Heart Disease: Are You At Risk?

A recent study suggests that high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or diabetes now affects almost half of all American adults.  More surprisingly still, nearly one in seven of these adults do not know that they have one of these conditions.  Millions of people remain undiagnosed thereby leading to more grave illness.

The study was conducted by the National Centre for Health and Statistics through the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.  The study concluded that forty-five percent of American adults have hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, or a combination of these.  This striking finding shows that the health of many is seriously at risk if lifestyles do not begin to change dramatically.  

With so many people at risk of curtailing life enjoyment and expectancy, researchers and health practitioners are worried about the severity of the problem.  Without some fundamental changes in the way that people live, these problems will only continue to get worse.

Symptoms of heart disease may include heart palpitations, chest pain, light-headedness, dizziness and fainting.  If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should get yourself checked out.  Unfortunately, hypertension (high blood pressure), can remain undiagnosed.  Because there can often be no symptoms unless blood pressure is very high, and has been for a long time, the disease can develop and do serious damage to the body.  As such, it is always best to have your blood pressure checked regularly by a physician.

While there are no obvious symptoms for high blood pressure there are, as with diabetes and heart disease, a variety of known risk factors.  Avoiding or changing your lifestyle can greatly enhance your chances of avoiding these deadly diseases.  Even if you are currently suffering from these conditions, making some simple changes can also help to allay many of the symptoms and can even, at times, reverse the disorders altogether.

Some risk factors cannot be controlled, including your age, sex, and family history.  Before the age of 45, men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, but between the ages of 45-54 the percent of diagnosed men and women averages out.  Individuals who have relatives with high blood pressure are also at greater risk and should therefore keep a close eye on this aspect of their health.

Some risk factors can however be prevented.  Diet is one of the most important determinants of health.  People who overindulge in high fat and salty foods are more prone to develop high blood pressure.  These foods also lead to obesity, a major contributing factor in hypertension and diabetes.

Stress should also be avoiding as much as possible or reduced through meditation, exercise or other relaxation techniques.  Dealing with your stress in healthy ways can go a long way to helping keep your body fit and to preventing serious disease.