- QUESTION
Discuss any three risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. For any one of these risk factors, discuss what you might include in an educational plan for your patient who has yet to develop heart disease. Make sure you adopt an integrated approach to assess your patient’s needs. Your focus here is on primary prevention.
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| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 2 | Style | APA |
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Answer
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Risk Factors Associated with the Development of Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of mortality in the USA. According to statistics, there are about 610, 000 deaths as a result of heart diseases in USA annually. In Australia, CVD claims one life every 12 minutes, and is responsible for 30% of all deaths in 2013 (HeartFoundation, 2015). However, CVD is a condition that can be prevented. This basically calls for routine checkups and identification of risk factors that lead to CVD.
Several risk factors increase chances of one contracting CVD, such as smoking, hypertension, poor diet, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity and alcohol abuse. Fryar et al (2012) posit that 47% of Americans have at least one of three key risk factors, that is, smoking, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol. It is vital for nurses to develop an integrated approach to assess their patient needs and include, hence, create a health literacy plan to assist in the prevention of CVD.
Smoking is a menace for many Americans and exposes them to a high risk of suffering from CVD. In 2013, about 17.8% of American adults were smokers (CDC, 2013). Smoking causes hypertension, and blood coagulation. Combined with other risk factors, smoking can amplify the chance of getting a CVD. Health professionals have an obligation to counseling patients towards complete cessation of smoking. To do this, one should enquire about tobacco usage from their patient, and strongly advise them to quit. Assessment of the patient’s motivation to quit complemented with counseling and development of a quitting plan is the first major step towards prevention of CVD. Follow-ups in form of referrals and pharmacotherapy may greatly improve the chances of quitting smoking.
High blood pressure is also another risk factor for CVD. The main goal in preventing and managing hypertension is maintaining BP at less than 140/90 mm Hg. For hypertension patients, a healthy lifestyle is highly recommended. To start with, recommend on an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, and a low sodium diet. Encourage the patient to increase his/her physical activities by recommending a morning run or jog. Also, advise the patient to reduce alcohol consumption and overall weight to a recommended BMI number.
High intake of cholesterol is also another common risk factor worth noting. High LDL-C of above 7% can pose a risk factor which could lead to CVD. High cholesterol levels are easily preventable by change in diet. Consumption of saturated fats common in animal products and trans-fats common in junk foods is a major channel for increased cholesterol levels. Recommend fatty acids in oily fish and nuts and discourage saturated and Trans fats diets in the patient’s lifestyle.
In conclusion, prevention is better than cure. Following the above recommendations will go a long way to ensure that risk factors that could lead to CVD are well managed for a healthier society.
References
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CDC. (2013). Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults in the United States. Retrieved Oct 23, 2015, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/ Fryar CD, Chen T, Li X. HYPERLINK "http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db103.pdf" \t "_blank" Prevalence of Uncontrolled Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: United States, 1999–2010[PDF-323K] . NCHS data brief, no 103. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012. HeartFoundation. (2015). Data and statistics. Retrieved October 23, 2015, from Heart Foundation:http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/information-for-professionals/data-and-statistics/Pages/default.aspx
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