Heart Disease and the Elderly
The objective of this work in writing is to examine how heart disease takes a toll elderly. Toward this end, this work will conduct a review of literature that examines the toll that heart disease takes on the elderly population.
Approximately 18 million people or 7% of all individuals in the United States have heart disease. Heart disease affects older people more significantly as the elderly are more likely, according to reports "to have coronary heart disease, commonly known as a heart attack or chest pain, which is more debilitating than other types of heart disease." (National Academy on an Aging Society, 2000) Many types of heart disease are largely, preventable through controlling high blood pressure and diabetes and engaging in a lifestyle that is healthy. While some individuals with heart disease do not have trouble on a daily basis the majority of those with heart disease…...
mlaBibliography
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Public Health and Aging: Trends in Aging -- United States and Worldwide." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol. 52, No. 6, 101 -- 106 (2003).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The State of Aging and Health in America 2007." Retrieved from July 26, 2007.http://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/saha_2007.pdf
He W, et al. "65+ in the United States: Current Population Reports." U.S. Census Bureau. (2005).
Heart Disease: A Disabling Yet Preventable Condition (2000) National Academy on an Aging Society. January 2000. Retrieved from: http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/pdf/heart.pdf
For example, some prescription drugs have been shown to increase risk for heart disease (Fries, nd). In particular, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are commonly prescribed for relieving the pain associated with arthritis, have been shown to cause heart-related side effects (Fries, nd). Unfortunately, patients who suffer from chronic pain sometimes need to choose between increasing their risk for heart disease and coping with severe chronic pain. Interestingly, though, regular doses of aspirin (between 80 and 160 mg once a day) may help prevent heart disease ("Heart Disease: Antioxidants, Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene and Cardiovascular Disease," nd).
Quitting smoking, eating right, and exercising are among the most important steps for reducing risk of heart disease. Second-hand smoke can unfortunately increase the risk for heart disease. Dietary changes such as eliminating trans fats (partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils) and other heavily processed foods will reduce risk for developing heart disease. Stress reduction…...
mlaReferences
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Heart Disease." Retrieved Feb 27, 2009 at http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/
Fries, W.C. (nd). Are Anti-Inflammatory Pain Relievers Safe for You? WebMD. Retrieved Feb 27, 2009 at http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/are-anti-inflammatory-pain-relievers-safe-for-you
Heart Disease: Antioxidants, Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene and Cardiovascular Disease." (nd). WebMD. Retrieved Feb 27, 2009 at http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/antioxidants-vitamin-e
The Heart Truth for African-American Women." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health. Retrieved Feb 27, 2009 at http://www.webmd.com/click?url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nhlbi.nih.gov%2fhealth%2fhearttruth%2fmaterial%2ffactsheet_aa.pdf
The estimated age-adjusted prevalence of angina in women age 20 and older were 3.5% for non-Hispanic white women, 4.7% for non-Hispanic black women and 2.2% for Mexican-American women. ates for men in these three groups were 4.5, 3.1 and 2.4%, respectively. Among American adults age 20 and older, the estimated age-adjusted prevalence of coronary heart disease for non-Hispanic whites is 8.9% for men and 5.4% for women; for non-Hispanic blacks, 7.4% for men and 7.5% for women; and for Mexican-Americans, 5.6% for men and 4.3% for women. (NHANES, 1999-2002)
Coronary heart disease was the cause of death for 136.3 out of 100,000 African-Americans while killing only 95.1 per 100,000 whites in 1998. Paraphrased. (www.netwellness.com)
Influencing Social Factors
In the work entitled "Demography of Aging (1994) it is stated that:.".. Although views may differ about the desirable or appropriate extent of inequality, few would argue that inequality is irrelevant or outside the suitable…...
mlaReferences
Berkman, L. et al. (2002) Social Inequality and Health: the Impact of Social, Economic and Health Policies on Population Health - Health Effects of housing mobility policy. A report to the Russell Sage Foundation Online available at http://www.russellsage.org/publications/workingpapers/sihealth/document
Glaeser, E.L., J.L. Vigdor and T. Sanford. (2001) Racial Segregation in the 2000 Census: Promising News. The Brookings Institution, Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, Washington, DC.
