Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Background
Heart disease is very complex and there are many ways in which the heart can become
diseased or damaged. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart
muscle is severely reduced or completely cut off. (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017) This occurs
because coronary arteries that supply the heart muscles with blood flow can become narrow due
to a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances that all together constitute a substance called
plaque. (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017) This gradual process is also known as atherosclerosis.
When an area of plaque in the artery breaks, a blood clot can form around the plaque which in
turn can block the blood flow though the heart muscle. (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017) When the
heart muscle is starved for oxygen ischemia occurs. When damage or death of the heart muscle
occurs because of this process it called a heart attack. Is also called a myocardial infraction (MI).
A heart attack also is addressed by a multitude of different terms (which further confuse the
general population). Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is an umbrella term for many situations
where blood supplied to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked. (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017)
Other terms include: STEMI, a common name of a ST-elevation myocardial infraction which is
caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery, (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017) a NSTEMI, a
non-ST elevated myocardial infraction in which an artery is blocked partially and severely
restricting blood flow (“About Heart Attacks,” n.d), and Coronary thrombosis, the formation of a
clot in one of the arteries that conduct blood to the heart muscle. This can also be called a
coronary occlusion. (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017) Other more rare causes of a heart attack can
be caused by a coronary artery spasm which can trigger a heart attack. It is still unknown what
causes a spasm. (“About Heart Attacks,” 2017) Another even more rare occurrence is a
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE 2
spontaneous coronary artery dissection which is a spontaneous tearing in the coronary artery
wall.
All of the above would also be classified as cardiovascular disease. All the above can also
trigger cardiac arrest, not to be confused or used interchangeably with the more common term of
heart attack. Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating and can quickly lead to death. (“About
In addition to the confusion of the many types of heart disease, technical names, and multi-
uses of terminology for heart attacks, many Americans do not fully understand what risk factors
such as high cholesterol or hypertension are and how they can lead to a heart attack. (Lubischer,
A. 2013) If a general confusion to the basics of what constitutes a heart attack permeates the
general population, how then can the average American proceed to make informed lifestyle
Heart Disease causes an enormous economic strain upon the country. 1 in every 6 health care
dollars are spent on cardiovascular disease. (“Million Hearts,” n.d.) Individuals experiencing
heart disease along with their families have to cope with not only exorbitant medical bills but
also lost wages and the potential of decreased standard of living. (“Million Hearts,” n.d.) Heart
disease (including stroke) cost the U.S an estimate $13.6 billion in health care costs and lost
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Illinois. In 2009, nearly 25000 deaths in adults
age 35 and older in Illinois were due to heart disease. (“Healthy Hearts Project,” 2017) In 2013
there were 24,843 deaths due to heart disease. The total number of deaths for all causes during
the year was 103,409. (“Healthy Hearts Project,” 2017) This is 24% of all yearly deaths!
When compared to the rest of the United States, Illinois has a higher prevalence for the risk
factors of high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and excessive alcohol use.
With the overall nationwide trends of increasing obesity in America and rapidly increasing
aging population (which by default increases the risk of further developing cardiovascular
disease) heart disease will only rise unless drastic measures are taken amongst the general
populous.
Treatments, interventions and medications to treat and manage cardiovascular disease are far
ranging and varied. The types of treatments are as varied as there are types of cardiovascular
disease and differ from person to person and delving into each could easily constitute a research
aspirin therapy, to clot busters, beta-blockers, nitrates and blood thinners. (“Treatment & Care,”
2017) Generally, treatments range from early prevention and CPR to some of the most high-tech
and dramatic surgical procedures in medicine such as various implanted devices (depending on
the condition), angioplasty, bypass surgery to full out heart transplantation. (“Treatment &
Care,” 2017)
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE 4
By the time one has had a heart attack, gone into cardiac arrest or has suffered cardiovascular
disease damage to the heart muscle has already occurred. What is agreed upon by everyone (as
evidenced by the federal and state initiatives discussed later in this paper) is that the best policy
is to avoid any of the dramatic, risky and incredibly expensive procedures and surgeries and take
steps to avoid developing cardiovascular disease in the first place as it is a preventable (barring
From both the federal and state level the best trend currently is to spread and promote
awareness, education and prevention. Now in regards to cardiovascular health, Dr. Robert D.
Simari, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, stakes the future of cardiovascular disease prevention
on providing exercise, activity and weight management strategies at the community level.
