Prevalence Of Heart Attacks

Heart attacks occur when the blood flow to the heart is severely reduced or cut off, resulting in death of heart muscle cells, called an infarct.

Heart attack is a severe condition which if not controlled on time can also prove fatal. It has been estimated that heart attacks are very prevalent in the US and world over. Prevalence of heart attacks refers to the estimated population of people who are suffering from managing heart attack at any specific time.

Causes of Heart Attacks

Hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply the blood to heart is an underlying problem. In a few cases, blood clots block the flow of blood while at other times; the narrowing is caused by atherosclerosis. Whatever the reason, all these eventually lead to heart attacks.

Contraction of the coronary arteries also causes a heart attack. High cholesterol, triglycerides, or homocysteine; angina pectoris and diabetes are all linked with an increased risk of heart attack.

Prevalence of Heart Attacks

Government agencies periodically carry out surveys and the prevalence rates of heart attacks are calculated from these surveys. These rates are applied as the population changes and a new heart disease survey is done and new rates are established. It is significant to know that the prevalence rates do not change until a new survey is conducted.

According to the research conducted by the World Health Organization, the rate of heart disease is coming to a decline in general and people these days have a much more chance of surviving a heart attack than they had in the past.

The greatest decline in heart attacks was observed in three North European areas i.e. North Karelia (Finland), Kuopio (Finland) and Northern Sweden. The decline is attributable to a massive reduction of risk factors in these countries.

There was a decrease of 7% a year in Finland and New Zealand, 6% in the United States, and 5% in Australia. Studies have found that both genders in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia had experienced significant rise in the rates of coronary events. Risk factors were found to be rising, however, in countries like China, which has experienced a corresponding increase in heart disease.

Males in Glasgow, Belfast, Warsaw, Newcastle (Australia) and in some parts of Finland had the highest rates of heart attacks. Females in Glasgow were found to have a much higher rate of heart attack. One in two deaths among women in America is related to heart according to the American Heart Association.

The majority of heart attacks in women occur after menopause and the mortality rate associated with a first heart attack is considerably higher in women then in men because it occurs at a later age.

Risk factors that Contribute in the Prevalence of Heart Attacks

• Age is an important factor determining the possibility of heart attacks. The prevalence of heart disease increases with an increase in age.
• Two out of three adults aged 65 and older have been identified with a heart disease.
• Children whose parents experienced heart attack are more likely to suffer from it.
• African Americans have higher blood pressures than Caucasians and consequently a higher risk of suffering from heart attacks.
• Heart attack risk is higher among the Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and few Asian Americans. This is due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes.
• Most people with a strong family history of heart attacks have one or more other risk factors too. Just as age, sex, and race cannot be controlled, similarly, family history also cannot be controlled completely.
• Nearly 5.52 million out of the 15.3 million deaths from heart attacks occur in developed countries, while 9.77 million deaths occur in developing countries.

While death rates are decreasing in many industrialized countries, where heart attacks account for 50% of all deaths, they are on rise in Eastern Europe, where they are responsible for 58% and in developing countries, where they make up 23% of all deaths. There are numerous explanations as to why heart attacks are on the rise in developing countries.

Studies have proved that short people are more at risk to heart attacks. However, using data from a 13 year follow-up of over 13,000 people, a study has determined, after adjusting for age and level of education, that people in the lowest height quartile had no more risk of a heart attack, as compared with those in the highest category. However, this is not a risk factor.

These prevalence details clearly show how people from all over the world of various age groups are likely to suffer from heart attacks. However, it is also possible to control the incidents of heart attacks with a healthy diet and lifestyle.