Nowadays, we each know at least one person who has lived after having a heart attack or has died from a heart attack. My family and friends know of individuals who meet both criteria. Also, my great-grandfather died from a massive heart attack when I was little. My sister passed away from a heart attack this year. My dad’s cousin has had multiple heart attacks and still lives. The deaths caused me some concern. I soon wanted to know my family history and learn more about what those in my family were dying from. I started researching my family history and building a genealogy tree. Then, I noticed that there were a lot of people in my family on both sides who had died from a cardiac event, myocardial Infarction (heart attack) for the most part. This eye-opening experience has pushed me to learn more about a healthy heart. This post will guide you through some interesting facts I found while researching how to guide myself toward an improvement in my own heart health.
Heart Health Figures For Perspective
I never knew that there were so many different forms of Cardiovascular diseases. The majority of what I knew revolved around either a hole in the heart or heart attacks. Based on what I have read so far, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) take an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. They are classified as a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes. One-third of these deaths occur in people under the age of 70. Can you believe that! I was shocked to see these horrifying numbers. Let’s dive into the two most common forms of CVD: Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack.
Cardiac Arrest
Did you know that 9 out of 10 people who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die and often die within minutes? Cardiac Arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly. Think of it as an electrical shortage. An electrical failure of the heart triggers it and causes an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia. Symptoms of a cardiac arrest include unresponsive, unable to breathe or gasping for air, sudden collapse, no pulse, or loss of consciousness.
Cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the US. It will cause about 300,000 to 450,000 deaths in the US each year. You never know how an illness can affect you or your family till you experience it. Granted, cardiac arrest can affect any person and happen at any age. An excellent example of this is the sudden cardiac arrest of Damar Hamlin during a live football game. Half of the cardiac arrests happen to people who do not know they have a heart problem.
Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to the heart is blocked. Cardiac Arrest is an electrical issue within the heart, whereas a heart attack is mechanical. Fatty cholesterol deposits build up in your arteries and create “plaque.” This can cause your arteries to become totally blocked, preventing blood from flowing to portions of the heart. If this continues, over time, the artery can begin to die. Symptoms are subtle and can go undetected as they creep up slowly. Sometimes, these symptoms can last for days or weeks before the attack. Due to the subtly, many people dismiss the warning signs.
What causes your heart to generate this fatty cholesterol build-up to occur? Our lifestyle, for one, unfortunately, is to blame. Back in the day, we used to live such an active lifestyle. However, times have changed. Our lives have turned into a sedentary lifestyle with the invention of new tools and technology that help make our lives easier. Essentially, we became “lazy” as new technology has simplified our lives. No offense to the technology, but now we must shift our focus to becoming more active again. Other causes of heart attacks are due to coronary artery spasms, infections, or spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
Regular physical activity, such as walking, has been recognized as a simple yet effective strategy to promote cardiovascular health. Walking is a low-impact exercise accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels. We will explore the numerous benefits of walking for cardiovascular health and highlight the importance of incorporating this activity into our daily routines.
Conclusion
I have learned a lot while exploring more about CVDs, which has led me to wonder what else I can do to help myself achieve a healthier heart. Feel free to visit the American Heart Association’s website to learn how to be an angel to someone suffering a cardiac arrest or heart attack. We will be doing more articles in the future showcasing more heart health activities you can do. Go to our Cut to the Tales section to see what else we have been up to lately.