Abramson, A.J., M.S. Tobin and M.R. VanderGoot (1995) The Changing Geography Of Metropolitan Opportunity: The Segregation Of The Poor In U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1970-1990. Housing Policy Debate 6: 45-72.
Simmons, P.A. (2001) Changes in Minority Homeownership during the 1990s. Fannie Mae Foundation Census Notes 7: 16.
Macabasco-O'Connell et.al say that the stress levels for women in this group is oftentimes higher than non-minority women in higher socioeconomic groups. The high amount of stress that these women experience is usually accompanied with depression and studies have shown that depression can also lead to a greater risk of heart disease (2, 3). Because many women from lower socio-economic statuses are uninsured or underinsured, they run the risk of being treated once their conditions have advanced or not being treated at all. Many women in this group may drink and use tobacco products heavily and do not have healthy diets. Nor do they get any type of physical activity to reduce the risk of heart disease. Many of these women also believe that some form of cancer (such as breast cancer) is the leading cause of death in women and therefore they do not focus on heart disease…...
mlaWorks Cited
American Heart Association Website: ( Accessed on July 7, 2010.http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/ )
Banks, Angela D. "Women and Heart Disease: Missed Opportunities." Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 53.5, (2008): 430-440.
Macabasco-O'Connell, Aurelia, Crawford, Michael H., Stotts, Nancy, Stewart, Anita, and Erika S. Froelicher. "Gender and racial differences in psychosocial factors of low-income patients with heart failure." Heart & Lung, 39.1 (2010): 2-12.
These defects or conditions are categorized according to the problems, which develop. One problem is when too much blood passes through the lungs. Another is when too little passes through the lungs. A third is when too little blood circulates in the body. And a fourth is a combination of several heart defects, presenting as a complex problem. Pediatric cardiologists are the specialists treating babies with congenital heart problems (Children's Hospital of Wisconsin).
Cyanotic Heart Disease
This is a congenital heart defect, which lowers blood oxygen levels, and may involve more than one defect (Weinrauch & Zieve, 2009). Under normal conditions, blood returns from the body and goes through the heart and lungs. Then it flows from the heart and carries enough oxygen to the rest of the body. There is abnormal blood flow when there is a heart defect. The amount of blood flowing also reduces the amount of oxygen…...
mlaBIBLIOGRAPHY
American Heart Association (2010). Cardiac disease in children: statistics. Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4498
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (2010). Overview of congenital heart defects.
Children's Hospital and Health System: chw.org. Retrieved on March 15, 2010
from de Ferranti S.D and Newburger, J.W (2009). Children and heart disease. Up to Date.http://www.chw.org/display/PPF/DocID/23043/router.asp
In fact, dietary lipids, serum cholesterol, and sodium are linked directly with heart disease. Diets high in sodium lead to hypertension, or high blood pressure, which is also linked with the malady. Thus, a decrease in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol for all people, as well as limiting the amounts of total fat, processed sugars, and calories for those who are overweight, is recommended for preventing the disease (Stamler 1982, p. 95). Obesity, a result of a poor diet and lack of exercise, is a risk factor for heart disease, and a combination of diet improvement and an exercise schedule is recommended for the treatment of obesity and prevention of heart disease ("Diet and Heart Disease" 2007). Dietary change has also been prescribed in the treatment of heart disease. For example, Pereira et al. found that a low-glycemic diet was effective in treating and preventing heart disease…...
mlaReferences
American Heart Association. (2006). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics -- 2006 Update.
Circulation 113, p.85-151.
Diet and Heart Disease. (2007). Retrieved September 6, 2008, from the Australian
Government Health Institute.
Yet, younger populations are not immune to cardiogenic shock in the event of other chronic cardiac diseses are present.
