Risk and protective factors & Psychosocial Aspects

Risk Factors:
Age
Smoking
Alcohol abuse
Cocaine
Physical inactivity
Obesity
Hypertension
High cholesterol levels / low HDL cholesterol
Diabetes (Type 1 & 2)
Previous heart attacks
Arrhythmia
Coronary heart disease
Heart valve disease (especially of the aortic and mitral valves)
Cardiomyopathy
Congenital heart defects

Protective Factors:
Supportive daughter (Lina)
Social life (?)
Vitamin D


Psychosocial Aspects:
Economics – medication and treatment may be expensive (but husband still works)
Emotional – add to the depression she’s already facing
Her kids are away, she feels lonely
Her husband is having an affair
Social support – chats online (?)
– goes out often to play mahjong which may be beneficial
– but drinks a lot at the club
Exercise/Work – less due to fatigue & weakness
Lifestyle changes – it is not easy to change one’s lifestyle
– she has to stop consuming alcohol and smoking
– may need to control her diet as well

P.S. please feel free to add anything to the psychosocial aspects if you have any views of it that you might want to share, either on the blog or during PCL

(posted by: Vivian)