Coronary heart disease is self inflicted. Coronary heart disease (also known as coronary artery disease) is caused by a restricted blood flow to the heart

Coronary heart disease is self inflicted.

Coronary heart disease (also known as coronary artery disease) is caused by a restricted blood flow to the heart due to the narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the heart. This is generally caused by a build up of fatty deposits along the coronary arteries in the condition commonly known as atherosclerosis. When this occurs, the heart doesn’t receive the amount of oxygen and nutrients it needs to function efficiently, leading to coronary heart disease and often fatal stoppages of the heart. These heart attacks occur mainly from parts of the fatty deposits breaking off and forming a clot, not allowing any blood to pass through into the heart. The lack of oxygen damages the heart tissue, and even if the clot dissipates, that area of the heart will no longer function efficiently. If the heart attack affects a large area of the heart, it could prove fatal. (2)

One of the major contributors to coronary heart disease is high blood pressure (hypertension.) This causes the heart to work harder so the muscles thicken to withstand this more vigorous use. As the heart muscles thicken, less blood can enter the heart, leading to coronary heart disease. When hypertension exists with other contributing risk factors, the risks of occurrences of coronary heart disease are dramatically multiplied. (3)

An excess of cholesterol in the blood (hyperlipidemia) also contributes to coronary heart disease. Cholesterol is present in many areas of the body and is used to produce hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that help to digest fat. However, only a small amount is required to perform these tasks, and the excess is deposited along the arteries, causing them to become more narrow. Anyone with a total cholesterol greater than 240mg/dL is considered to be at a high risk of developing coronary heart disease. (4)

However, hypertension and hyperlipidemia are controllable. Obesity raises blood pressure and ...

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However, hypertension and hyperlipidemia are controllable. Obesity raises blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It can also be the root of the development of diabetes. Physical inactivity is also a risk factor for coronary heart disease, as exercise levels help to control blood pressure and cholesterol levels and also helps with weight loss. Drinking an excess of alcohol is also dangerous as it raises blood pressure, produces irregular heartbeats and can lead to obesity. So by making simple lifestyle changes, the risks of contracting coronary heart disease can be greatly reduced. By losing weight, exercising regularly and not drinking alcohol to excess some of the risks of coronary heart disease are controllable. (5)

Another major contributor to coronary heart disease that is also controllable is smoking. Smoking tobacco leads to a build up of plaque on the artery walls leading to atherosclerosis. This, of course, is a controllable risk factor and giving up at least halves the risk of developing coronary heart disease. (1)

Stress is another risk factor, and scientists have noted a relationship between a person’s level of stress and the chances of them contracting coronary heart disease. Stress can cause a person to overeat and become obese or even start smoking, hence greatly increasing their risk of developing coronary heart disease. (3)

Another condition that increases the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease is diabetes. One third of diabetics die from some form of heart or blood vessel related disease. However, if the diabetes is kept under control and glucose levels in the sufferer are controlled, the risk of the diabetic suffering from coronary heart disease is greatly reduced. (5)

In the absence of any form of control over these risk factors, it would appear that coronary heart disease is indeed self inflicted. However, there are some uncontrollable risk factors that cannot be modified, treated or controlled by lifestyle changes or by taking medicine.

Gender is also a contributing factor to coronary heart disease, with men at a greater risk of dying from coronary heart disease than women. The percentage of women who die from coronary heart disease is radically lower than that of men, until women reach the menopause, when the percentage of deaths from coronary heart disease among women rises. (5) Experts believe this is to do with the levels of oestrogen in the body, and that the oestrogen somehow offers a form of limited protection against coronary heart disease. (3)

Another uncontrollable contributor is age, with 84 percent of people who die from coronary heart disease aged 65 or over. As your age increases, so does your chance of suffering from coronary heart disease. This leaves older men as the group most at risk, although at older ages, it is more likely that women will die from heart attacks within only a few weeks after they occur, unlike men who generally survive for longer. (3)

The final identified risk factor of coronary heart disease is heredity, which of course is totally uncontrollable. Children whose parents suffer from coronary heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. People who have a family history of coronary heart disease also generally suffer from other, controllable risk factors. Some races are also more prone to developing coronary heart disease than others. African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Hawaiians and Asian Americans seem to be more at risk than other races. (3)

In conclusion, there are a few uncontrollable risk factors involved in the contraction of coronary heart disease, such as age and gender. However, these are outnumbered by the amount of controllablerisk factors that have been identified, such as smoking and physical inactivity. These controllable factors can be monitored and maintained by lifestyle changes and the intake of certain medicines. These medicines and lifestyle changes seem to offer some form of protection against coronary heart disease, and therefore many cases of coronary heart disease could be said to be self inflicted through a lack of personal care.