Heart Disease

In 2017 heart disease was the leading cause of hospitalization and the second leading cause of death in Canada. Every seven minutes in Canada, someone dies from heart disease or stroke. Over 1.3 million survivors- and their families and caregivers- are living with the devastating after effects of heart disease. Millions of Canadians are at risk

In 2012/13 Agency of Canada’s Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS) Indicate that:

Every hour, about 12 Canadian adults age 20 and over with diagnosed heart disease die

About 1 in 12 (or 2.4 million) Canadian adults age 20 and over live with diagnosed heart disease;

The number of Canadian adults aged 20 years and older with a history of
heart attack (a subset of heart disease) increased from approximately
251,000 to 578,000 between 2000–2001 and 2012–2013.

The proportion of Canadians with a history of heart attack increased by

67% over the same time period. This increase likely reflects that more and

more Canadians are surviving heart attacks.

According to CCDSS heart disease outcomes are improving over time. From 2000–2001 to 2012–2013,
age-standardized ischemic heart disease and heart failure incidence and all-cause
mortality rates declined, while the prevalence of both conditions remained relatively

stable. Respectively, incidence rates declined by 45% and 35% and all-cause mortality

rates fell by 24% and 26%. A similar pattern was observed for acute myocardial infarction,

although the occurrence increased by about 67% over the study period.

Compared to those without IHD, AMI or heart failure, individuals with the disease of interest are more likely to die of any cause in a given year.
• Age-standardized all-cause mortality rates were almost three times higher, on average, among Canadian adults with diagnosed IHD compared to those without in a given year.

• Compared to those without a prior history of AMI, those with a history of AMI were about four times more likely to die of any cause in 2012–2013 . The gap between those with and without a history of AMI has reduced over time, since the rate ratio was as high as 4.7 in the early 2000s.

• In a given year, Canadians aged 40 years and older with diagnosed heart failure were, on average, six times more likely to die of any cause than those without heart failure

To pump blood throughout the body, your heart contracts then relaxes. This action is similar to clenching and unclenching your fist. With each beat of your heart, blood is pushed through your arteries. This is what creates your pulse.

It is about the size of your fist

It is protected by your ribs and breastbone (sternum)

It beats about 100,000 times a day. Each beat of your heart pumps blood through a network of arteries

Blood delivers essential oxygen and nutrients to every cell

Blood takes away waste products and carbon dioxide

Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart throughout the body

Veins carry oxygen-poor blood back to your heart and lungs to start the cycle over again

It is estimated that heart disease cost the economy around 22 billion per year

Heart failure patients have long and
frequent hospital stays.

There is no cure for heart failure.

Heart failure patients are complex, often managing other conditions.

Heart failure patients experience shortness of breath, exhaustion and swelling.

600,000 Canadians are living with heart failure .

50,000 Canadians are diagnosed with hearth failure each year.

Heart disease suggests to what is a group of conditions that impact the layout and process of the heart and have multiple root causes.

Coronary artery vascular disease

Heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias)

Structural heart disease

Heart failure

Subtopic

Causes of heart disease

Medical condition

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Diabetes

Sleep apnea

Lifestyle risk factors

Unhealthy diet

Not enough physical activity

Unhealthy weight

Too much alchol

Stress

Smoking (tobacco misuse)

Birth control or hormone replacement therapy

Risk factors you cannot control

Sex- female risk of heart disease and stroke changes over their lifetime.

Age- the older you are, the higher your risk of heart disease

Family and medical history

South Asian and African heritage

Indigenous heritage

Personal circumstances-including access to healthy food, safe drinking water, health services and social services

Prevention

Be smoke-free

Be physically active

Know and control your blood pressure

Eat a healthy diet that is lower in fat, especially saturated and trans fat

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight

Manage your diabetes

Limit alcohol use

Reduce stress

Visit your doctor regularly and follow their advice

Diagnosis-To diagnose heart disease, your healthcare provider will examine your medical and family history, and give you a complete physical exam. They may also run tests. The type of tests depends on the signs and symptoms you are experiencing.

Treatment-Procedure for heart disease includes medication, lifestyle modifications (healthy eating, staying active, reducing stress) and surgery or other methods. Treatment depends on the type and severity of your heart disease. You and your physician will consult the treatment options and decide which is best for you and your circumstances.

Recovery-Cardiac rehabilitation is a personalized project of exercise, education and counselling to help you recover from heart disease. Rehab will help you retrieve your strength and decrease your chance of having other heart problems in the future.

• According to the most recent data from 2012/13,
about 2.4 million (8.5%) Canadian adults aged
20 years and older live with diagnosed ischemic

heart disease, including 578,000 (2.1%) with

a history of a heart attack.

• About 669,600 (3.6%) Canadian adults aged

40 years and older live with diagnosed

heart failure.

HOW MANY CANADIANS ARE NEWLY

DIAGNOSED WITH HEART DISEASE

EACH YEAR? (INCIDENCE)

• About 158,700 (6.1 per 1,000) Canadian

adults aged 20 years and older received a new

diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. Specifically,

about 63,200 (2.3 per 1,000) adults had a first

heart attack.

• Approximately 92,900 (5.2 per 1,000) Canadian

adults aged 40 years and older received a new

diagnosis of heart failure.

Researchers from the Universities of Manitoba, Toronto, Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Statistics Canada looked at a database that linked hospitalization and income tax records in the years 2005 to 2013. The researchers looked at more than 24, 000 people ages 40 to 61 who had a heart attack, cardiac arrest or stroke. To be included in the study, participants had to have worked in the two years prior to being hospitalized. They were compared to healthy people of the same age.

For those who had a heart attack, the annual loss of income was $3,834 in 2012 Canadian dollars. For those who survived a witnessed cardiac arrest, the financial hit was $11,143. The biggest financial loss came to people who had a stroke. For them, the hit was $13,278.



Those figures correspond to a loss of income that ranged between eight and 31 per cent.

A family history of heart disease is generally defined by having a first-degree male relative (i.e., father or brother) who had a heart attack by age 55, or a first-degree female relative (i.e., mother or sister) by age 65. Just as important, consider lifestyle changes that improve your heart health.

Although it's presumed to be genetic, only a few genes have been linked to heart defects. That means heart defects are likely due to a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors. There's usually a 2 to 15 percent chance of a heart defect recurring in a family.

Patients reported reductions in social/family interactions (67.2%), dietary changes (64.1%), and difficulty walking and climbing stairs (56.3%) as the most common adverse disease impacts. Mental-health sequelae were noted as depression and sadness (43.8%), fear of dying (32.8%), and anxiety (32.8%)