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The heart pumps blood to the various parts of the body and continues to beat rhythmically throughout an individual's life. Heart disease is a term used to categorize all conditions of the heart such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy and heart valve disorders. Diseases of the heart are also referred to as cardiovascular disease. Every year heart disease claims the life of a large number of individuals. It is one of the leading causes of death in individuals above the age of 35 years. Here are some facts on heart disease.

• Coronary heart disease or CHD is the most commonly occurring heart disease. It occurs when the coronary arteries which carry blood to the heart become narrow. It is the cause of heart attack in more than 500,000 deaths in America.
• Individuals with first degree as well as second degree relatives who suffer from heart disease before 60 years of age are about 10 times more likely to experience heart disease.
• Just 4 to 6 minutes following a cardiac arrest, an individual suffers from brain death.
• Studies indicate that people with a habit of staying up late may be more prone to heart disease even if they sleep for 8 hours.
• Heart attacks are different from cardiac arrests. A heart attack also known as myocardial infarction takes place when the heart muscle stops receiving blood supply and dies. A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping due to electrical problems of the heart.
• Depression puts an individual at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Individuals who are emotionally well-adjusted are less likely to suffer from heart disease.
• Some researchers found that a high heart rate in women indicated a higher risk of heart attack.
• The most important risk factor in heart disease is age. Other risk factors include obesity, high blood cholesterol, family history, gender, smoking, hypertension and lack of exercise.
• About 40 percent of individuals who suffer from a heart attack die before they reach a hospital.
• Drugs meant for treating heart disease can have adverse effects when they interact with herbs such as St. John's wort and gingko biloba.
• Menopausal women undergo reduced production of estrogen and this puts them at a higher risk of developing heart conditions.
• The risk of coronary heart disease increases when there is hypertension. Hypertension also affects the kidneys and brain and may not result in any symptoms.
• Laughing leads to an expansion in the blood vessels which play an important role in protecting the heart.
• Many individuals suffer from heart attacks in the morning as this is the time when stress hormones are at their peak. Partial dehydration also occurs in the mornings and this causes the blood to become thicker and more difficult to pump.
• A heart transplant surgery can last between 4 to 10 hours. Individuals who have undergone such a procedure need to take immunosuppressive medications throughout their lives in order to prevent organ rejection.
• 100 to 110 beats per minute is the rate at which a transplanted heart beats. Normal heart rate is about 70 beats per minute.
• The risk of heart attack can be reduced by making certain lifestyle modifications such as maintaining healthy body weight, reducing alcohol intake, exercising regularly and managing stress.
• An individual can increase his or her life expectancy by up to 5 years by giving up smoking.
• The risk of having a heart attack can be reduced by about 52 percent by consuming fish once every week.

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