, the chances of having a heart attack for both men and women are the same.

Heredity

People who are born in families where any of the family members had a heart problem before the age of 55 years are at a higher risk of getting heart disease. Some of the other major risk factors that can cause heart disease, such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, can be passed on to children.


Here are some other posts about heart disease.






Wear Red Day

As one of the ways to celebrate American Heart Month, you can celebrate Wear Red Day on February 3, 2023. We women can wear red to increase everyone’s awareness about cardiovascular disease. By participating, we can help save lives!




Loving Life — The Reboot!

Dominique

This article provides general information and discussion about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this article, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

It\'s American Heart Month. And Wear Red Day...

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