Heart Disease

Nothing kills more American men and women per year than heart disease. In fact, almost 630,000 American men and women die from heart disease each year. Approximately every 40 seconds someone has a heart attack, which is a dreaded complication from coronary artery disease.

Heart disease does not represent one entity. The term actually refers to a variety of diseases that adversely affect the heart. These diseases affect different parts of the heart and have distinct causes.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. In fact, it accounts for one in every four deaths. Furthermore, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds in the United States and more than one person dies from a heart disease-related incident every minute. Lastly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates heart disease costs the health care system almost $200 billion per year. This includes costs for health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, which are commonly known as blood thinners, can help to mitigate the risk of blood clots by preventing blood platelets from clumping together and slowing the body’s process of clot formation. It is important for people to understand the two different types of blood thinners, so they can choose the right type for them.

As far as organs go, the heart is a pretty important one. Okay – as far as anything goes, your heart is pretty important. Without your heart, well, you wouldn’t be reading this article, now would you? When it comes to health topics, the heart should always be the first stop!