5 Common Causes of Heart Disease
March 17th, 2009 -- Posted in Causes of Heart Disease | No Comments »Heart disease is a serious condition that mainly affects the normal functioning of the heart. The heart is responsible for the supply of blood in the arteries to be distributed to the whole body system. It receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and distributes it to the organs and other parts of the body through the network of blood vessels.
Because of the important function of the heart, any malfunction will cause an effect to the body as a whole. This is the reason why heart disease causes majority of deaths all over the world. Although there are a lot of heart diseases, the most common is coronary artery disease, which obviously affects the coronary artery of the heart. There are many causes of heart disease all rooting to the risk factors associated with it. Risk factors are classified according to two namely, the major and contributing. Here are some of the risk factors that cause heart disease:
1 High levels of cholesterol in the blood. This is the major risk factor for development of heart disease. Cholesterol, specifically low density lipoproteins, when taken in excessive amounts will cause deposition in the arterial walls. These cholesterols form plaque that impedes circulation.
2 Hypertension. Hypertension or high blood pressure is also a major risk factor for the development of heart disease. With an increased blood pressure, the cardiac workload is also increased, sometimes causing ineffective pumping and inadequate blood supply.
3 Obesity. Obesity is never removed from the major risk factors of heart diseases. Obesity does not only cause heart diseases but also other illnesses as well.
4 Genes. Experts have found out that certain heart diseases are genetic in origin. This means that if a family member is diagnosed with a heart disease, chances are, most members will also get the disease in time and can be passed on to the next generation.
5 Stress. Too much stress is a contributing risk factor for heart disease. Although the exact mechanism has not been proven yet, stress in any form should be handled appropriately. In general, we all have different reactions with stress. The ability to handle stress varies in every person; therefore, to be able to avoid heart diseases, you need to know how to manage your everyday stress.