Controlling coronary heart disease:
Despite advances in medical technology, medical interventions can be limited when faced with a large population of patients and high sudden death rates. It is important to note that although coronary heart disease mainly affects middle-aged and elderly individuals, its pathological basis begins in childhood. Therefore, preventing the occurrence of coronary atherosclerosis and eliminating it in its early stages is crucial.
The promotion of early detection techniques can effectively prevent the progression of lesions and strive for their reversal. For those who already have coronary heart disease, timely control of complications, improving the quality of life, and prolonging lifespan are also important focuses of medical work.
Prevention of coronary heart disease mainly involves two strategies: population-wide prevention and high-risk population prevention. Population-wide prevention aims to lower the average level of risk factors in the population by changing lifestyle behaviors, social structures, and economic factors associated with coronary heart disease risk factors. High-risk population prevention targets individuals with at least one risk factor (such as hypertension, smoking, etc.) that has a clear causal relationship with coronary heart disease, aiming to reduce their levels of risk factors and effectively decrease the occurrence of coronary heart disease.
However, it is worth noting that coronary heart disease can occur not only in high-risk populations but also in populations with lower risk factors. Therefore, population-wide prevention is particularly important.
Currently recognized risk factors for coronary heart disease include being male, being middle-aged or older (over 40 years old), having a family history of premature coronary heart disease, smoking (more than 10 cigarettes per day), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, severe obesity (over 30% overweight), and a history of definite cerebral or peripheral vascular obstruction. Among them, hypertension, high cholesterol, and smoking are considered the main risk factors for coronary heart disease. Except for gender, age, and family history, all other risk factors can be controlled through prevention and treatment.