Heart disease: risk factors, symptoms, and prevention 

 Centers for Disease Control, shows that heart disease is the cause of death for most adults in the world. 

For every 34 seconds that passes, someone dies. Heart disease is a big problem. 

Heart disease is a broad term for problems that affect the heart, and blood vessels. It can cause things like:

• Heart attacks 
• Strokes
• Heart failure 

And other severe health problems. 

Heart disease is a health condition that has risk factors

What are the things that increase your chances?

Many things can make you more likely to get heart disease, some are within your control, and some aren’t. But you should know what they are regardless.

• Age: As you get older, your chances of getting heart disease increases.

• Your sex: If you’re a man, you’re more likely to develop heart disease than a lady. But, it kind of narrows down after a lady reaches menopause. 

• High blood pressure: HBP, puts extra strain on your heart and arteries, which can damage your blood vessels, and put you at risk of heart disease. 

• High cholesterol: High levels of bad cholesterol in your body can build up in your arteries, and put you at risk of getting it. 

• Excess weight: Too much weight can also increase your chances. 

• Smoking: It can damage your blood vessels, and increase the risk of blood clots. 

• Diabetes: Excess sugar in your body can also put you at risk.

• If your family has a history of heart disease, you could be at risk too. So, be on the lookout. 

• Your race too might matter. People for certain ethnic groups like African Americans are at a high risk of getting heart disease.

Other things like:

• Lack of exercise
• Poor diet that is filled with saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and too much salt. 
• Drinking too much alcohol. 
• Chronic stress

Symptoms: You should watch out for these things 

There are some common symptoms of heart disease, they include:

• Chest pain or discomfort around your chest area. Things like pressure, squeezing or fullness in your chest, could be a sign. You might also feel these symptoms in your arms, neck, jaw or back, so look out for this as well. 

• Finding it hard  to breathe, or experiencing shortness of breath. Especially when you’re doing something or just chilling. 

• Swollen legs, feet, and ankles, may be a sign too. 

• If you feel weirdly tired or weak, it could be a sign. 

• Irregular heartbeats is also not a good . If it feels like your heart is racing, skipping beats, or fluttering, it could mean something bad. 

Other symptoms like:

• Feeling like puking 
• Puking 
• Sweating 
• Dizziness 

Can also occur if a person has heart disease. 

But you should know this: Not everyone with heart disease has symptoms, especially in the early stages 🫢. Which is why, you should always go for checkups and screenings regularly, to detect any issue. 

Heart disease is a deadly condition: What can you do to prevent it?

Let’s talk about prevention. If you want to prevent heart disease or reduce your risk, you need to start making lifestyle choices that help your heart such as:

Eating foods that are healthy, like:

• Vegetables 
• Lean proteins 
• Whole grains
• Healthy fats 

And reduce these foods:

• Sugary foods
• Drinks with added sugars
• Sugary snacks 
• Saturated and trans fats 
• Cholesterol 
• Salt 

Exercise for 100 to 150 minutes each week is a good way to reduce your risk of heart disease.

• Don’t sit too much 
• Take the stairs every chance you get 
• Walk to the grocery store 
• Take walks regularly 
• Have a simple workout routine 
• Go to the gym or do home-workouts 

The point is, be active, and move your body, sweat a little, get your heart pumping, don’t let your body be TOO CALM every single day. 

Keep a healthy weight. And if you’ve got a big weight, make the effort to drop some pounds, you’ll be doing yourself a lot of favor. 

If you don’t smoke, that’s good, don’t even think of trying to. And if you do smoke, you gotta quit. 

Other ways to lower your risk:

• Manage your  blood pressure and cholesterol levels 
• Do things that can help you manage stress like, yoga, meditation or anything else you like to do. 
• Drink alcohol responsibly, and sometimes don’t drink at all.
• Follow your doctor’s advice on managing your blood sugar levels. 

Once again, regularly get yourself checked by doing, especially if you have risk factors. 

Conclusion 

Heart disease is a serious health issue, but if you follow the right steps, you can reduce your chances of developing it.