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Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 1
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart
Lorena Hanson
Salt Lake Community College
Foundations of Nutrition HLTH 1020
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 2
Introduction
I have chosen heart diseases to do my paper on because after researching my
family heath history I found that my mother had heart disease, her grandmother died of
chronic vascular disease and her other grandfather died of arterial sclerosis. My father
had high blood pressure (took medication for it), a heart-attack, and had a triple bypass
because of it. His mother died of a heart-attack. Two of my five sisters have high blood
pressure but only one takes medication for it. Heart disease can run in the family or it
can be caused by a person’s lifestyle. Genetics probably plays a larger role in high
blood pressure, heart disease and other vascular conditions. (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention)
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Description
The term heart disease is a general term. It covers a number of diseases which
affect the heart. Coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and angina are a few
of them (Human Environmental Sciences Extension). Coronary artery disease (CAD)
happens when plaque builds up in the supply blood to the heart. Plaque is made up of
cholesterol deposits which accumulate in your arteries. This makes your arteries
narrow over time. This process is called atherosclerosis. Plaque buildup can cause
angina, a condition that causes chest pain or discomfort because the heart doesn’t get
enough blood. This pain may also occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back.
There are two forms of angina; stable or unstable. Stable angina happens during
physical activity, or under stress. Unstable angina happens while at rest and is a kind of
medical emergency. For some people, the first sign of coronary artery disease is a heart
attack. A heart attack happens when plaque completely blocks off an artery from the
heart. It can also happen if a plaque deposit breaks off and clots an artery. A heart
attack (also called a myocardial infarction) can also happen when a section of the heart
dies or gets damaged. Heart attacks are medical emergencies. There are also aortic
aneurysm and dissection. These are conditions where the aorta stretches (aneurism)
and ruptures (dissection). A rupture is a medical emergency. Arrhythmias are irregular
(fast or slow) heartbeats. Some of them are serious. One example is ventricular
fibrillation that leads to death unless treated right away without defibrillation (an electric
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 4
shock to the heart). Other arrhythmias are less severe, but can develop into more
serious conditions. Atrial fibrillation can cause rapid, irregular beating of the hearts
upper chambers. Blood might pool and clot inside the heart, increasing the risk for
heart attack and stroke. Cardiomyopathy happens when the heart muscle becomes
enlarged or rigid. This can lead to inadequate pumping of the heart. Cardiomyopathy
can be caused by genetics, prior heart attacks, or a viral/bacterial infection. (Center for
Disease Control and Prevention)
Symptoms
Heart diseases are as varied as heart conditions are. There are different
symptoms depending on what kind of heart disease you have. Cardiovascular disease
is caused by narrowed, blocked or stiffened vessels that prevent your heart and other
parts of your body from receiving enough blood. The symptoms are chest pain,
shortness of breath, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms (if the blood
vessels in those parts of body are narrowed). A heart arrhythmia is an abnormal
heartbeat (too fast or too slow). The symptoms include a fluttering in your chest, a
racing heartbeat (tachycardia), a slow heartbeat (bradycardia), chest pain, shortness of
breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting or near fainting.
Serious congenital heart defects (defects you’re born with) usually become
evident soon after birth. Heart defect symptoms include pale gray or blue skin color
(cyanosis), swelling in the legs, abdomen, or around the eyes, and shortness of breath
during feedings (which leads to poor weight gain). Less serious congenital heart defects
are often not diagnosed until later in childhood or even adulthood. Symptoms can
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 5
include easily becoming short of breath or tiring during exercise or activity, build up fluid
in the heart or lungs, and swelling in the hands, ankles or feet. Cardiomyopathy is the
thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle. During the early stages there are no
symptoms. As it gets worse the symptoms are breathlessness, swelling of legs, ankles
and feet, bloating of the abdomen, fatigue, irregular heartbeats that feel rapid, pounding
or fluttering, dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting. There are 3 types of heart
infections; pericarditis, which affects the tissue surrounding the heart; myocarditis,
which affects the middle layer of the walls of the heart; endocarditis, which affects the
inner membrane that separates the chambers and valves of the heart. Heart infection
symptoms are fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs or abdomen,
changes in your heart rhythm, dry or persistent cough, and skin rashes or unusual
spots.
Knowing the warning signs or symptom of a heart attack can prevent death, but
many people don’t know them. Heart attacks have several warning signs. These
include chest pain or discomfort, upper body pain or discomfort, shortness of breath,
nausea, lightheadedness, and cold sweats. You might not be diagnosed with
cardiovascular disease until your condition worsens. It might be a heart attack, angina,
stroke, or heart failure. It’s important to watch for cardiovascular symptoms and discuss
any concerns you have with your doctor. It can sometimes be found early with regular
visits with a doctor. (1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Causes
To understand heart disease, it helps to know how the heart works. Your heart is
a pump. It’s about the size of a closed fist and is located slightly left of center in your
chest. Your heart is divided into the right and left side. The right side of the heart
collects and pumps oxygen- poor blood to the lungs. The lungs make the blood rich
with oxygen and then it is pumped out by left side to all the parts of the body. Valves
within your heart keep the blood moving the right way. The continuous exchange of
oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood is part of what keeps you alive. The causes
of heart disease vary by the type of heart disease. Cardiovascular disease can refer to
many different types of heart or blood vessel problems. It really is known to mean
damage caused to your heart or blood vessels by atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty
plaques in your arteries. This is a disease that affects your arteries. Arteries are blood
vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. There
are 2 categories of risk factors for heart disease, those that can be changed and those
that can’t be changed. Changeable risk factors include hypertension, cholesterol levels,
diabetes mellitus (type II), weight, physical activity, and drug and alcohol intake.
