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Heart Disease Facts & Resources from Health Issues Today
We hope that these pages will help you in your fight against heart disease and its grip on our world today. There are many resources listed here to enlighten you and help you build your health library, please take advantage of them. You can get a free ebook about heart disease by signing up using the form on the left side of this page. God bless and good luck in your battle against heart disease. Does cholesterol affect heart disease risk in older patients?Author: American Family Physician Several studies have shown that high levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol increase a middle-aged man's risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, similar findings have been less consistent in older patients. Curb and associates examined the relationship between cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease in older men. The long-term, prospective study included healthy Japanese-American men 45 to 68 years of age. Exclusion criteria were a history of CHD and use of lipid-lowering medications. The authors noted baseline risk factors (e.g., body mass index, hypertension, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride levels, smoking history, and diabetes). The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype was identified through blood tests. At the 6-year follow-up, 145 of the 2,424 participants had suffered a coronary event. Participants with total cholesterol levels between 200 and 219 mg per dL (5.20 to 5.65 mmol per L), and LDL cholesterol levels between 120 to 129 mg per dL (3.10 to 3.30 mmol per L) had the fewest incidences of CHD, but the risk increased in patients whose cholesterol concentrations declined and increased beyond these ranges, creating a U-shaped curve. The results did not change after adjusting for age and baseline risk factors. The ApoE genotype had no significant effect on CHD risk. The authors conclude that the study demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease in older men. Although the cause of this association is unclear, the authors state that low total cholesterol levels may be a marker for frailty and other age-related health problems. The authors suggest that physicians treat elevated cholesterol in the older patients, because trials have shown that older persons benefit from lipid-lowering treatments. They state that further studies are needed to determine the benefit of excessively lowering older patients' cholesterol levels. ...
Heart Disease Additional Information
Heart is the most significant organ of the body. It controls and regulates the entire body. An individual can survive the loss of other organs of body but not of a heart. The moment heart ceases pumping blood to the body, it results in a heart stroke and there are chances that the person may die. But people are often negligent in taking care of this undeniably crucial organ of their body. This is made evident by the studies that reveal the escalating deaths due to cardiac arrests every year. It is not just the elderly who are gripped by cardiac seizures ... Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining Armor What is so special about wine? What is it that makes it potentially more protective against coronary heart disease, and perhaps other diseases, that other forms of alcohol? In recent years, scientists have concluded without doubt that many human diseases such as heart disease, cancer and the aging process is caused or stimulated by a ravenous group of chemicals called free radicals, that act like hungry sharks. These highly charged little villains prowl the body and attack healthy ... |
