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 Video Resources: See the heart at work and learn more about cardiac conditions and diagnostics.
Videos courtesy of Guidant Corp.
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Heart disease affects more than 58 million Americans and remains the leading cause of death in the United States and most of the developed world.
The most common heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is caused by a narrowing or blocking of the arteries (blood vessels) that carry blood from the heart to the other organs. CAD is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. Each year, more than 500,000 Americans die of heart attacks caused by CAD.
Lifestyle changes could prevent many of these deaths because risk factors for CAD include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity--all of which can be controlled. Although medical treatments for heart disease have evolved, controlling risk factors remains key in preventing illness and death from CAD.
Risk factors are conditions that increase your risk of developing heart disease. Some can be changed and some cannot. Although these factors each increase the risk of CAD, they do not describe all the causes of coronary heart disease; even with none of these risk factors, you might still develop CAD.
Controllable risk factors include:
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Diabetes
- Stress (Although stress may be a risk factor for CHD, scientists still do not know exactly how stress might be involved in heart disease)
Copyright 2007 David DiAngelis
Uncontrollable risk factors include:
- Gender
- Heredity (family history of CHD)
- Age
Coronary Circulation:
Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that transport oxygenated blood to the heart muscle and its electrical system. There are three main arteries: one on the right side of the heart that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the muscle pumping blood flowing to the lungs (the right ventricle), and two on the left side of the heart that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the muscle pumping blood to the rest of the body (The left ventricle). The coronary circulation moves blood through the arteries and into a smaller system of blood vessels called arterioles and capillaries. As it travels through the heart, the blood leaves nutrients and oxygen in the heart and picks up wastes through the venous system, which it finally deposits in the kidneys and liver for excretion. A blocked artery thus interrupts the functioning of the entire heart muscle pumping ability and its electrical system.
When the coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged and cannot supply enough blood to the heart, the result is CAD. If not enough oxygen-carrying blood reaches the heart, the heart may respond with pain called angina
Last updated: Aug-21-07