Unchangeable risk factors include age, gender, race, and health history (both personal
and familial).
Treatment (outcome if not treated)
The goal in treating diseases of your arteries (cardiovascular disease) is
sometimes to open the narrowed arteries that cause symptoms. Depending how bad
the blockages in your arteries are treatment will include lifestyle changes. If the
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symptoms are mild or severe a doctor will suggest lifestyle changes that include eating
a low fat and low sodium diet, getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most
days of the week, quitting smoking, and limiting the amount of alcohol you drink. If
lifestyle changes aren’t enough, the doctor might prescribe medications like diuretics,
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or beta blockers, blood thinning
medications or cholesterol-lowering medications like stations. If medications aren’t
enough, it’s possible the doctor will recommend surgeries to clear the blockages. A
common procedure is angioplasty (which is performed by placing a catheter in the arm
or groin and threading a small balloon to your blocked artery. A small metal stent is
sometimes placed during angioplasty. The stent helps keep the artery open.
Sometimes coronary artery bypass is necessary. In this procedure a vein from another
part of the body (usually your leg) is used to bypass the blocked part of the artery.
(1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and research)
About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. That’s 1 in
every 4 deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
In 2009, more men died from heart disease than women. Coronary heart disease is the
most common type of heart disease, killing more than 385,000 people annually. Every
year about 715,000 Americans have a heart attack. (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention) Complications of heart disease include heart failure, heart attacks, strokes,
aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, and sudden cardiac arrest. Heart failure happens
when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Heart failure can
result from many different forms, including heart defects, cardiovascular disease,
vascular heart disease, heart infections or Cardiomyopathy. Heart attack usually occurs
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 8
because of coronary artery disease. Heart attacks happen when a blood clot blocks an
artery (a blood vessel that feeds blood to the heart muscle) when blood gets interrupted
it can damage or destroy a part of the heart. Strokes are caused by coronary artery
disease, which happens when the arteries to the brain are blocked. A stroke is an
emergency because brain tissue dies fast. Aneurysms can also be caused by coronary
artery disease. It is a serious complication that can happen anywhere in the body. It is
a bulge in the wall of an artery. If an aneurysm bursts, this is a catastrophic event.
Peripheral artery disease is caused by the same atherosclerosis that can lead to
coronary artery disease can also lead to peripheral artery disease (PAD). With PAD the
extremities (legs) don’t get enough blood, and this causes pain when walking. Sudden
cardiac arrest is the sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, breathing and
consciousness. If it is not treated immediately, it is fatal.
Prevention
Some types of heart disease can’t be prevented, like heart defects, can’t be
prevented. However, you can help prevent many other types of heart diseases by
making the same lifestyle changes that can improve heart disease. (1998-2013 Mayo
Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 9
Effects of diet
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, it is important to
establish healthy lifestyle habits early in life, such as healthy eating patterns in order to
keep the risk of heart disease low. According to the American Heart Association,
everyone over the age of 2, children as well as adults, should limit their cholesterol
intake to reduce their risk of heart disease. They have also said that obesity is a threat
to adults and children alike (The Healthy Refrigerator – Heart of the Matter).
Cholesterol is not all bad. It is needed for nerves and the spinal cord. It needs
to be controlled though, because it’s major cause of the plaque that clogs arteries.
There are some different types of cholesterol. There are two that you will hear about
most are HDL and LDL.HDL is “High Density Lipoprotein” and it doesn’t clog arteries,
and carries out some of the bad cholesterol. So its considered the “good” cholesterol.
LDL is “Low Density Lipoprotein” and it’s considered the “bad” cholesterol. This is the
kind that clogs arteries. (University Of Missouri Extension)
Effects of activity and exercise
Being physically inactive is as bad for you as having high blood cholesterol, high
blood pressure or cigarette smoking. Health experts agree that at least 30 minutes of
physical activity each day will reduce the risk of chronic heart disease. Over 37% of
high school students spend 3 or more hours watching television. Being physically
inactive is more common among women than men. Blacks and Hispanics are less likely
to be physically active than Caucasians. (The Healthy Refrigerator- Heart of the Matter)
Family Health History Study on Diseases of the Heart 10
Unrelieved stress can damage your arteries. Washing your hands regularly can help to
prevent viral or bacterial infections. Poor dental health may contribute to heart disease
too. (1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Research)
Conclusion
There is more to heart disease than I was aware of. Like studies show that
heart diseases start in childhood. Coronary heart disease is the number one killer of
women and men. Every 33 seconds an American will have some kind of coronary event
and die from it. Heredity is not a controllable factor but does play a risk in heart disease.
Children of parents with heart disease are more than likely to develop heart disease too.
(The Healthy Refrigerator-Heart of the Matter)
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References
The Healthy Refrigerator – Heart of the Matter – Facts About Heart Disease
2009, Atlanta, Georgia www.healthyfridge.org/factsaboutheartdisease.html
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www.extension.missouri.edu/hesfn/heartfacts.htm
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, Georgia
www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm
www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/signs symptoms.htm
www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/coronary d.htm
www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart attack.htm
www.cdc.gov/heatdisease/other conditions.htm
www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
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DS1120
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