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1. HEART DISEASE
Causes, Risks, and Treatment

2. Introduction
• Coronary disease is the leading cause of death of both
men and women in the United States with 600,000 people
dying annually.
• There are about 715,000 heart attacks in America each
year with 525,000 of them being a person's first heart
attack.

3. Introduction
• The rest consists of second and third attacks. Immediate
treatment of early warning signs of heart attacks greatly
increases the chance of survival.
• Reducing coronary disease risks through monitoring blood
pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and not smoking are also
effective ways to help prevent heart attacks.

4. Types of Heart Disease
• There are many different types of heart disease including
coronary artery disease, abnormal heart rhythms, heart
failure, heart valve disease, cardiomyopathy, pericardial
disease, aorta disease, and vascular disease.
• The diseases affect different parts of the heart but can all
lead to heart failure and death.

5. Causes of Coronary Artery Disease
• Coronary artery disease is the hardening of the arteries in
the heart due to fatty, calcified plaques being deposited in
the arteries.
• This is called atherosclerosis. Eventually these arteries
can no longer provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart or
become clogged due to a small blood clot, causing a
heart attack.
• This is the most common type of coronary disease and
cause of heart attacks.

6. Causes of Coronary Artery Disease
• Heart disease is a genetic condition and those with a
family history of heart attacks are more predisposed to
them.
• It is also linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
obesity, smoking, stress, and lack of exercise.

7. Treatment
• Treatment of heart attacks varies by the type of disease
leading to the attack.
• Victims are immediately hospitalized in coronary care
units and are under observation for at least 36 hours.
• They are given a painkiller, a vasodilator to help open up
the arteries, a beta-adrenergic blocker to relax the heart,
and aspirin to reduce further clotting of the blood.

8. Treatment
• In some cases, emergency surgery is the only option for a
heart attack patient to remove a clot in an artery or to
bypass the blocked artery completely.
• If a patient experiences an arrhythmia where the heart
begins to beat erratically, they are given an electric shock
to the chest to attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm.

9. Treatment
• Heart attack survivors are told to start moving and engage
in gentle exercise as soon as possible to avoid further
blood clotting.
• They are also told to take aspirin daily to thin the blood
and help prevent clotting.
• Surgical methods can also help clear the plaque out of
arteries or bypass the clogged artery.

10. Prevention
• There are several risk factors that are directly linked to
coronary disease. Smokers have over twice the risk of
having a heart attack compared to non-smokers.
• A diet low in cholesterol also significantly reduces the risk
of disease as does keeping blood pressure at healthy
levels.
• Exercise also greatly decreases disease levels and can
help prevent obesity.

11. Prevention
• Even low intensity exercise such as gardening or walking
can help.
• Good nutrition is one of the easiest ways to prevent
coronary disease. A diet that is low in fat and cholesterol
and high in vitamins and antioxidants will lower risk
significantly.