Nearly half of Americans have heart or blood vessel disease

January. Shamard Charles, MD

A stunning new report found that nearly half of all Americans – 121 million adults – had some form of heart disease, a significant increase compared to the last three years. While this alarming number, published Thursday by the American Heart Association, is largely due to changes in blood pressure guidelines ̵

1; this is a warning of our ever more sedentary lives, say doctors from the heart. heart disease, has been redefined by the Heart Association as 130/80 blood pressure, lowering it from 140/90. This change means that millions of Americans aged 20 to 60 and older are now thought to have some form of cardiovascular disease. high blood pressure can not be ruled out by the equation in our fight against cardiovascular disease, "said Dr. Iver J. Benjamin, a volunteer of the American Heart Association, and director of the Cardiovascular Center at Wisconsin Medical College in Milwaukee. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, which claims more than 840,000 lives a year. After decades of steady decline, deaths have risen by nearly 4,000 cases from 2015 to 2016

. "This is a striking figure, but not surprising given the increased prevalence of obesity, diabetes and sedentary lifestyle "says Dr. Jennifer. Haye, co-director of the Women's Cardiovascular Health Center at the New York Presbyterian / Columbian University Medical Center. "The hope is that people are startled to change their lifestyle and that people go to the doctor to assess some of their risk factors for the cardiovascular system." Eighty percent of all cardiovascular disease can be prevented, not smoking, controlling high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, along with regular exercise and healthy eating.

High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and many other problems. Only about half of people with hypertension are under control, according to a study.

Leading cardiologist Dr. Steven Nissen warns that findings do not necessarily mean that heart disease in the United States is getting worse. Overall, deaths due to heart disease have fallen by 17.7% in the United States over the last few decades, largely due to a reduction in smoking rates. hypertension based on a change in blood pressure guidelines, "said Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic. "Despite the research, we have made significant advances in the field and coronary artery disease has declined significantly over the last few decades."

Diagnosis of high blood pressure does not automatically mean that the medicine is necessary or that someone actually has a coronary artery disease, a common type of heart disease, where arteries that supply blood to the heart harden and narrow. "Blood pressure of 130/80 is an important reminder of the use of lifestyle modifications. These are risk factors that we can fully control, such as diabetes, smoking and diet, "said Dr. Leslie Cho, a cardiologist and director of the women's cardiovascular center at the Cleveland Clinic.

"If you lower your body weight, you can lower your blood pressure. from about 8 [blood pressure points] and we are not talking about hundreds of pounds here. We are talking about just 5% of our body weight, "she added. How to Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease

Regular Physical Activity and Follow-on Vegetable Diet Like DASH, A Nutrition Plan That Stresses Fruit [196590013] Not all patients have the same optimal goals but it is important to know blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol, Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, a professor of cardiovascular disease at the University.

Haythe believes the report on public health of the report is important.

"Forty-eight percent of people will not die from a heart attack," Haite said. "But the report shows that there is an increase in the incidence of coronary heart disease risk and stresses the importance of managing these risk factors with lifestyle changes and appropriate treatment."

Shamard Charles, M.D. Shamard Charles is a medical journalist for NBC News and Today, who reports on health policy, public health initiatives, the diversity of medicine, and new developments in the field of health research and medical treatment.

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