Risk factors in cardiovascular disease

Smoking, Hypertension and an increased too in blood cholesterol (hyper-cholesterol) are the main risk factors of vascular diseases. These different risk factors acting mainly on the arteries, especially in the heart arteries. They are responsible for training the arteries walls, the plates consist of deposits of fats, called plates aterom which disturb circulation by reducing the intake of blood from the heart. The walls of arteries disease is called atherosclerosis.

Adding to the same person has several risk factors (smoking, stress, hypertension, alcoholism, etc..) Increases the risk for emergence of cardiovascular disease. The effect of these associations is amplified, meaning it does not correspond to a simple arithmetic sum.

Harmful effects of smoking are numerous and known. Tobacco has a damaging action on the lungs (chronic bronchitis, cancer bronco-lung), and the cardiovascular system. He favors the development of atherosclerosis, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. The risk of myocardial infarction is twice as big a smoker and is even more important as the quantity of tobacco consumed is larger. If a person stops smoking, are needed for many years that the risk to fall to a level Nepusa.

Hypertension, which corresponds to an abnormal increase of pressure in arteries, is frequently encountered disease, which increases the risk for insufficient oxygenation of cardiac muscle by reducing or stopping blood circulation in one or more arteries of the heart (i-schematic heart). The risk is proportional to arterial pressure increase.

This disease is favored and a factor for developing atherosclerosis and cause the heart to a hypertrophy of the left ventricle which has as consequence an increase in oxygen needs.

Abnormal increase of the cholesterol in the blood, called hyper-cholesterol may be responsible for developing coronary atherosclerosis, the production cardiac-phaty stroke and even a myocardial infarction.

Consider cholesterol increased if override value 2g / l. Cardiovascular risk becomes significant when cholesterol levels are above 2.5 g / l.

And other factors can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. Diabetes, characterized by levels of sugar in the blood (glycemi on inedible) higher than 1.4 g / l increase twice the risk for development of heart disease compared with people without diabetes.

Obesity and excessive sedentariness associated with other risk factors (hypertension, hyper-cholesterol, diabetes), are also risk factors for i-schematic coronary disease.

Instead, the practice of regular physical activity seems to have a protective role regarding the development of atherosclerosis. Although it is difficult to demonstrate scientifically, it seems that stress, especially as related to professional life, is involved in atherosclerosis development, particularly at the coronary arteries. This factor seems especially important to some people considered hyperactive.

Numerous studies have stressed the links between food and cardiovascular disease. Some suggest that the risk of myocardial infarction is reduced in the situation where nutrition is rich in fiber, that is in fruits in vegetables, especially in cereals. Others evoke protective effect of long-term, the fish, which improves the level of circulating blood fats and decreases arterial pressure. Finally, moderate alcohol consumption, particularly wine, reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, especially myocardial infarction.

Finally, other risk factors seem to play a secondary role in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. It is especially abnormal increase in the level of acid in the blood (hyperuricaemia) and some metabolic disorders (eg, those relating to calcium).

Knowing the main risk factors of cardiovascular disease allows a change way of life, preventing the emergence or worsening them. Do not smoke, regular practice of sport activities, compliance with a healthy diet are all measures likely to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.