Today, there are several current management trends in the field. Properly managing cardiac failures during critical times can mean the difference. It is important to manage the situation as fast as possible, for the longer the patient stays in a state of cardiogenic shock, the higher the risk of mortality (Gottfried & Sloan 2002). One of the most used management strategies is a Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG). Yet even within this case context, mortality rates can range between 10 and 40%. However, effectively implementing the surgery can mean the difference between life and death. According to research, "These results are generally better than those associated with PCI," (O'ourke et al. 2001:313). Emergency CABG surgeries are also more prominent in specific cases of cardiogenic shock. For instance, "AMI Patients with multivessel…...
mlaReferences
Austin, Peter C. & Tu, Jack V. (2004). Bootsrap methods fore developing predictive models. The American Statistician. 58(2):131-138.
O'Rourke, Robert a.; Fuster, Valentin; Alexander, Wayne R.; Roberts, Robert; King, Spencer B.; & Hein, B. King III. (2001). Hurst's the Heart: Manual of Cardiology. New York: McGraw Hill.
Gottfried, Joseph & Sloan, Frank a. (2002). The quality of managed care: evidence from the medical literature. Law and Contemporary Problems. 65(4):103-117.
Jenicek, Milos. (2002). Foundations of Evidence-Based Medicine. New York:Parthenon Publishing.
Obesity is becoming a particular problem in children, who are encouraged to indulge in fast foods by the lifestyles of their parents. eing occupied with work for long hours per day, parents seldom have time to prepare a healthy meal for themselves; much less for their children. Parents are also unable to control factors such as cafeteria meals offered at schools, which are often also excessively portioned and filled with unhealthy food elements. Indeed, current statistics hold that almost half of all citizens in the United States are overweight or obese. This figure includes children.
The obesity problem perpetuates itself in terms of emotional problems such as low self-esteem, and physical problems such as a lack of physical activity. These can result in further excessive eating habits not to satisfy hunger, but rather to derive comfort in mitigation of the problems experienced. Such eating habits however provide only temporary relief…...
mlaBibliography
Kromhout, Daan, Menotti, Alessandro, Kesteloot, Hugo & Sans, Susana. Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease by Diet and Lifestyle. American Heart Association, 2002. http://www.circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/105/7/893
According to the article, diet and exercise proved to be effect in study participants in Amsterdam (Hitti 2005). The study was conducted with 360 participants ages 13-36, researchers wanted to see which subjects contracted metabolic syndrome (Hitti 2005). The research found that a little over 10% of participants had metabolic syndrome at age 36. More men were diagnosed than women (18% vs. 3%).Those with metabolic syndrome had gained more body fat since their teen years, especially around their midsection. But body fat wasn't the only risk factor. Several other trends also stood out. Participants with metabolic syndrome were more likely to have a steep decline in fitness level. By age 36, they favored light-to-moderate activities such as gardening or walking, instead of heart-pounding aerobic exercise, such as running. In contrast, their peers without metabolic syndrome had lower but steadier fitness levels over the years (Hitti 2005)."
The researchers have concluded that…...
mlaReferences
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke. Centers for Disease Control and prevention. Retrieved February 1, 2005 at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_heartdisease/index.htm
Atherosclerosis and the various complications associated with this disease, especially towards its final stages, may causes disability and death within Western societies. Although advancement of atherosclerosis is a slow process, beginning in childhood, remaining asymptomatic for several decades, complication like myocardial infarction, peripheral ischemia, or stroke happening later on in life. Some recognized risk factors towards the development of the illness include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidaemia, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and ageing. Several studies suggest heritability of coronary atherosclerosis, established through fatal cardiac episodes between 38 and 57%.
Furthermore, epidemiology studies also correlate a positive family history is independently related with the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Such occurrences derived from genetics include lipid profile as well as genes related to obesity. Development of these molecular biology methods promotes effective identification of these "candidate genes" through use of high-throughput technologies like genome-wide scans. An article explains the connection between the illness and heredity.
