September 30th, 2007 is World Heart Day. The beat for the day this year is ‘Team up for healthy hearts’!

This day is an attack on the ‘silent killer’- heart disease, which unfortunately has become a global ‘phenomenon’. By virtue of the spiraling statistics of heart diseases and its omnipresence, it has acquired a ‘household’ status. Despite this ‘fame’, people are yet unclear about prevention of heart disease.

The heart, often called the ‘seat of emotions, thought, and creativity’ by many scientists and philosophers spends a sleepless lifetime pumping blood to the cells. Despite all the eulogy heaped on the heart from time to time, it appears that the world has simply taken this ‘fist of magic’ for granted. According to estimates by the WHO, nearly 17.5 million lives world-wide are lost to heart disease and stroke each year.

Experts opine that the common condition is coronary artery disease (CAD) that is caused by thickening of artery walls due to fat deposits. This could lead to angina, heart attacks and even sudden death.

Indian hearts may just end up in the mouths reading this - experts have forewarned that by 2010, nearly 60% of the world’s cardiac related ailments will be Indian. Currently, the number of cardiac patients in India is higher than five crores; Experts feel this figure will double by 2010.

So, are Indians prone to heart disease? The answer is ‘yes’. Research has shown that Asians as a race are prone to heart disease as compared to people of other races. Added to this are other risk factors like genetic predisposition, lifestyle changes, stress, smoking, pollution and the like.

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the world. Many children today are bogged down by their own weight and are seen battling lifestyle diseases. With parents as ‘roly-poly’ models, children are left searching for the right examples to chart their own life.

So, what we have in a nutshell is a recipe for more ‘heartrending’ tales. Therefore, it makes better sense to understand cardiovascular diseases, their risk factors and most importantly prevention strategies. The focus clearly rests on Prevention of heart disease with simple changes in diet and lifestyle.

Cardiovascular Conditions

Let us take a sneak peek into cardiovascular conditions, which form the basic premise for heart problems. In the absence of proper management of the disease, these conditions could lead to heart failure.

Hypertensive heart disease

Hypertension or high blood pressure is also called a ‘sly intruder’, as it lies in the body, at most times without any warning signal. Hypertension damages the heart slowly but surely, exerting undue pressure on the blood vessels and the heart. It is also one of the leading causes of stroke worldwide. Therefore, it is imperative to detect hypertension early and treat it without delay.

Ischemic heart disease

Narrowing of the coronary arteries due to fat deposits gives rise to this condition. When the arteries thicken, blood supply to the heart gets affected. There is a strain on the heart as it receives reduced blood supply. This can lead to heart failure.