Heart Health

As cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death and illness, the heart is probably the most important muscle/organ in the body. The heart serves the role of delivering oxygenated blood to the brain, vital organs, and muscles of the body. The risk of heart disease becomes more of a problem between the ages of 40-60. The heart like the other muscles of the body starts to malfunction because of a poor blood supply (atherosclerosis). In fact, a heart attack is caused by a blockage of a coronary artery that leads to muscle death and potential arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death. The heart is preserved by placing a stent in the blocked vessel or replacing it with a venous graft (CABG- coronary artery bypass graft). The goal of heart health is to prevent the blockage in the first place. So what are the risk factors for coronary vascular disease (CVD)?

In 1948, the National Heart Institute started a landmark study in Framingham, Massachusetts. 5,209 men and women between the ages 30 and 62 were followed every 2 years to identify those who died of heart attacks and the associated risks factors. In 1971, a second generation of 5,124 patients were enrolled. In 2002, the third generation was enrolled and is currently being followed. A couple other diverse groups have also been enrolled in 1994 and 2004. Below are the major findings of the study so far...

1960 Cigarette smoking found to increase the risk of heart disease

1961 Cholesterol level, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram abnormalities found to increase the risk of heart disease

1967 Physical activity found to reduce the risk of heart disease and obesity to increase the risk of heart disease

1970 High blood pressure found to increase the risk of stroke

1976 Menopause found to increase the risk of heart disease

1978 Psychosocial factors found to affect heart disease

1988 High levels of HDL cholesterol found to reduce risk of death

1994 Enlarged left ventricle (one of two lower chamber of the heart) shown to increase the risk of stroke

1996 Progression from hypertension to heart failure described

1998 Development of simple coronary disease prediction algorithm involving risk factor categories to allow physicians to predict multivariate coronary heart disease risk in patients without overt CHD

1999 Lifetime risk at age 40 years of developing coronary heart disease is one in two for men and one in three for women

2001 High-normal blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the need to determine whether lowering high-normal blood pressure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2002 Lifetime risk of developing high blood pressure in middle-aged adults is 9 in 10.

2002 Obesity is a risk factor for heart failure.

2004 Serum aldosterone levels predict future risk of hypertension in non-hypertensive individuals.

2005 Lifetime risk of becoming overweight exceeds 70 percent, that for obesity approximates 1 in 2.

2006 The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health announces a new genome-wide association study at the Framingham Heart Study in collaboration with Boston University School of Medicine to be known as the SHARe project (SNP Health Association Resource).

Over the next several weeks, I will discuss the following risk factors of cardiovascular disease: Hypertension (high blood pressure), Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), inactivity, and obesity. Stay Tuned!