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Coronary Heart Disease?
How can the term "risk factor" be explained? What are some behavioral risk factors for coronary heart disease?
I understand that the first symptom of coronary heart disease may be a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest. This is why medical professionals use screening tests to detect the presence and severity of coronary disease before it causes problems or sends an individual to an emergency department with severe symptoms.
Thanks in advance :)
6 Answers
- gangadharan nairLv 71 decade agoFavourite answer
Coronary artery disease involves impairment of blood flow through the coronary arteries, most commonly by atheromas. Clinical presentations include silent ischemia, angina pectoris, acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina, MI), and sudden cardiac death. Diagnosis is by symptoms, ECG, stress testing, and sometimes coronary angiography. Prevention consists of modifying reversible risk factors (eg, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, physical inactivity, obesity, and smoking). Treatment includes drugs and procedures to reduce ischemia and restore or improve coronary blood flow.
The following are confirmed independent risk factors for the development of CAD:
1. Hypercholesterolemia (specifically, serum LDL concentrations)
2. Smoking
3. Hypertension (high systolic pressure seems to be most significant in this regard)
4. Hyperglycemia (due to diabetes mellitus or otherwise)
5. Type A Behavioural Patterns, TABP. Added in 1981 as an independent risk factor after a majority of research into the field discovered that TABP's were twice as likely to exhibit CAD than any other personality type.
6. Hemostatic Factors: High levels of fibrinogen and coagulation factor VII are associated with an increased risk of CAD. Factor VII levels are higher in individuals with a high intake of dietary fat. Decreased fibrinolytic activity has been reported in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.
7. Hereditary differences in such diverse aspects as lipoprotein structure and that of their associated receptors, homocysteine processing/metabolism, etc.
Significant, but indirect risk factors include:
* Lack of exercise
* Stress
* Diet rich in saturated fats
* Diet low in antioxidants
* Obesity
* Men over 60; Women over 65
Risk factors can be classified as
1. Fixed: age, sex, family history
2. Modifiable: smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, etc.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_disea... http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/00... http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec07/ch073/ch073a.html# http://www.medicinenet.com/heart_disease/article.h... - Anonymous5 years ago
Coronary disease refers to disease of the coronary arteries (which supply the heart with blood) while heart disease could refer to a wide variety of conditions, such as an enlarged heart or an arrythmia.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
You MUST REMEMBER this.
Risk factors are NOT CAUSES. Look into CAUSES of coronary artery disease.
Having elevated blood sugar, homocysteine , insulin, and inflammation are CAUSAL.
Cholesterol does NOT cause heart disease.
Source(s): Mark Sisson's extensive research into human evolutionary biology. The PRIMAL BLUEPRINT http://www.marksdailyyapple.com/ - 1 decade ago
risk factor are those things that conrtibutes to the developing or worsening of a diseases. Smoking is such , another one is lack of exercise, poor diet--high cholesterol, salt etc. Another thing is is your race, weight, etc. However, there are also what is known as modificable risk factor, these are those which you can control versus those that you cannot.
