A Setback in the Fight Against Heart Disease

Over the last several years, the number of people who have died from heart disease has consistently been dropping. Experts believe that this is because of a rigorous campaign to help educate people about the dangers of obesity, poor diet, and a lack of exercise. Schools and other institutions across the country have launched programs to help students develop heart healthy practices, and for many years, those efforts seemed to be working. All across the world, the number of people in developed countries who died from heart disease had been dropping.

Unfortunately, current numbers show that this campaign is starting to lose some of its progress. Because heart disease is such a prevalent force in the United States and other countries, researchers spend a lot of time tracking the disease and the impact that it has on society. Recently, a team out of the University of Melbourne in Australia announced that heart disease deaths have begun to level out. In some countries, these rates are even increasing. This is the exact opposite of what had been happening for years beforehand, and it raises some red flags for those in the medical community.

In 12 countries, cardiovascular related deaths have stopped declining or have increased in recent years. This includes the female population in the United States and Canada. In many other countries, the rate of progress has dropped significantly. For example, in Australia, the decline in mortality because of cardiovascular disease has dropped to about 20 percent of what it was in 2000.

Obesity is the main culprit, but not the only one. Smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other issues have also contributed to this drop. A renewed effort to help people live healthier lives is needed if more progress against this unnecessary killer is going to be made. The researchers that published these findings believe that a new step forward is necessary if progress is going to be made in lowering death rates and helping people live longer, healthier lives.

Right now, you are probably wondering what you can do to help your family on your end of things. Although there’s not a lot that can be done to stop heart disease on a global level, there are things that each one of us can do to help improve the health of our family members, even older loved ones. Encouraging exercise, healthy eating habits, and helping your mom or dad get to the doctor for regular checkups can do a lot in terms of prevention. If you have concerns about any of these areas, speaking with a doctor can help you get steered down the right path. In other areas, a trained caregiver can help with the day to day tasks of making sure that these habits are encouraged and overseen. Finding a professional trained in these areas can be a blessing to your family, especially if senior care is an area of concern for you.

If we can help you out, please feel free to get in touch. Our trained caregivers would love to help answer any questions you have and point you toward the care that can best help out your family.