Prevention of Heart Disease since Childhood

Prevention of Heart Disease since Childhood



There are several risk factors for coronary heart disease in adulthood. However, in principle, be carried out efforts to prevent early childhood or early childhood.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) itself is a heart disease caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries in the heart.
Risk factors for coronary heart disease is the cause of obesity (overweight), hiperkolestrolemia (cholesterol levels are too high), smoking (active and passive), less physical activity, and hypertension.
Pathological data from several studies indicate that the process of atherosclerosis occurred since the age of the children. Changes in the blood vessel wall is almost always found at the age of 20 years, and will be plaq (fibrous plaque) since the second decade of life. The process works slowly but surely.
The current sense of the trend of CHD was began in the relatively young age. Current trend is found in many children who are obese, children and adolescents who smoke.
How is the food consumed by children with the process of atherosclerosis in the future?
Diet and type of food will certainly influenced the occurrence of obesity and elevated levels of cholesterol. Because the clinical manifestations of CHD in adults may take longer than the process of atherosclerosis, the detection of CHD risk factors should be done at an early age, the infants, children and adolescents.
Children's food will affect blood cholesterol levels. To control cholesterol levels can be done with the diet recommended by the American Heart Asociation (AHA) as follows: Food variety, enough calories for growth, and maintenance shall not exceed 30% fat, total calories polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) at least 10%, total calorie intake cholesterol less than 300 mg. This is a general strategy that we have to do.
Individual specific strategies aimed at children with a history of premature CHD (age less than 55 years) in the elderly, grandma, kaker, uncles and other close family with hypercholesterolemia. Children with hypercholesterolemia require nutritional intervention, cholesterol monitoring, nutrition counseling, and identification of interaction with other risk factors.
Children who are overweight need to do a cholesterol at the age of two years to find out if there are other risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia.
Smoking (active and passive)
There are some things that are important in terms of smoking. First, if the smoking habit can be suppressed in the community, will be a decline in cases of abortion and birth weight babies. Second, both passive and active smokers will negatively affect the cardiovascular system as well as growth and development of children and adolescents. Third, the incidence of smoking since early childhood can be overcome with early intervention. Fourth, that was started smoking during adolescence would cause addiction to nicotine.
It has been proven that smoking has a relationship with the occurrence of premature atherosclerosis and reduced life expectancy for seven years.
Changes that occur in both passive and active smokers were damaged blood vessel walls (endothelial), increasing the ability of LDL oxidation, decreased HDL cholesterol, reduced performance and impaired oxygen transport.
Efforts to prevent smoking in adolescents is much more difficult than with adults. Data on parental smoking habits should be listed in the medical records of children, should be asked and recorded so that the impression is important.
It is clear that the habit of smoking in adolescents should be stopped if we expect our children healthy in the future.
Although there are no definitive data regarding the number of smokers in Indonesia, in plain view we can see that Indonesia is a lot of people who smoke. Everywhere, people are still a lot of smoke so often very annoying.
Tendency more and more teenagers are smoking are visible when it is difficult to refute. It seems it is time the government issued regulations and heavier penalties on smokers in public places (malls, bus stations, and other places)