Cardiology - Heart Hero

Cardiovascular Disease

Each year, some 600,000 Americans die from coronary heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease affect close to 60 million people. Heart attack and its cause, coronary heart disease, is the single largest killer of American men and women. But there are steps to take that will help bring the number of these deaths down, beginning with learning the facts.

The facts are staggering: More than 40 percent of the people who experience a heart attack in a given year will die of it.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease includes diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Heart and blood vessel problems develop over time and occur when arteries that supply blood to the heart or brain slowly become clogged from a buildup of cells, fat and cholesterol. This buildup is called plaque. When the blood flow becomes blocked by extensive amounts of plaque or a blood clot, a heart attack or stroke could result.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the part of the heart muscle called the myocardium becomes severely reduced or stopped. If the blood supply is cut off for a length of time, muscle cells suffer irreversible injury and die. Disability or death can result, depending on the extent of heart muscle that is damaged.

Every 29 seconds, an American will suffer a coronary event, and every minute someone will die from one, often because they didn't recognize the warning symptoms.