Heart disease

The heart
Your heart is the size of your fist and the strongest muscle
in your body.
Your heart started beating about three weeks after you were
conceived.
If you live to be 70 your heart will have beat two and a half
billion times.
Each heartbeat pumps blood around the body, pushing it
from the left heart chambers, through arteries of everdecreasing size, finally reaching the capillaries in all parts of
the body.

Cardiovascular
disease(CVD)
is a class of diseases that involve
theheartorblood vessels
is the leading cause of death
globally.This is true in all areas of
the world except Africa.Together
they resulted in 17.3 million deaths
(31.5%) in 2013 up from 12.3 million
(25.8%) in 1990

Risk factors
There are several risk factors for heart
diseases:
age,
gender,
tobacco use,
physical inactivity,
excessivealcoholconsumption,
unhealthy diet,
obesity,

Risk factors
family history of cardiovascular
disease,
raised blood pressure (hypertension),
raised blood sugar (diabetes
mellitus),
raised blood cholesterol
(hyperlipidemia),
psychosocial factors,
poverty and low educational status,

Prevention

Currently practiced measures to prevent cardiovascular

disease include:
A low-fat, high-fiberdietincluding whole grains and fruit
and vegetables.Five portions a day reduces risk by
about 25%.
Tobaccocessation and avoidance of second-hand smoke
Limit alcohol consumption to the recommended daily
limits;consumption of 12 standard alcoholic drinks per
day may reduce risk by 30%.However, excessive
alcohol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular
disease.
Lower blood pressures, if elevated

Prevention
Decrease non-HDL cholesterol.
Decrease body fat if overweight or obese
Increase daily activity to 30 minutes of
vigorous exercise per day at least five times
per week (multiply by three if horizontal);
Reduce sugar consumptions
Decreasepsychosocial stress. This measure
may be complicated by imprecise definitions
of what constitute psychosocial
interventions

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Disease
(COPD) is the name for a collection of lung diseases
including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic
obstructive airways disease.
People withCOPDhave difficulties breathing,
primarily due to the narrowing of their airways, this is
called airflow obstruction.
(COPD) is an umbrellaterm for people with chronic
bronchitis, emphysema, or both.
WithCOPDthe airflow to the lungs is restricted
(obstructed).
COPDis usually caused by smoking. Symptoms
include cough and breathlessness.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common
problem in the elderly.
The disease is characterised by intermittent worsening of
symptoms and these episodes are called acute exacerbations.
The best estimate, based on several lines of evidence, is that
approximately half of all exacerbations are caused by bacteria.
These lines of evidence include studies of lower respiratory tract
bacteriology during exacerbations, correlation of airways
inflammation with results of sputum cultures during exacerbations,
analysis of immune responses to bacterial pathogens, and the
observation in randomised, prospective, placebo-controlled trials
that antibacterial therapy is of benefit.

Prevention
Most cases of COPD are potentially
preventable through decreasing
exposure to smoke and improving air
quality.
Annual influenza vaccinations in
those with COPD reduce
exacerbations, hospitalizations and
death. Pneumococcal vaccination may
also be beneficial.

Prevention
Smoking cessation
Keeping people from starting smoking is a key aspect
of preventing COPD
Occupational health
A number of measures have been taken to reduce the
likelihood that workers in at-risk industriessuch as
coal mining, construction and stonemasonrywill
develop COPD.
Air pollution
Both indoor and outdoor air quality can be improved,
which may prevent COPD or slow the worsening of
existing disease.