Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. Diseases under the heart disease umbrella include blood vessel diseases, such as coronary artery disease; heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias); and heart defects you're born with (congenital heart defects), among others.
- Heart disease is also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD) and includes illnesses associated with the heart and vessels.
- There are many types of heart disease, including: hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary heart disease (heart attack), and cerebrovascular disease (stroke).
- 1 in 3 US adults has high blood pressure, and men are about 30% less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year. Encourage your dad to get his blood pressure checked. You could be saving his life! Sign up for I Heart Dad.
- An estimated 17.9 million people died worldwide from cardiovascular diseases in 2016, representing 31% of all global deaths.
- In the US, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups.
- About 647,000 people die from heart disease every year in the US. That’s 1 in 4 Americans.
- Heart attacks occur when oxygen-rich blood is blocked and can’t flow to the heart. The section of the heart devoid of oxygen begins to die if the flow isn’t restored in a sufficient amount of time.
- A person who is about to have a heart attack may exhibit these symptoms: pain or discomfort (in chest, arms, shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back), shortness of breath, and nausea or vomiting.
- In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.
- Heart attacks and strokes CAN be avoided. 80% of them are preventable by avoiding tobacco use, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet, and regularly checking blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids.
- On average, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and controlling blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can add 10 years to a person’s lifespan.