Glossary of Terms

CVD and CHD:
Heart disease (CHD) is a form of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

CVD accounts for about 1/3 of all deaths worldwide. CVD kills more people than cancer and traffic accidents combined. Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of death for infants.

Heart disease (CHD) accounts for approx. 50% of all of those deaths and a further 25% die from strokes. Each year CVD accounts for 35% of all deaths in Australia; 39% of all deaths in Britain and 40% of all deaths in the USA. Based on these statistics it is reasonable to assume that at least 20,000 (33%) of our current 60,000 population will face death from CVD.


WOMEN
There is a special place in our hearts for our women – and it is with good reason – because CVD is the number one cause of death amongst women each year. More women die from CVD than men, yet, less women are diagnosed with CVD than men. The reason for this might be that diagnosing CVD in women can often be more difficult than diagnosing the disease in men because women tend to have different symptoms or indicators. So, it is our intention to work towards improving symptom awareness and better early detection of CVD in women


BLOOD PRESSURE:
High blood pressure is often a primary indicator of heart disease. High blood pressure forces the heart and arteries to work harder, causing unnecessary damage. Early detection and treatment of high blood pressure can help to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Detection is simple and effective treatments for high blood pressure are readily available.


CHOLESTEROL:
High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and heart attacks by cutting off the blood supply to the heart. Detection is by a simple blood test and effective treatment is readily available.


CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is the life-saving practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Those members of the public trained in CPR frequently save the lives of people having a heart attack or suffering from serious bleeding or choking. We commend and admire all who volunteer to learn these life-saving skills.


DEFIBRILLATORS:
A defibrillator is a machine used to deliver a controlled electric shock to restart the heart or restore a normal heartbeat.


ECG MACHINE:
An ECG machine is used to detect abnormalities of the heart including irregular heart rhythms and it can help to confirm whether a patient has suffered a heart attack.


PORTABLE ULTRASOUND MACHINES:
Amongst their many other uses, these small, portable, light-weight ultrasound computers enable trained emergency service attendants to perform immediate cardiac examinations at the site of the trauma and upload the data to a local Doctor or even to an overseas Cardiologist.


CHILDREN:
It is never too early to teach and educate our children in healthy eating habits but, If left too late, then their future risk for developing CVD will be greater than the level of risk that we confront today.


SMOKING:
Smoking is believed to be the cause of 25% of all coronary heart disease and 10% of all deaths attributed to strokes.


TRANS FATS: (KILLER FATS)
Daily consumption of 5 grams or more of trans fats raises the risk of heart attack by 25% by increasing “bad cholesterol” in the blood. Trans fat comes from industrial grade cooking oil used by restaurants in food preparation. Trans fat is replaceable with safe, alternative cooking oils.