Current Insights into Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among industrialized countries and is projected to be the leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. The greatest advancement in recent cardiovascular research has been the identification of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Modification of these individual risk factors is now the focus of treatment and prevention and this has significantly improved cardiovascular health.

Although modification of these cardiovascular risk factors has decreased occurrence and progression, there have been notable increases at varying rates worldwide. There is now more interest in developing approaches to address the causes of risk factors in non-western countries.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

The primary cardiovascular disease risk factors are:

• Smoking - childhood adversity is linked to unhealthy behaviors later, particularly to smoking. A Duke University study found that “worries about paying bills or needing to sell possessions for cash independently erode a child's self-control, regardless of strong parenting.” That lack of self-control often leads to smoking.
• High blood pressure – Normal blood pressure is 120/80 or lower. Culprits for an unhealthy blood pressure are poor sleep habits, high salt intake, high sugar intake, and smoking.
• High blood cholesterol - High cholesterol is when you have too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood. It's primarily caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol.
• High blood sugar (diabetes) - Is most often caused by eating too many carbohydrates and lack of exercise.
• Obesity and overweight – Physiologically, obesity is caused by greater food intake than the body needs for energy to operate properly. The surplus energy is stored by the body as fat.
• Physical inactivity - when you don't move your body for long periods of time it is unhealthy. Being physically active doesn't mean you need to join a gym or run a marathon. It only means that you move your body regularly.
• Stress - stress can cause higher levels of inflammation in the body that contribute to increases in plaque buildup in the arteries, and that can lead to coronary artery disease,

Cardiovascular risk factors are most often determined by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, and are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels.

Social Interaction and Cardiovascular Disease

Multiple studies indicate that social connection, which seeks to capture the presence of strong social bonds and the absence of latent social conflict, was found to be directly associated with more general physical health. Participation in recreational programs, games, shared meals, and other common interests can even trump risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

It is known that people who are more socially connected live longer. They are at reduced risk for earlier death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease. Other research shows that having poor social relationships is associated with a 29% increased risk for coronary heart disease and a 32% increased risk for stroke.

You might have a lot of family and friends and not feel close. The relationships that make the difference are those with people that you trust and feel connected to.

Dr. Bell Washington, an American Psychiatric Association delegate and psychiatrist in North Carolina says “You might have a lot of superficial social connections, but what you really want is something deeper—someone to know you on the inside,” she said. “It's really based on perception of the difference between the relationship you'd like and the relationship that you have with others.”

Taking Responsibility for your Health

Once given the information, it is up to each individual to make choices that reduce their risk for heart disease. Be willing to put your health first. Ask for help from family and friends. Reach out to your doctors and your community. The more we all connect and share information, the better it is for everyone.

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