Misconceptions About Heart Disease

According to 2006 statistics from the American Heart Association, heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease, affects approximately 80 million people each year in the United States alone. Common myths and misconceptions about heart disease emphasize the fact that its serious health risks are often misunderstood and underrated.

Gender

• Many people assume that heart disease affects men more than women, but according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, it kills more women in the United States than any other disease.

Age

• Heart disease does not occur only in older individuals. AHA statistics show that in the United States nearly 151,000 people under age 65 died from cardiovascular disease in 2005.

Heart Attacks

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a common misconception about heart attacks is that people who die from them do so quickly; unfortunately, many sufferers experience long-term disability and increased chances of suffering from future heart attacks.

Prevention/Solution

• Many falsely believe that heart disease and heart attacks cannot be prevented. Exercising regularly, eating a well-rounded diet and avoiding smoking are easy steps you can take to reduce your chances of developing heart disease.

Significance

• Misconceptions about heart disease play a major role in contributing to heart-disease relating illnesses, since they mask the seriousness and prevalence of heart disease, as well as how easily you can prevent certain risk factors.

Symptoms

• Many people assume that intense chest pain accompanies all heart attacks; but some warning signs or symptoms are so subtle that a lot of people--especially women, whose symptons are more likely to be nausea, weakness or sleep disturbances--fail to recognize the symptoms, which can result in delayed treatment and misdiagnosis.