Chronic Disease

Chronic Disease Paper

Chronic diseases are spreading rapidly throughout the world killing as of May 1, 2008, approximately 565,493 people (CDC, 2008, p.1). By educating and becoming knowledgeable in chronic diseases and illness, is the key to helping yourself and others either in preventing or dealing with the diseases. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, are chronic diseases that causes death, disability, major limitations of daily living which contributes to being the most common, most costly and by far most preventable (CDC, 2008, p.1). There are millions of people who are dealing and struggling with a chronic disease. A situation affects everyone in some way or another, either being you, a loved one, or a co-worker or friend. Let’s look at heart disease by defining and naming symptoms, explaining risk factors and incidences, describing the impact of nutrition and exercise on the development of the disease, preventative strategies, and explain options.

Define/describe the chronic disease, and symptoms

The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack (Wickelgren, 2008). First, in order to prevent or treat heart disease you first must understand it. The heart is a muscular pump about the size of your fist. It pumps blood through an intricate network of rubbery tubes (blood vessels) that wind their way to every body par (Wickelgren, 2008, p.1). The blood flowing through large vessels called arteries is laden with the oxygen and nutrients that body tissues need (Wickelgren, 2008). The blood drops off this vital cargo and flows back to the heart through veins (Wickelgren, 2008).Blood draining from tissues also carries waste products, which are filtered through other organs and removed from the body (Wickelgren, 2008). All of the body’s blood vessels, along with the heart, make-up the circulatory system (Wickelgren, 2008). For the blood to circulate, the tubes that carry it need to be open....