World Heart Day
World Heart Day is celebrated on September 29th to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, its prevention, control and treatment, and the importance of leading a healthy life.
There are many diseases or conditions of the heart, although the most common are:
- Heart attack or myocardial infarction: It is characterized by the narrowing of the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood to the heart.
- Cerebrovascular disease: caused by intracerebral hemorrhage or by a blood clot in the brain.
- Hypertension: high blood pressure, one of the greatest risks for heart attack.
- Angina pectoris: a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.
- Arrhythmia: a disorder of the heart rhythm.
- Heart failure: occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
By taking care of our health with healthy habits, we can prevent cardiovascular disease from becoming the leading cause of death in the world, with 17.9 million premature deaths per year due to cardiovascular disease. If we continue with our current lifestyles, it is estimated that this number will reach 23 million deaths per year by 2030. Small changes in our daily lives, such as eating and drinking healthier, exercising more and quitting smoking, could reduce these numbers, according to the Spanish Heart Foundation.