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Heart Disease: Know The Fac Ts About

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 600,000 Americans each year. It refers to several conditions that affect the heart, with coronary artery disease being the most common type. Risk factors include smoking, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and other conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. Symptoms vary but often include chest pain or discomfort. Diagnosis involves tests like EKGs, stress tests, and angiograms. Prevention focuses on not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, exercising regularly, and treating other conditions. Treatment involves lifestyle changes and may include medication.

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82 views2 pages

Heart Disease: Know The Fac Ts About

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 600,000 Americans each year. It refers to several conditions that affect the heart, with coronary artery disease being the most common type. Risk factors include smoking, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and other conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. Symptoms vary but often include chest pain or discomfort. Diagnosis involves tests like EKGs, stress tests, and angiograms. Prevention focuses on not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, exercising regularly, and treating other conditions. Treatment involves lifestyle changes and may include medication.

Uploaded by

karviz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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K NOW T HE FAC T S ABOU T

Heart Disease

What is heart disease? Having high cholesterol, high blood


pressure, or diabetes also can increase
Heart disease is the leading cause of
your risk for heart disease. Ask your
death in the United States. More than
doctor about preventing or treating these
600,000 Americans die of heart disease
medical conditions.
each year. That’s one in every four
deaths in this country.1 What are the signs and symptoms?

The term “heart disease” refers to several The symptoms vary depending on the
types of heart conditions. The most type of heart disease. For many people,
common type is coronary artery disease, chest discomfort or a heart attack is the
which can cause heart attack. Other first sign.
kinds of heart disease may involve the Someone having a heart attack may
valves in the heart, or the heart may not experience several symptoms, including:
pump well and cause heart failure. Some
people are born with heart disease. l Chest pain or discomfort that doesn’t
go away after a few minutes.

l Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck,


Are you at risk?
or back.
Anyone, including children, can
l Weakness, light-headedness, nausea
develop heart disease. It occurs when
(feeling sick to your stomach), or
a substance called plaque builds up in
a cold sweat.
your arteries. When this happens, your
arteries can narrow over time, reducing l Pain or discomfort in the arms
blood flow to the heart. or shoulder.

Smoking, eating an unhealthy diet, and l Shortness of breath.


not getting enough exercise all increase
If you think that you or someone you
your risk for having heart disease.
know is having a heart attack, call 9-1-1
immediately.

1
CDC: Deaths: Final Data for 2009. www.cdc.gov/nchs/
data/nvsr/nvsr60/nvsr60_03.pdf

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion


Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

1
K NOW T HE FAC T S ABOU T

Heart Disease

How is heart disease diagnosed? l Prevent or treat your other health


conditions, especially high blood
Your doctor can perform several tests pressure, high cholesterol, and
to diagnose heart disease, including diabetes.
chest X-rays, coronary angiograms,
electrocardiograms (ECG or EKG), and
exercise stress tests. Ask your doctor How is it treated?
about what tests may be right for you.
If you have heart disease, lifestyle
changes, like those just listed, can help
Can it be prevented? lower your risk for complications. Your
doctor also may prescribe medication to
You can take several steps to reduce treat the disease. Talk with your doctor
your risk for heart disease: about the best ways to reduce your heart
l Don’t smoke. CDC’s Office on Smoking disease risk.
and Health Web site has information
on quitting smoking.
For More Information:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
Learn more at the following Web sites.
l Maintain a healthy weight. CDC’s
Healthy Weight Web site includes l Centers for Disease Control and
information and tools to help you Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease
lose weight. and Stroke Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/ http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/index.htm
index.html
l Centers for Disease Control and
l Eat a healthy diet. Tips on reducing Prevention’s National Center on Birth
saturated fat in your diet are available Defects & Developmental Disabilities:
on the Web site for CDC’s Division http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/
for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and default.htm
Obesity. l American Heart Association:
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/
http://www.americanheart.org
basics/fat/saturatedfat.html
l National Heart, Lung, and Blood
l Exercise regularly. Visit CDC’s Physical
Institute:
Activity Web site for more information http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
on being active.
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/
index.html

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