(NewsNation) — Heart disease is a condition that plagues many Americans, with one person dying from it every 33 seconds.
In 2022, it was the cause of death for 1 in 5 Americans. However, several observable risk factors can help ensure prevention.
Per the CDC’s 2022 data, it is the leading cause of death in the United States with 702,880 in that year ahead of cancer 608,371. Per its provisional 2023 data, it was also the leading cause of death.
What causes heart disease?
Heart disease is a broad reference to multiple heart conditions. The most common is coronary artery disease; which disrupts blood flow to the heart.
This decrease in blood flow is the most common cause of heart attacks.
Several risk factors significantly contribute to one’s likelihood of having heart disease. These include high blood pressure, smoking and high blood cholesterol. Per the CDC, 47% of Americans have at least one of three.
How can heart disease be prevented?
Individuals are encouraged to discontinue smoking if they have not already. It causes damage to blood vessels and subsequently heightens the possibility of heart disease.
Regular physical activity, specifically 2.5 hours of moderate intensity per week, according to the Surgeon General.
Obesity is a contributor to heart disease, and in addition to exercise, the CDC recommends limited amounts of foods rich in saturated and trans fat.
Similarly, restricting sodium, sugar and alcohol is advised to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and blood sugar levels respectively.
In addition to these measures, checking one’s cholesterol, blood pressure and managing diabetes and medicines are suggested by the CDC.
Is heart disease becoming more common?
Cardiovascular disease is not just an American issue, it is the leading cause of death worldwide.
Despite promises from the American Heart Association (AHA) that its goal for the 2020s was to decrease heart disease deaths by 20%, this has not occurred thus far.
Instead, its forecast is that heart disease will largely increase by 2050 to whereby 6 in 10 adults will live and die with heart disease.
As cited by Stat, cardiovascular disease has trended upward since 2020 after a near-linear decrease from 2000 to 2019.
“Heart failure is more prevalent now than it was in the past, and it’s more prevalent because of the successes of cardiovascular care, particularly around myocardial infarction and hypertension,” Sean Pinney, chief of cardiology at Mount Sinai Morningside told the outlet.
“There are more baby boomers alive, and therefore there are more baby boomers who also have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.”
Beyond this sentiment, some believe heart disease could be less prevalent if greater care for implementation existed.
Patients themselves know that obesity is bad. Patients themselves know that high blood pressure, high cholesterol is bad, but they just don’t take on active participation until they’re sick,” Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine told Stat.
