Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) has become the leading cause of death in the UK, affecting 2.3 billion people in just the UK living with the disease and with the highest death rates in Scotland and northern England. It has been calculated that an average of 74,000 of deaths per year are caused by CHD. But what is CHD? It occurs when the arteries that carry the heart's blood, coronary arteries, start to become blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits. The coronary arteries soon build up plaques against its inner lining that form from cholesterol. This clogging-up process is known as atherosclerosis. This causes a reduction in blood flow to the heart, blocking nutrients from being delivered to the artery walls, which means the arteries lose their elasticity, increasing the risk of heart attack. The severity of a heart attack hinges on the amount of the muscle that dies before it is corrected. The smaller the area affected, the greater the chance of survival and recovery. There are certain factors that cause CHD, such as a family history of heart disease in middle-age, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, high blood pressure and, most importantly, smoking.

 

It is astonishing to think that the leading cause of death in multiple countries is a disease that is mainly brought upon lifestyle choices. The power of our health for the majority of the population is in our hands, yet statistics show that at least 200 people die per day of this. Any decision we make, affects our body in some way, and even though many people think that what they eat won't affect them, it can accumulate and lead to fatal consequences.  

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21686950