Cardiovascular Risk Factors

• Cardiovascular risk factors are conditions that increase the likelihood of developing or worsening cardiovascular diseases.

Modifiable Risk Factors

• These factors can be directly influenced through lifestyle changes or medical intervention.
• Examples: Sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, excessive sodium intake, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, and tobacco use.

Non-Modifiable Risk Factors

• These factors cannot be changed.
• Examples: Age (risk increases after 50-55 years), sex (men >55 years, postmenopausal women >65 years), and family history of early atherosclerosis.

Alcohol as a Risk Factor

• Alcoholism is a chronic disease characterized by excessive and habitual alcohol consumption, leading to physical and psychological dependence
• Excessive alcohol consumption directly and indirectly affects the cardiopulmonary system
• Excessive alcohol consumption can alter heart and lung function through various mechanisms.

Alcohol-Related Physiopathology

• Alcoholic cardiomyopathy: Alcohol has direct toxic effects on the heart muscle, leading to ventricular dysfunction and dilated myocardiopathy.
• Pulmonary hypertension: Chronic alcohol consumption can contribute to increased blood pressure in the lungs due to vasoconstriction of pulmonary blood vessels.
• Arrhythmias: Alcohol can induce alterations in the heart's electrical conduction, increasing the risk of arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation.

Complications of Alcoholism

• Cardiovascular:
  • Alcoholic myocardiopathy: Direct damage to the heart muscle can lead to cardiac insufficiency.
  • Cardiac arrhythmias: Atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias are common due to chronic alcohol intoxication.
  • Hypertension: Excessive alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiac insufficiency and stroke.
• Pulmonary:
  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): Alcohol increases the risk of pulmonary infections and severe respiratory complications.
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Although more common due to smoking, alcoholism can contribute to lung damage in the long term.
  • Pneumonia: Chronic alcoholism compromises the immune system.
• Vascular: Chronic alcohol consumption increases the risk of cerebrovascular accidents due to hypertension and arrhythmias.

Preventive Measures and Susceptible Population for Alcoholism

• Preventive measures:
  • Reduce alcohol consumption
  • Early detection
  • Treatment of alcohol dependence
  • Physical exercise and healthy diet
  • Monitoring of lung health.
• Susceptible population:
  • Young adults and middle-aged individuals
  • Individuals with a family history of alcoholism
  • Individuals with psychiatric disorders.
  • Men are more prone to developing alcoholism due to social and cultural factors.

Risks of Tobacco Use

• Smoking is an addiction to tobacco, primarily due to nicotine
• The addiction develops through the inhalation of tobacco smoke, which contains thousands of toxic chemical substances
• Tobacco smoke damages the lungs and the cardiovascular system.

Tobacco-Related Physiopathology

• In the lungs: Chemical components damage the cells of the respiratory mucosa, inflame the bronchi, and destroy the alveoli, potentially leading to diseases like COPD.
• Cardiovascular level: Smoking contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes and Nicotine increases blood pressure and heart rate.

Complications of Smoking

• Respiratory:
  • Chronic Pulmonary Disease (COPD): increased difficulty breathing, chronic cough, and sputum production.
  • Interstitial Pulmonary Disease: Pulmonary fibrosis and irreversible damage to the lungs.
  • Lung Cancer: Smoking is the leading risk factor.
• Cardiovascular:
  • Atherosclerosis: Accumulation of fat and other substances on the walls of the arteries, narrowing them and reducing blood flow.
  • Myocardial infarction: increased blood pressure and the formation of clots can trigger a heart attack.
  • Cerebrovascular accident (stroke): increases the risk of thrombosis and decreases brain oxygenation

Preventive Measures and Susceptible Population for Smoking

• Primary prevention: Educate about the risks of smoking from childhood and adolescence.
• Secondary prevention: Offer cessation therapies.
• Tertiary prevention: Promote medical follow-up for individuals with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.
• Those affected: Active smokers and passive smokers.
• Specific Risk groups: People with preexisting conditions, people with family history, people from high prevalence conditions

Overweight/Obesity

• Having more weight than what is deemed healthy in relation to height.
• Assessed with BMI 25 to 29.99 kg/m2
• Limiting the consumption of sugary meals and fats can prevent overweight
• Physical activity and healthy meal timings also contribute to prevention

Populations Susceptible To Overweight/Obesity

• Children and adolescents - people with a sedentary lifestyle
• People with poor diet, metabolic and emotional disorders
• Adults, especially women during pregnancy and after

Complications of Overweight/Obesity

• Sleep apnoea can occur, as well as type 2 diabetes
• Heart conditions, joint problems, liver diseases and metabolic syndromes.

Sedentarism

• Sedentarism is a lifestyle characterized by a lack of regular physical activity.
• Spending most of the time in activities that require little movement, such as sitting in front of a computer, decreases overall health

Sedentarism and Pathophysiology

• Contributes to pathophysiological mechanisms that affect metabolism, vascular function, and inflammatory regulation.
• Can cause metabolic alterations and resistance to insulin, dyslipidemia and atherogenesis, endothelial dysfunction and hypertension
• Sedentarism increases LDL ("bad") cholesterol and decreases HDL ("good") cholesterol, promoting the formation of atheroma plaques in the arteries
• Lack of physical activity reduces the production of nitric oxide (NO), a key molecule in vasodilation and promotes vasoconstriction and increased peripheral vascular resistance

Complications of Sedentarism

• Arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary arterial disease, acute myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, cardiac insufficiency
• Preventive measures: Increase physical activity, education and awareness, healthy environments, healthy diet, reduce screen time
• Susceptible population: Older adults, office workers, children and adolescents, people with chronic diseases, people with urban lifestyles

Caffeine as a Risk Factor

• Caffeine is a natural alkaloid from the xanthine group, with stimulating properties on the central nervous system (CNS)
• Found in various plants, coffee, tea, cocoa and yerba mate

Populations Susceptible To Caffeine

• People with hypertension or heart disease
• People with anxiety, insomnia or migraines
• People with gastric issues, pregnant women, and children

Complications of Caffeine

• Hypertension, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, increased oxidative stress and overall inflammation
• Preventative measures include controlling caffeine intake and monitoring effects on the individual

Sodium Consumption

• Refers to the amount of this mineral that a person ingests through food and beverages
• Although sodium is essential, excessive use can be detrimental

Populations susceptible to high sodium consumption

• People with hypertension
• People with renal problems
• People with heart problems
• People with obesity or diabetes

Complications of sodium consumption

• Strokes, impaired kidney function and hypertension
• Preventative measures include only 5 grams of salt per day, reduced consumption of processed foods, replace salt with herbs