Cardiovascular Health 1 Hypertension refers to abnormally high blood pressure a Causes i Genetic ii Environmental b Consequences i Heart disease ii Stroke can damage blood vessels in the brain iii Kidney failure blood vessel in the kidney will be damaged iv Eye damage can lead to blindness in some cases v Cognitive problems 1 Learning and memory 2 Abstract reasoning 3 Attention c Prevalence 33 of US adults i One third of that third doesn t know that they have hypertension 2 CAD and CHD a Definitions i Coronary artery disease refers to damage to the coronary arteries 1 Precursor to CHD ii Coronary heart disease refers to damage to the myocardium heart tissue b Causes i Arteriosclerosis hardening of the arteries ii Atherosclerosis formation of plaque in the arteries c Consequences of CAD and CHD i Ischemia shortages of oxygen and nourishment to the heart causes restriction of blood flow ii Angina pectoris pain that radiates to the chest and arm due to temporary shortages of oxygen and nourishment to the heart 1 Occurs over time usually as a symptom of ischemia iii Myocardial Infarction Heart attack 1 Less effective heart contractions or heartbeat is disrupted due to severe deprivation of oxygen and nourishment to the heart a Scar tissue will cause less effective heart functioning b Can lead to death d Prevalence i 785 000 new cases each year ii First major cause of death in the US 1 1 of every 4 deaths 2 1 3 of the deaths due to heart attack are considered premature that is they occur sooner than you d expect in a person s life expectancy 3 Stroke damage to the brain from a lack of oxygen a Causes i Atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis ii Hypertensions 1 There are other causes but we are focusing on those related to cardiovascular health b Consequences i Motor problems ii Social problems 1 Will happen on the opposite side of the body that the stroke occurred on a Ex stroke on the right side of the brain difficulty moving the left side of the body 1 More people survive strokes than die 2 Usually need to become more dependent on family members because of their new physical limitations Can cause tension and changes in social structure iii Cognitive problems 1 Left side communication disorders 2 Right side Processing visual information iv Emotional problems 1 Left side Show anxiety and depression 2 Right side show emotional flatness seem rather unaffected v Death c Prevalence i 795 000 people have a stroke each year 1 Fifth major cause of death in the US a Has been falling in recent years 4 Changing Rates of Cardiovascular Disease a CVD is a modern disease i People didn t live long enough to develop it in the pat ii More sedentary lifestyles and poorer diet contribute heavily iii Didn t become a big issue until the 20th century b Cardiovascular deaths HAVE been declining though i More treatment options ii Prevention options to prevent cardiovascular deaths iii Research 1 Seen a decline in the rates of tobacco use smoking which has influenced and decreased the rates of CVD 5 Risk Factors a Why is it important to be aware of risk factors i Prevention is better than trying to fix a problem that s already happened b Inherent risks positive correlation between age and chances of dying i Age from CVD disease are more likely to die from CVD ii Family history people with a family history of cardiovascular 1 May be due to genes and environmental interaction rate of CVD in men is higher but men have an earlier iii Gender onset 1 Approx 10 years earlier than women 2 May be due to a Diet b Less likely to seek social support so more stress c More men smoke and drink than women 3 Women have later onset but the disease is more dangerous than it is in men a 50 of women will die from their first heart attack only 30 of men will die b 25 of men will die in year after but 38 of women 4 Men are more likely than women to die of strokes iv Ethnic Background 1 African Americans have 2x greater risk for CVD than European Americans a Not genetic more likely related to socioeconomic factors v Hypertension Best predictor of Cardiovascular Disease vi Serum Cholesterol Level 1 High Density Lipoprotein Good cholesterol protects against CVD 2 Low Density lipoprotein Bad cholesterol deposits in arteries helps cause CVD 3 To determine risk will look at total cholesterol and compare it to the LDL vii Problems in glucose metabolism 1 Problems in glucose metabolism are damaging to arteries a Increases risk for CVD 2 Metabolic syndrome diabetes viii Inflammation a Ex Gingivitis ix Smoking 1 Chronic inflammation may increase the risk for CVD 1 3 x more likely to have a heart attack or stroke 2 When quit risk drops quick ly x Weight Diet 1 Obesity is a risk factor because it affects other risk factors i e high blood pressure exercises glucose metabolism etc 2 Abdominal fat may be a risk factor 3 Diets a Low sodium diets REDUCE risk b Diets high in potassium REDUCE risk c High fruit and vegetable intake is protective d Some fish REDUCE risk xi Physical Activity 1 Low physical activity increases risk 2 Physical activity reduces abdominal fat blood pressure increase blood glucose metabolism xii SES 1 Lower SES is a risk factor for CVD xiii Social Support xiv Psychological Problems 1 Having little social support is a risk factor for CVD 2 Marriage generally provides social support but needs to be a good marriage for it to count as a preventative measure 1 Stress anxiety and depression are risk factors a Stress heart attacks strokes b Anxiety heart attacks c Depression heart attacks strokes 2 Difficult to asses these different constructs because they are so similar 3 May develop in childhood and continue to a progression 4 Helplessness pessimism and rumination dwelling on a problem are also risk factors xv Hostility and Anger 1 Type A personality a Actually not related to cardiovascular disease but once believed to be 2 Cynical hostility relates to CVD a Suspicious lots of resentment antagonistic distrust of others b Higher rates in i Men ii Non European iii Low SES 3 Expressed anger AND suppressed anger are risk factors a Best to acknowledge anger in a calm quiet controlled fashion 6 Preventing Heart Attacks a Lower blood pressure i Medication most common strategy 1 Used mostly for hypertension ii Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Relaxation 1 Theory Lower the levels of arousal will be calmer and blood pressure will not be as high iii Have people lose weight iv Anger management b Lower cholesterol i Medication ii Dietary changes