Understanding Key Health Concepts: A Concise Overview

Understanding Key Health Concepts

1 - Life expectancy is the average number of years a person born in a particular country in a specific year is expected to live, assuming mortality rates remain constant.

2 - According to the WHO, health can be defined as: "A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

3 - CVD stands for cardiovascular diseases, which affect the heart or blood vessels.

4 - Myocardial infarction, a type of coronary heart disease (CHD), results in the death of myocardial tissue and permanent damage to the heart muscle. Angina pectoris occurs when a partial blockage reduces blood flow to an area of the heart, causing pain but not irreversible damage. Heart attacks usually begin as pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts several minutes or recurs. The pain or discomfort can radiate to the arms, left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back. Additional symptoms may include difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, pallor, and cold sweat.

5 - Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the ventricles of the heart to the organs. Their walls are strong, muscular, and elastic. In contrast, veins are blood vessels that carry blood from the body back to the heart's auricles. Their walls are thinner than those of arteries.

6 - Red blood cells are cells that have lost their nucleus and are filled with hemoglobin, which carries oxygen. White blood cells, containing a nucleus, are involved in the body's defense. Platelets are cell fragments involved in blood clotting.

7 - A risk factor is any circumstance or situation that increases the probability of an event occurring. Examples include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.

8 - Cholesterol, being insoluble in the blood, requires transport proteins called lipoproteins. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, when transported by this lipoprotein, is considered "good" cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to the liver for removal, reducing risk. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is considered "bad" because it remains in the plasma and increases the risk of CVD.

9 - An artificial pacemaker is a small device positioned under the skin of the chest, consisting of a battery and two electrodes that reach the heart. The device produces small, constant electric shocks to ensure an adequate heartbeat when it doesn't occur naturally. An ECG (electrocardiogram) is a graphic record of the heart's electrical activity. Each cardiac cycle of pumping and filling produces electrical changes that reflect the heart's functioning. These electrical pulses are collected through electrode patches on the body's surface.

10 - Systolic pressure is the maximum pressure in the artery wall when the heart contracts and pushes blood into the body. Diastolic pressure is the minimum pressure in the artery wall when the heart is relaxed. Hypertension is considered present if the systolic pressure is greater than 140 mmHg or the diastolic pressure is greater than 90 mmHg.

11 - The Mediterranean diet is considered very healthy because it provides an adequate amount of carbohydrates rich in fiber, vitamins, and fats from olive oil and fish.

12 - Nutrients can be inorganic (water and mineral salts) or organic (such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and vitamins). They have several functions: Plastic (building materials), Energy (releasing energy for muscle work and maintaining body temperature), and Regulatory (allowing processes in the body to develop normally).

13 - BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is used to diagnose overweight and obesity. The formula is: BMI = weight in kg / height squared (in m²).

14 - Physical activity provides the following effects: strengthens the heart, muscles, and bones; increases oxygen supply to the body; helps with weight loss and stress reduction; decreases blood pressure and the amount of sugar and lipids in the blood; and improves blood circulation.