Is Heart Disease Still the Leading Cause of Death Today?

Despite the fear COVID-19 has brought, the CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that heart disease is still the primary cause of fatality in the United States. 

As per the organization, a person dies of heart disease every thirty-six seconds. That’s about 659,000 people in a year, and this number is only within the United States alone. So aside from being cautious of the COVID-19, it is best to be very cautious about the different types of heart disease that can affect you.

Different Types of Heart Diseases 

Heart disease has different types. Each type may have different causes and symptoms, but deadly nonetheless. Let us go through each of these heart diseases to understand each of its characteristics better. 

■ Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease or CAD is the most common heart disease that affects US Citizens. Unfortunately, it is also the number one heart disease that kills many people every year. If you have CAD, your coronary arteries will be blocked, impeding the blood flow to your heart. 

If the blockage happens, the supply of oxygen to your heart muscle will decrease. As a result, you will suffer chest pain if you have CAD, leading to a heart attack. 

■ Heart Arrhythmias 

The next common heart condition that many people suffer from is heart arrhythmias. Heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat pattern of the heart. Most heart arrhythmias can be harmless and normal. 

However, it can still be a sign of something more serious. If you are experiencing heart arrhythmias more often, it is best to consult your doctor for you to be evaluated properly. 

■ Heart Valve Disease 

From the name itself, heart valve disease is a heart condition that affects your heart valves. Your heart has four valves responsible for the direct blood flow between the four chambers of your heart, the lungs, and blood vessels. 

If an abnormality is present, your heart’s valves will not open and close properly. As a result, the blood flow will be restricted, and blood could leak. 

■ Heart Failure

A heart failure is the overall failure of the heart’s function. As a result, your heart will not be able to pump blood and meet your body’s needs. Heart failure is often a result of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, and thyroid disease. 

■ Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a heart condition that affects your heart muscles. It is why cardiomyopathy is also referred to as heart muscle disease. If you have this condition, it means that your heart’s muscle becomes stiff, thickened, or stretched. 

If your heart muscles acquire this condition, your heart will become too weak to function. As a result, it will not pump blood as it should, leading to complications and death.

■ Pericardial Disease 

The pericardial is the sac surrounding your heart. This sac can be inflamed due to viral infection, lupus, injury to the pericardium, or rheumatoid arthritis. This inflammation of the pericardial is referred to as pericarditis and is often required for open-heart surgery.

■ Congenital Heart Disease

The next type of heart disease is congenital heart disease. This condition is rare as it can only happen to 1% of infants. Congenital heart disease develops when a baby is still forming inside the mother’s womb.

The cause is unknown, but there is something to do about the disruption of normal development of the heart. Most infants who suffer from this condition have holes in their hearts that can be patched through heart surgery.

How to Manage Heart Disease

Fortunately, there are ways to manage your heart condition. Here are some steps that you must take to ensure that you manage your condition the right way. 

■ Take Your Medications On Time 

If you are diagnosed with any of the mentioned heart diseases, taking your prescribed medicines on time will significantly help manage your condition. To ensure that you have enough medicine to take, you should acquire a prescription drug discount card. 

BuzzRx offers the best deal of prescription discount cards in the market today. Not having enough funds to purchase medicine is the number one reason why many people stop or irregularly take their medications. 

■ Be Active 

Being active has a huge impact on your heart’s health. Whether you have a heart illness or not, exercising is a great way to help strengthen your heart. When you exercise, your heart pumps more blood and strengthens its muscles. 

■ Follow A Healthy Lifestyle

Staying active is a part of a healthy lifestyle. But aside from exercising, eating healthy, sleeping early, avoiding smoking, and not drinking alcoholic beverages is also important. If you do not want to suffer from any heart diseases mentioned, it is best to start living a healthy lifestyle as soon as you can. 

However, if you already have heart disease, it is best to change your lifestyle and live healthily. This way, you can manage your condition and extend your life. 

■ Take Care of Your Heart

Take good care of your heart and avoid acquiring heart disease as much as you can. If you already suffer from heart disease, you should manage it properly to avoid any complications and, worse, death.

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