CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
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| CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM |
c a rdiovascular disease each year.
Cardiovascular disease is a blanket term that
includes three major types of diseases of the
heart and blood vessels: hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary heart
disease, and stroke. Over 32 million American men suffer from one or more of
these conditions, and every year just under half a million of them die of cardiovascular
disease—more than cancer, lung disease, accidents and diabetes combined.
Compared to white men, African-American men are more likely to die of
cardiovascular disease and Latino men are less likely.
“The genders are taught to deal with fear and pain differe n t l y. When a
boy is eight years old and he skins his knee, he is told brave boys
d o n ’t cry. When he is a teenager playing high school football and gets
h u rt, they tell him to take it for the team. So when he is 50 years old
and having chest pain, he’ll say it’s just indigestion.”
Jean Bonhomme, MD, MPH, Men’s Health Network
There are a number of factors that contribute to your likelihood of developing
some kind of cardiovascular disease. If any of the following are true about you,
make an appointment to see your doctor today:
• An immediate family member was diagnosed with hypertension or some
other kind of heart condition before age 55.
• You are African-American.
• You get little or no exerc i s e .
• You are obese.
• You eat a diet high in salt.
• You have high cholesterol (see page 34).
• You smoke. If you do, you are 2-4 times more likely to develop heart
disease than a nonsmoker.
• You have high blood pressure.
• You’re under a lot of stress.
• You have more than two alcoholic drinks every day.
• You drink a lot of coffee (not decaf).
• You have diabetes (see page 39). More than 80 percent of people with
diabetes die of some kind of cardiovascular disease.
• You’re taking medication that affects blood pressure. These include Ritalin
(for ADD), steroids, migraine medications, any over-the-counter drugs that
contain pseudoephedrine, and any medication that contains stimulants
such as caffeine.
• You’re 45 or older
N a t u r a l l y, there’s nothing you can do about your age, family history or ethnic
background. But there’s plenty you can do about all the other risk factors. Let’s
take a look at each type of cardiovascular disease in detail.
HYPERTENSION/HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Blood pressure is a measurement of how hard your blood pushes against the
walls of your blood vessels as it flows through your body. The higher the pressure,
the harder your heart has to work to do its job. Your blood pressure rises and falls
throughout the day, and that’s perfectly normal. If you exercise, for example, or
win the lottery, or nearly get run over by a car, your blood pressure will go up.
But after you’ve had a chance to catch your breath, it returns to normal.
H o w e v e r, at least a quarter of American men have consistently high blood pressure,
which puts a continual strain on the heart and blood vessels and increases the
risk of damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys and other organs, and increases the risk
of having a heart attack or a stroke.
The good news is that high blood pressure can be treated easily and safely. The
bad news is that high blood pressure causes no obvious symptoms; millions of
people don’t even know they have it.
DIAGNOSING AND TREATING
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Diagnosing high blood pressure is easy—allyou have to do is have your blood pressure
checked regularly. However, because men
are less likely than women to visit their doctors,
they’re also less likely to be aware of
their blood pressure levels.
In the majority of cases, the causes of high
blood pressure are unknown. You can have
high blood pressure for years and not know
it. It is called the “silent killer.” In a perc e n tage
of cases, it’s caused by taking medication
that affects blood pressure or by a chronic
medical condition.
CHOLESTEROL
Despite all the negative things people say about cholesterol, the fact is that you
c o u l d n ’t live without it. Cholesterol helps build the walls of every cell in your
body; it’s involved in making hormones, which send messages throughout your
body; and it helps you digest your food.
I t ’s possible, however, to get too much of a good thing. When your body produces
more cholesterol than you need, the excess gets into your bloodstream, where it
begins to clog your blood vessels. That, in turn, increases your risk of heart disease
and stroke.
Besides making your own cholesterol, you get more from the foods you eat. It’s
found only in animal-based products such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, and
cheese. And while non-animal plant foods don’t contain cholesterol, some, such
as nuts, oils, and avocados, contain saturated fats, which your body converts
into cholesterol during digestion.
W h a t ’s your cholesterol level?
To measure your cholesterol level, you’ll need a blood test. When you look at the
results, you’ll see that there are actually two different kinds of cholesterol:
• LDL (low-density lipoprotein), often called the “bad” cholesterol, this is
the stuff that clogs the blood vessels. An LDL score of 100 or less is
considered optimal while a score of 130 or more means you’re at risk of
developing heart disease.
• HDL (high-density lipoprotein), the “good” cholesterol because it actually
removes the LDL. A score of 40 or less may increase the risk of heart disease
while a score of 60 or more is good and indicates a lowered risk of heart
d i s e a s e .
I d e a l l y, you want your total cholesterol—the LDL number plus the HDL number
—below 200. 200 to 239 is considered moderately high; 240 and above is high.
If your doctor says your cholesterol is too high, you have several options:
• Make lifestyle changes. This means eating less saturated fat and high-cholesterol
foods like meat, eggs, and dairy products. It also means getting
more exerc i s e .
• Take medication. Your doctor can prescribe one of several drugs that have
been proven to lower cholesterol.
CORONARY HEART DISEASE
Heart disease is the leading killer of men in the United States, causing almost half
a million deaths each year. There are two main types of heart disease:
• H e a rt attack. The arteries that supply blood to the heart get blocked,
cutting off its oxygen supply. Without oxygen, parts of the heart die and
it malfunctions.
• A n g i n a . Chest pain caused by a reduced blood supply to the heart.
• Congestive heart failure. The heart can’t pump enough blood.
The main culprit behind these conditions is atherosclerosis, which is the gradual
buildup of plaque on the inside of the arteries. This plaque is made up of cholesterol,
calcium, and normal cellular waste products. The more plaque, the less
blood can flow to the heart and other organs.
But the real danger occurs when the plaque ruptures, causing blood clots. If a
blood clot blocks an artery, no blood can get through. If this happens near the
heart, a heart attack occurs. If it happens near the brain, a stroke occurs
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