Begins at an Early Age
A heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs when blood flow through the coronary arteries, which supply oxygen and other nutrients to the heart muscle, is interrupted. It is usually caused by a blood clot in arteries that have already become narrowed by atherosclerosis (deposition of fats and cholesterol on the inner surface of the arteries). A heart attack can cause damage to the heart and even death. Autopsies performed on Korean War casualties gave one of the first indications that atherosclerosis or clogging of the coronary (and other) arteries begins at an early age. About 75% of the hearts studied in those autopsies showed evidence of heart disease, even though the subjects may have experienced no symptoms during life. This study was a wake-up call back in the 1950s, bringing attention to the insidious nature of coronary heart disease and its early age of onset.
Making Progress
Similar studies involving casualties of the Vietnam War indicated that about 45% of young men had atherosclerotic involvement of the coronary arteries. A more recent study by Dr. Bryant Webber of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Bethesda, Maryland showed that about 9% of service members who died in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars from 2001 to 2011 had coronary artery plaque buildup, an early sign of atherosclerosis. These numbers seem to indicate that progress has been made in stemming the tide of coronary artery disease which had reached epidemic proportions 60 years ago.
What You Can Do
The likely reasons for this progress include better control of cholesterol and blood pressure levels and awareness of the negative effects of smoking on the arteries. While the CDC reports that about 385,000 individuals die in the U.S. every year as a result of coronary heart disease, the good news is that young people today can expect to have less heart disease than previous generations. To maintain this progress we should all monitor and control our blood pressure and cholesterol levels and abstain from smoking. Two risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis which have not shown progress are obesity and diabetes and these should be the new targets in the war against heart disease. To learn more about what you can do to promote a healthy lifestyle for both you and your family start with a visit to your physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease That Can Be Treated or Changed:
Smoking
High Blood Pressure
Elevated Cholesterol
Diabetes
Obesity
Sedentary Lifestyle