Coronary Risk Factors

1. Coronary Risk Factors

2. Introduction • Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) can affect anyone at anytime. • However, there are circumstances called RISK FACTORS that make it more likely for you to have a heart problem • -Risk factors you can change • -Risk factors you cant change

3. You cannot change – age, sex and family history. • Age-we are all getting older! • Sex-being a man predisposes you to heart disease before the age of 65yrs.Women are protected because of hormones, oestrogen until the menopause. • Family history- Close relative under 50 with heart disease will increase your risk.

4. Risk Factors We Can Change • SMOKING • Bad DIET • HYPERTENSION • STRESS • Lack of EXERCISE • ALCOHOL • OVERWEIGHT • High CHOLESTEROL

5. Evidence shows that more than half the fall in CHD deaths in the last 20 years are down to reductions in the major risk factors- smoking, diet, obesity and lack of exercise (DoH, 2007)

6. SMOKING • Smoking is a very powerful addiction, both physical and psychological • It affects every cell in the body • Every time you puff, up to 4000 chemicals are inhaled into your lungs. 43 of which cause cancer. • Smokers have more heart disease, artery damage, strokes, cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, osteoporosis, and wrinkles.

7. Nicotine • Nicotine is a poison that contracts blood vessels, including the coronary arteries that supply the heart. This makes them stiff and therefore less flexible. • It will stimulate your brain to produce more adrenaline causing your heart to beat faster and raise your blood pressure.

8. Carbon Monoxide • Replaces the oxygen carried by red blood cells, leaving organs including the heart short of oxygen. • Organs do not work well with decreased oxygen.

9. Benefits of Giving Up . After 2-12 weeks: circulation improves and exercise becomes easier. After 3-9 months: lung efficiency improves by 5-10%. After 5 years: risk of heart attack drops to half that of a smoker. After 10 years: heart attack risk falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.

10. DIET • Healthy eating is important as it has many benefits such as keeping your weight and cholesterol down • MODERATIONis the key word – a little of what you fancy does you no harm

11. The key to healthy eating is; ‘A Balanced Diet’

12. OVERWEIGHT • Why do we put weight on? It’s simple! • If we eat more calories than we burn up, the spare calories will be stored as fat • If you are overweight the heart has to work harder to pump around a ‘bigger body’ • You will feel less likely to take regular exercise • Your blood pressure may be higher and your cholesterol is more likely to be raised. Also you may have a risk of getting diabetes.

13. What can we do? • Aim to eat 3 regular meals. Don’t skip breakfast. • ½ fill your plate with veg or salad and divide the other half between the meat, fish, or other protein and the potatoes pasta or rice. • Limit salt and salty foods • Cut back on saturated fat – grill, bake or steam • Exercise for 30 mins at least 5 times a week.

14. CHOLESTEROL (LIPIDS) • LDL – the higher the LDL level the more likely your arteries are to have fatty deposits, this can lead to narrowing of the arteries. • The main aim of a low fat diet is to reduce your LDL level • Regular exercise will help decrease LDL

15. CHOLESTEROL (LIPIDS) • HDL – this carries cholesterol back to the liver to be broken down and eliminated • The higher the level the lower your risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease

16. Triglycerides • These are another form of cholesterol • High levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream can contribute to the risk of heart disease. • Exercise and a lower carbohydrate diet can reduce your trig.. • Omega-3 fatty acids and statins help reduce your cholesterol and trig..

17. ALCOHOL • Most of us enjoy a drink, however regular heavy drinking is a major health hazard and it’s on the increase • 1-2 units per day is said to be beneficial, not more than 14 units a week for a woman and 21 for a man

18. Small amounts help prevent heart disease and stroke by increasing the good cholesterol • Makes the blood less sticky • Its important not to save all your units for the weekend, avoid binge drinking

19. BLOOD PRESSURE • It’s essential for our blood to travel around the body. It won’t get anywhere without pressure • Normal range varies – 100-150/70-90 • Systolic = is the top reading • Diastolic = the bottom reading • These figures tell us what the pressure in the heart is before the heart pumps blood and just after it has pumped the blood around the body

20. Most cases of increased BP have no cause • It may run in families • Eating too much salt, being overweight, drinking too much alcohol and not exercising enough can raise it • Stress can also have a bearing on B.P • Increased B.P occurs as we get older, but not usually in people with low salt intakes

21. What does it do to you? walls of the arteries can become damaged by wear and tear of the blood flow under pressure • Arteries affected in particular are, the coronary arteries and the arteries in the brain.

22. TREATMENT • Mild increase in B.P can be controlled by lifestyle changes e.g; decreased salt intake, losing weight, taking exercise, reducing stress • Very high BP should be controlled with medication and usually for life. The dose can sometimes be lowered if you make certain changes to your lifestyle

23. And finally….. • There is only one person who can change your lifestyle…..YOU! • Take care of your heart and it will take care of you.