An introduction to Cardiovascular Disease

Despite the advancement in the area of healthcare and the emerging health services, cardiovascular disease or CVD (Heart and blood vessel disease) remains a major challenge in India . Overall, the total problem of CVD has increased worldwide and is prevalent among Low and middle-income countries such as India. The leading cause of the emerging CVD cases in the country may be linked to the increasing population growth and aging (old age). The estimated CVD related death rates in India have risen from 155.7 to 209.1 per 100,000 between 1990 and 2016. Seemingly, this escalation in the number of CVD cases appears to be almost entirely due to population aging. However, there is considerable inconsistency in the burden of CVD across different states in India, and there are widespread variations. Interestingly, to our surprise, the healthcare system in developed countries like in the United States has evolved significantly and has experienced significant declines in age-linked CVD death due to population-wide primary prevention measures coupled with improvements in secondary and acute care. To accomplish a similar kind of development in the healthcare system and similar improvements, India also needs to implement such kind of population-level policy involvements and the establishment and assimilation of its overall health systems. Attaining widespread health coverage, as well as financial risk protection, remains an ambitious goal to help all Indians to understand their right to health. Moreover, ground-breaking research across the translational spectrum will be crucial for unbiassed CVD prevention.

RISK FACTORS WHICH CAUSE HEART DISEASE:

Several contributing factors are known to cause heart disease such as,

1. Age, remains one of the main contributing factors in the heart disease, also evidently, there is a correlation in the increasing age and the narrowing of the blood vessels (arteries) and the heart muscles got thicker or weaker with age.
2. Family history, a second factor which causes heart disease relates to the family history of any heart disease which further increases the risk of heart disease.
3. Third, Nicotine consumption also causes shrinking of blood vessels, and the carbon monoxides from the smoke can impair the vessels thus making them susceptible to the situation called atherosclerosis. Also, certain cancer therapy drugs and radiations may increase the risk of cancer. Similarly, various other factors majorly contributing to heart disease include Poor diet, High blood pressure, High blood cholesterol levels, Diabetes, Obesity, Physical inactivity and stress, Poor hygiene, etc.

COMPLICATIONS OF HEART DISEASE OR CVD:

Complications of heart disease include ailments

• Heart failure: Heart failure constitutes one of the most common problems of heart disease, and this condition occurs when our heart can’t pump a sufficient amount of blood to meet your body’s requirements. Heart failure can also arise from various forms of heart disease, including heart defects, cardiovascular disease, valvular heart disease, heart infections or cardiomyopathy, etc.,
• Heart attack: It is a condition where, a blood clot leads to the blockage of the blood flow in the blood vessel and causes heart attack, possibly by obstructing or destroying a part of the heart muscle due to insufficient supply of oxygen in the heart. For example, Atherosclerosis can cause a heart attack.
• Stroke: Cardiovascular disease can also lead to an ischemic stroke, which occurs when the arteries to our brain become narrow or blocked so that too inadequate amount of blood reaches our brain. A stroke signifies a medical emergency situation where the brain tissue begins to die within just a few minutes of a stroke.
• Sudden cardiac arrest: In this situation, there is a sudden and unexpected loss of heart function. Irregular heartbeat or rhythm is also known as arrhythmia also cause a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest is also a medical emergency. If not treated immediately, it is deadly, resulting in sudden cardiac death of the patients.

PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:

Heart disease conditions such as heart defects, can’t be prohibited. However, we can prevent many other types of heart disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle that will improve our heart function, such as

• Quit smoking.
• Control and normalize high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
• Perform, regular exercise for at least 30 minutes a day,
• To eat a healthy diet that comprises low salt and saturated fat,
• Maintain a healthy weight;
• Decrease and achieve stress management;
• Practice a good hygiene habit. Moreover, regular health checkups and proper medication play a crucial role.

Common treatments:

Some conventional treatments and options for different types of cardiovascular disease include

The medications prescribed against a cardiac event can assist in the recovery and prevent subsequent stroke or heart attack.
It should be our primary responsibility to help our loved one who is suffering from this ailment to take their medications as directed by the physician, and to educates them about the correct dose and the role of various medicines. Most importantly, it’s essential to follow the doctor’s directions carefully.

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References:

• India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative Collaborators. Nations within a nation: variations in epidemiological transition across the states of India, 1990–2016 in the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet 2017;390:2437–60.
• World Health Organization. WHO Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020. 2018. Available at: http://www.who.int/nmh/events/ ncd_action_plan/en/. Accessed April 26, 2018
• Dorairaj Prabhakaran, MD, DM,a,b Kavita Singh, MSC, PHD,a Gregory A. Roth, MD, MPH,c Amitava Banerjee, MA, MBBCH, MPH, DPHIL, d Neha J. Pagidipati, MD, MPH,e Mark D. Huffman, MD, MPHf. Cardiovascular Diseases in India Compared With the United States. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY VOL. 72, NO. 1, 2018.
• Indian Council of Medical Research, Public Health Foundation of India, and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. GBD India Compare Data Visualization. New Delhi, India: ICMR, PHFI, and IHME; 2017. Available at: http://vizhub. healthdata.org/gbd-compare/india. Accessed April 26, 2018.