Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

16 Preventive Medicine
FORMS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
ANEURYSM
ARRHYTHMIA
BUNDLE BRANCH BLOCK
cerebral vascular disease
(STROKE)
ENDOCARDITIS
HEART FAILURE
HYPERTENSION
ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE (IHD)
MYOCARDITIS
PERICARDITIS
primary PULMONARY
HYPERTENSION
RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE
VALVULAR HEART DISEASE
ANGINA PECTORIS
ATHEROSCLEROSIS
CARDIOMYOPATHY
CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD)
HEART ATTACK
HYPERLIPIDEMIA
INTERMITTENT CLAUDICATION
LONG QT SYNDROME
(LQTS)
PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE
(PVD)
RAYNAUD’S SYNDROME
SICK SINUS SYNDROME
WOLFF-PARKINSON-WHITE
SYNDROME
• WEIGHT LOSS AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT programs
• nutrition and dietary education that emphasizes
eating habits high in fruits, vegetables, and
whole grain products with fewer highly
processed and fried foods
• encouraging daily physical exercise through
education and activities organized through
schools, workplaces, and community organizations
• cholesterol screening with lifestyle modifications
and lipid-lowering medications, as appropriate,
to maintain healthy levels, and
aggressive therapeutic interventions for people
who have high blood cholesterol
• BLOOD PRESSURE checks to detect and treat HYPER-
TENSION
• DIABETES screening programs, as CVD is a leading
complication of diabetes and many of the
same lifestyle factors contribute to both health
problems
Medical interventions can further reduce the
effects of lifestyle factors to lower the risk for cardiovascular
disease. These interventions may
include lipid-lowering medications to reduce CHO-
LESTEROL BLOOD LEVELS, antihypertensive medications
to lower blood pressure, anti-arrhythmia
medications to regulate the beating of the heart,
and CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT (CABG) to
replace arteries supplying the heart with blood
that are clogged with vascular debris (arterial
plaque).
Prevention guidelines established in 2004 take
the preventive role of medications a step further,
recommending that most people who have heart
attacks take a “statin” medication afterward to
prevent subsequent heart attacks. Statins belong
to the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor family of
drugs that came into widespread use in the 1990s
as lipid-lowering medications. Extensive longitudinal
studies (studies over time involving varied
populations) conducted in several countries,
including the United States, demonstrated the further
ability of statins to significantly reduce the
risk for heart attack in people who have already
experienced one or more heart attacks, even
when blood cholesterol levels are within hearthealthy
ranges.
Because many people do not know they have
cardiovascular disease until they have heart
attacks or strokes, statin therapy becomes a significant
preventive measure for future heart conditions.
However, statins deplete COENZYME Q10, an
important antioxidant that has powerful antiinflammatory
actions. Taking a coenzyme Q10
supplement while on statin therapy helps restore
this vital substance. Many people also benefit from
ASPIRIN THERAPY, which provides a mild anticoagulant
effect to reduce the risk for blood clots.
LEARN THE WARNING SIGNS OF
HEART ATTACK AND HOW TO RESPOND
Health experts recommend that all adults learn
the warning signs of HEART ATTACK and become
trained in CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR).
Schools, fire departments, community organizations,
and health agencies typically offer CPR
classes for minimal or no fee.
Though some studies suggest consumption of
red wine lowers the risk for heart disease, most
doctors recommend minimizing ALCOHOL consumption
overall because of other health risks (such as
LIVER disease). Foods that are high in the B vitamins,
vitamin C, and vitamin E contain natural
antioxidants that help counter the destructive consequences
of accumulated metabolic waste (oxidants).
Many doctors recommend the nutritional