Heart Disease Essay

By analyzing the medical, cultural and social perspectives we are able to examine leading factors of heart disease as well researching possible devices and medication that can help in dealing with heart disease. All the articles agree that heart disease is a major problem, Morales further found that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both Hispanics and Americans—other cultures are unknown (Morales, Kington, pg. 8). However, the most common heart disease are coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease with coronary heart disease being the leading cause of death in the United States (Kones, pg. 325-326; Stephen, Marmot, pg. 6).

According to Yeung, the cause for cardiovascular disease is the depletion of ATP production in the mitochondria—the depletion of the ATP leads to cell death which later leads to cardiovascular disease (pg.1). On the other hand, Kones found that development of atherosclerosis in early childhood, which later advances in adulthood, causes cardiovascular disease (pg. 326). On a more environmental level, Stephen and Marmot claim that coronary artery calcification was greatest among young adults in manual labor who left education early on in

life (pg. 20). This, however, may not apply to Hispanics since according to the Hispanics Health Paradox, most Hispanics either have better or the same health outcomes as white American (Morales, Kington, pg.1-2). As one can see, we do not yet have a full understanding of what exactly leads to heart disease. Stephen and Marmot, further prove this when stating that genomic and environmental integrational factors, intrauterine (within the uterus) environment growth, nutrition, health and social circumstances in childhood, and a variety of behavioral and socioeconomic factors in adulthood may contribute to the development of coronary heart disease (pg. 21). This is too vague to really pinpoint what factors best predict heart disease.
Although, even with this vague amount of information, Kones still discusses some ways to prevent heart disease. For instance, Kones claims that losing 15% or more of body weight with healthy eating and exercise, one can reduce cardiovascular disease up to 45%; treatments of LDL-C and hypertension therapy have also shown to improve one’s health (pg. 329). Kones further explains the two type of prevention in medicine: primary prevention and secondary prevention. Primary prevention is for individuals who have not been formally diagnosed with heart disease, this tries to prevent or delay the first cardiac event from occurring. Secondary prevention, on the other hand, is for individuals who are diagnosed with heart disease, this type of prevention tries to prevent or delay a clinical event (pg. 327).
In the secondary prevention, patients could often use medications or devices such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or the left ventricle assist device in order to prevent or delay a cardiac event.

CoQ10 is a required component in the mitochondria electron transport chain, it is used to produce energy that the body needs for cell growth and maintenance (Yeung, pg. 1). In Yeung’s study, patients who competed high dosage trial of CoQ10, were able to tolerate it, despite the complaints of nausea and abdominal pain, in other words the supplement, CoQ10, is safe (pg. 5). CoQ10 also showed to improve mitochondrial coupling which improved oxidative stress in patients who experienced chronic hemodialysis (Yeung, pg. 6). Although, high dosages of CoQ10 decreased plasma isofuran concentrations (Yeung, pg.

4).
As for the left ventricle assist device, it is primary used as an alternative to heart transplant for patients with end stage congestive heart failure (Rector, Taylor, pg. 1). The left ventricle assist device was known for improving patient’s health, enough for them to be eligible for heart transplant (Rector, Taylor, pg. 5). Furthermore, patients without the device had a life expectancy of less than two years (Rector, Taylor, pg. 1). On the other hand the left ventricle assist device was also known for failing 35% of the time within two years. The failure of the devices then caused 17% of deaths among patients (Rector, Taylor, pg. 5).
Both the left ventricle assist device and coenzyme Q10 appear to improve one’s health. However, the also have their disadvantages, it is just a matter of luck in some cases. However, the primary reason for preventing heart disease is to also prevent the use of these devices and medications that can sometimes have serious side effects. However, we do not yet know which factors contribute more to heart disease than others—we still do not have a clear understanding of what heart disease is.
It is important to keep in mind that only five articles were discussed, meaning this research is fairly limited. Some of the information could be considered outdated since some information is from 2002. Also, for instance, in Kones study there were only 20 participants which is not a large enough number to represent a population. Furthermore, the perspectives that were primarily emphasized were the social, cultural and medical perspectives. There are far more perspectives that could go more into detail of what exactly goes on in the heart. Then again, the point is to do further research in order to full understand heart disease.