Surprisingly, a person in America has a heart attack about every 45 seconds. This goes on every single day of every year, and most Americans surveyed did not know the risk factors for heart disease. Unfortunately, high cholesterol and smoking topped the list of risk factors, and high blood pressure rounded out the list of the top three.
Experts report that about half of all Americans have one of those risk factors: recently a series of commercials has been broadcast that directly relates smoking to the development of heart disease, a fact which many Americans did not previously know.
Every year, almost 750,000 people in America have a cardiac event, either a heart attack or more minor — but still significant — heart issue that requires cardiac care. The field of cardiac care continues to seek better technology and earlier warning signs; patients with a history of heart problems may seek cardiology diagnostics in the hope of avoiding major problems in the future.
Cardiology has come a long way since 1967, when a surgeon named Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first successful heart transplant on a human patient. Cardiologists can now diagnose heart disease earlier, have extensive access to effective medications, and can offer a variety of health services to patients as preventative care.
Health services are important to the people who seek them: a well-rounded cardiovascular department should be able to consult with patients about their diet and exercise routines and may prescribe specific exercises that are designed to bring about better circulation and higher levels of cardiovascular function.
Diagnostic and therapeutic services may become increasingly sophisticated, but experts also recommend that patients monitor their diet and make sure that they get exercise throughout the week. Recent reports regarding a sedentary lifestyle do indicate that the effects are not as severe as previously indicated, but all the experts agree that weekly walking, biking, hiking or other exercise is recommended for all patients with heart issues.
