World Heart Day 2022 (29/09/2022)- Use Heart For Every Heart

Good day, dear Steemians, I'm so excited to be here again, trust you are all doing good. It's World Heart Day 2022 every September 29th is used to raise awareness about Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and the world health as usual discussed the rate and prevalence of CVD, the causes, and ways of preventing them. The theme for this year is Use Heart For Every Heart. Go with me as I explain in detail about World Heart Day.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) can be defined as a disease associated with the heart and blood vessels. We all know that the blood circulatory system pumps blood from the heart to the lungs to acquire oxygen, then transfer oxygenated blood back to the heart and from there the oxygenated blood is then sent to all part of the body.

Cardiovascular disease occurs when the oxygenated blood that flows to the heart is being reduced or blocked, and this can happen when there is a build-up of fatty deposits in the artery causing hardening and narrowing of the opening of the arteries, restricting blood flow or when there is a blood clot (thrombosis) in the arteries which limit the flow of blood or even block the flow of blood.

The groups of disorder under cardiovascular disease includes coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, Aortic disease (aortic aneurysm), and so on.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is heart disease caused by a build-up of fatty deposits or plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. This plaque on the wall of arteries may cause a reduction in the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart leading to Chest Pain (Angina) or causing a Heart Attack in a situation whereby the plaque caused a blockage that blocks the flowing of blood to the heart.

Cerebrovascular Diseases are diseases caused by restrictions of blood flow to the brain as a result of vessel narrowing, blood clots, or blockage. The disease associated with cerebrovascular disease is Stroke, stroke occurs when the blood going to the brain is being obstructed and the brain cells begin to die leading to brain damage.

Rheumatic Heart Disease can be defined as a disease that occurs due to the heart valves being permanently damaged by rheumatic fever. The heart valve is like a door to the heart which opens and closes allowing blood movement in the right direction and at the right time. The damage is a result of inadequate treatment of streptococcal infections causing Endocarditis, Myocarditis, and Pericarditis.

Aortic Disease is a disease that occurs when the aorta (which is the largest artery that carries blood from the heart to the chest and torso) wall becomes bulged and weakened. The most common aortic disease is Aortic Aneurysm, the person suffering from this disease would be experiencing pain in their chest, abdomen, and back.

There are many ways in which we can prevent ourselves from this disease and some of the ways includes:

This year heart day 2022 was used in creating awareness about Cardiovascular Disease so that many people will understand how serious the disease is, the causes, prevention, and the rate of it in society.

The goal of World Health Day is to call the attention of everyone to order and educate them about Cardiovascular Disease, its causes, and its management.

It was so disheartening with the rate at which people died of cardiovascular diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed with statistics that about 17.9 million people die from cardiovascular disease every year in which most of them died of heart attack or stroke.

Also according to WHO, About 1.9 million individuals die of cardiovascular disease from smoking tobacco and 200, 000 people die of tobacco vaping. It was discussed how Nigerians still partake in excess Intake of alcohol and tobacco usage.

A Provost and Cardiologist Consultant, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, David Oke explained how the rate of people with CVD greatly increases in Nigeria when compared to the past because of people's unhealthy eating and lifestyles.

He also discussed the rate at which heart failure increase due to the country's failure to fight hypertension, he explained that the cause of some people's heart disease is because they failed to treat hypertension, and many people cannot afford their hypertensive drug because of the economic situation of the country and this leads them with the risk of CVD.

The cardiology consultants emphasized the factors leading to CVD apart from hypertension which is Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Obesity, Tobacco usage, too much alcohol intake, and so on, in which most can be prevented through healthy living, he never forgot to mention some inalterable risk factors of CVD such as Hereditary and Age.

The experts explained the importance of this awareness that people should have a better understanding of this disease and also all patients suffering from hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol should be educated properly on how to manage their sickness and the implication of not taking adequate treatment which may cause cardiovascular disease.

They advised everyone to motivate their family and friends about CVD, and its prevention and also encourage their family and friends to do a heart check-up.

Cardiovascular Disease is a terrible disease that has claimed millions of lives throughout the world. All diseases associated with heart can be prevented when one is living a healthy lifestyle, doing medical checkups, eating healthy meals, exercising your body regularly, and desisting from tobacco and excess alcohol intake.

Do regular check-ups, and don't wait till you fall sick before visiting a hospital, also self-medication kills, visit a hospital, and get yourself diagnose. The awareness can continue from one side, pass the message across, and tell someone to tell someone.