(Lubischer, A. 2013) “Although relatively mundane and not very sexy, these are the kinds of our
things that will change the face of our cardiovascular risk long term. It’s a lot more exciting to
talk about space-age therapies, but, in the broadest sense, for communities, those are the kind of
In addition to awareness, Americans also have to take action and actually implement lifestyle
changes. This ultimately could be the hardest aspect to implement despite the best efforts of
federal or state health officials, regulators, initiatives and campaigns. "Because historic
presumptions prevail that such risks are not amenable to clinical interventions, personal
behaviors have been largely considered as either outside the scope of the medical care system or
immutable to change. Health insurance companies rarely have reimbursed providers for
education, awareness and education with an emphasis on healthy lifestyle choices. As many
Americans turn immediately to the internet to learn about health and diseases the websites of
many of the top health posts, organizations and associations contain a wealth of information as
The Department of Heath and Human Services launched “A Million Hearts” national
campaign initiative with the stated goal to prevent one million heart attacks by 2017. (“Million
Hearts,” n.d.) This will be accomplished with a special Million Hearts website filled with useful
information and statistics with a focus on education and prevention. Many of the features are
geared toward living a health lifestyle including staying active, lowering sodium intake, quitting
tobacco as well as featuring a host of delicious heart healthy recipes. (“Million Hearts,” n.d.) In
addition a full social media campaign including Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube is featured to
accompany the website. A series of events throughout the year are also scheduled such as
February being designated as American Heart Month and November 16th as the “Great American
The Office of the Surgeon General, the leading spokesperson for all matters of public health
in the U.S, has a “Healthy Eating” initiative which addresses heart disease as a priority as part of
its National Prevention Strategy. (“Healthy Eating,” n.d.) However, no “Call to Action”, “a
science-based document to stimulate action nationwide to solve a major public health problem”
(“Surgeon General’s Calls to Action,” n.d.) dating back to 1999 address cardiovascular disease.
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The Center for Disease Control, another federally prominent organization in the minds of
most people in regards to all matters of health and disease, has a page on their website addressing
its “Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention” with a few funded programs the
organization is involved with. One of these programs that address cardiovascular disease
prevention is the State Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control Diabetes, Heart Disease,
Obesity and Associated Risk Factors and Promote School Health. (“Division of Heart Disease,”
2015) It uses “State Public Health Actions grant funds statewide initiatives to prevent, manage,
and reduce the risk factors associated with chronic diseases—including childhood and adult
obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.” (“Division of Heart Disease,” 2015) Though many
may think of the CDC in terms of epidemics and outbreaks (especially due to Hollywood films)
the CDC is also deeply involved in heart disease which kills far more Americans yearly than
The American Heart Association is the most prominent organization in the minds of most
Americans in regards to all matters pertaining to heart health and their website has a variety of
information and resources about healthy lifestyles including smoking cessation, stress
management, weight management and physical activity (“American Heart Association,” n.d.) in
addition to research and general information about heart disease. The Association also offers
certification in CPR and ECC. (“American Heart Association,” n.d.) Also very recently, the
American Heart Association changed its longstanding blood pressure standards to a lower
threshold of tolerance than previously, so “normal” blood pressure is 120 (or less) over 80 (or
less). (“Understanding Blood Pressure,” 2017) A nationwide effort to promote these new
standards will bing about awareness in the general populous to (hopefully) regularly check and
Statewide, in Illinois, the Illinois Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program focuses on the
The ABC’s of Cardiovascular Health: (A) Aspirin therapy, (B) Blood Pressure control (including
sodium reduction), (C) Cholesterol management and (s) smoking cessation. (“Diseases of the
Heart,” 2017)
The Illinois Department of Public Health is partnering with agencies and colleagues statewide
in raising awareness about heart disease and helping people in understanding their risk factors.
(“Diseases of the Heart,” 2017) Programs are in place to: reduce tobacco use, promote and
increase daily physical activity, to promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables and low-fat
milk and to change policy and environmental systems that can have an impact on heart disease.
(“Diseases of the Heart,” 2017) In 2011, the Illinois Department of Health and Human Service
also launched its own Million Hearts Campaign on support of a national initiative to prevent one
References
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/AboutHeartAttacks/About-Heart-
Attacks_UCM_002038_Article.jsp#.WhZHJLT82u4
Division or Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. (2015, February 10). Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/
Diseases of the Heart and Stroke: Illinois’ Leading Killers. (2017). Retrieved from
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/heart-stroke
prevention/strategy/healthy-eating.html
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/patient-safety-
quality/healthy- hearts-project
Lubischer, A. (2013). The Un-sexiest Disease in the Room: Why is the idea of improving our
consequences.html
library/calls/index.html
specialties/heart/services/prevention/prevent-CVD.html
Disease-treatment-care
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/KnowYourNumbers/
understanding-Blood-Pressure-Readings_UCM_301764_Article.jsp#.Whty2rQ-eu4
Young, K., Kroth, P., & Sultz, H. (2018). Sultz & Young's health care USA: Understanding its