A…...
mlaReferences
Biros, E., Karan, M., & Golledge, J. (2008). Genetic Variation and Atherosclerosis. CG, 9(1), 29-42. doi:10.2174/138920208783884856
Atherosclerosis
Factors That Influence Disease
Factors that influence disease: Atherosclerosis and gender
Atherosclerosis is often colloquially referred to as the 'hardening of the arteries.' In a patient with atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the patient's blood vessels which are required to "carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body" (What is atherosclerosis, 2013, NIH). Impeding this flow can have severe health effects, including coronary and cardioid heart disease as well as liver disease. "Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood" (What is atherosclerosis, 2013, NIH). If a piece of the plaque falls off or a blood clot forms on the plaque, the result can be a life-threatening heart attack or stroke. In some cases, the thinning of the artery walls causes angina or chest pain but in other instances there are no or very few symptoms.
Coronary heart disease is the number…...
mlaReferences
Heart attack symptoms in women. (2014). AHA. Retrieved from:
How does heart disease affect women? (2013). NIH. Retrieved from:
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Background 3
Hypothesis 7
Methods 8
Results 9
Table 1 Western Governor Township Race by Family History of Heart Disease 10
Table 3 Analysis of Variance Difference in Household Income by Race 11
Conclusion 12
References 14
List of Tables
Table 1 Western Governor Township Race by Family History of Heart Disease 4
Table 2 Household Income and History of Disease 4
Table 3 Analysis of Variance Difference in Household Income by Race 5
Introduction
Heart disease has been an enormous challenge in the United States. The most common heart disease in the nation is Coronary Heart disease (CHD). There are various heart diseases apart from CHD. Heart disease approximately causes 1 in 4 deaths in the US. This number happens to be rather high, hence the need for an intervention. Experts have blamed Americans' lifestyle and ignorance on the sharp rise of heart disease deaths. Although heart disease can affect anyone at any age, some experts argue that it…...
mlaReferences
AHA 2019 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - American College of Cardiology (2019). AHA 2019 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics. American College of Cardiology. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC (2020, September 8). Heart Disease Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (2020, May 19). High Blood Pressure Symptoms and Causes. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/about.htm Holtz, C. (2020). Global Healthcare: Issues and Policies. Jones & Bartlett Learning.Mastroianni, A.C., Kahn, J.P. & Kass, N.E. (2019). The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics. Oxford University Press.NEDARC (2019). Hypothesis Testing. https://www.nedarc.org/statisticalHelp/advancedStatisticalTopics/hypothesisTesting.html Virani, S. S., Alonso, A., Benjamin, E. J., Bittencourt, M. S., Callaway, C. W., Carson, A. P., Chamberlain, A. M., Chang, A. R., Cheng, S., Delling, F. N., Djousse, L., Elkind, M. S. V., Ferguson, J. F., Fornage, M., Khan, S. S., Kissela, B. M., Knutson, K. L., Kwan, T. W., Lackland, D. T. & Lewis, T. T. (2020). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2020 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 141(9). https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000757 World Health Organization: WHO. (2019, June 11). Cardiovascular diseases. https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/ten-points-to-remember/2019/02/15/14/39/aha-2019-heart-disease-and-stroke-statistics
Heart Disease & Nutrition
Heart disease is a disorder that affects a great amount of people every year. It is the leading cause of death among people in the United States with cancer being the only other health malady that is even close in terms of sheer numbers. hether it be strokes or heart attacks, the eventual result of heart disease always seems to be deprivation of oxygen to the brain and/or the heart giving out due to damage incurred over the years.
One of the more frustrating part of heart disease is that some people are genetically prone to it. Others encounter problems with their heart and cardiovascular system because of bad nutrition and other shoddy lifestyle habits. Regardless of what leads to it possibly or actually developing, a proper and balanced diet can go a long way towards preventing or even reversing some of the damage done. Nutrition can also…...
mlaWorks Cited
AHA. "Nutrition." Heart.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
CDC. "Faststats." Cdc.gov. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
Vorvick, Linda. "Heart Disease & Diet: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia." nlm.nih.gov. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
One of the problems in using a literature review format is that by grouping studies together, it is difficult to come to a clear conclusion regarding the superiority of one treatment over another, given that all of the studies have extraneous or additional factors that do not necessarily apply to the core clinical question. A number of the studies reviewed by amanath and Eagle involved diabetes patients, which present unique clinical challenges for the practitioner in prescribing effective and safe drug treatments. Some of the other studies also involved the use of statin drugs in combination with aspirin and Lovenox (heparin) as a method of preventative care, but the degree to which this impacted the results was also unremarked-upon. Finally, the question of non-drug treatment and recommendations for study participants to improve their health with diet and exercise was not noted in any of the studies: whether lifestyle alterations were…...
mlaReference
Ramanath, V.S. & K.A. Eagle. (2007). Evidence-based medical therapy of patients with acute coronary syndromes. American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs, 7(2):95-116.
Appendix: Search history
("aspirin"[MeSH Terms] or "aspirin"[All Fields]) and ("enoxaparin"[MeSH Terms] or "enoxaparin"[All Fields] or "lovenox"[All Fields]) and ("coronary disease"[MeSH Terms] or ("coronary"[All Fields] and "disease"[All Fields]) or "coronary disease"[All Fields])
Diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease
Eric is a 47-year-old who has just been diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). He works in the construction industry and spends most of his time away from his family i.e. wife and three children. In addition, he smokes around 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes on a daily basis and like drinking after work. Coronary Artery Disease which Eric suffers from is described as a contraction in the small blood vessels that supply oxygen and blood to the heart and is also commonly known as Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) or heart attack. The disease is the most common cause of deaths in the United States since approximately 1 million people are likely to have a heart attack while 25% of them die before arriving at the hospital.
Generally, the heart is like any other muscle in the body that needs nutrient-rich blood and oxygen in order to…...
mlaReferences:
Kulick, L. (2011, September 14). Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease). Retrieved
September 3, 2012, from http://www.medicinenet.com/heart_disease/article.htm
Simon, H. & Zieve, D. (2009, March 15). Coronary Heart Disease - Diagnosis. Retrieved from University of Maryland Medical Center website: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_tests_an_initial_diagnosis_of_coronary_artery_disease_000003_4.htm
1. A diet or lifestyle related disease is one that is brought about specifically because of the type of diet the person has or the lifestyle he or she chooses to live. 2. Obesity causes many health issues. The most common are sleep apnea, type II diabetes, and heart disease. 3. Obesity is linked to both diet and lifestyle. Someone who overeats and also does not exercise can become obese over time. 4. In society, obesity causes higher health care costs, "fat shaming," and discomfort for many people because of a lack of ability to accommodate larger-sized people (think airplane and bus seats,....
Cor Pulmonale is pulmonary heart disease, which causes failure of the right ventricle. This comes as a result of high blood pressure within the lungs. Pulmonary edema is fluid accumulation in the lungs, often as a result of congestive heart failure. Both diseases would be unfortunate and difficult to deal with, but pulmonary edema would be preferable. There are medications and treatments that can be used in order to reduce the fluid in the lungs and keep the congestive heart failure at bay. The Cor Pulmonale, though, will damage the heart\'s right ventricle, and there is nothing that can be....
Trauma refers to any deeply distressing or disturbing event. Trauma takes many shapes, from intentional abuse to unavoidable traumas like the death of a loved one. Trauma can have long-lasting effects including impacts on both physical health and mental health. Because of the differences in personality acquisition and perceived and real differences in helplessness and power, one might anticipate that trauma would impact children differently than it impacts young people.
For example, children who experience trauma are more likely to experience learning problems. Kids experiencing trauma may have lower grades and behavior problems in....
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