The Impact of Chronic Illness

The Impact of Chronic Illness

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The Impact of Chronic Illness
Obesity is one of the major health issues facing the world. Obesity is a health issue that is caused by various factors such as lifestyle and human behavior as well as genetics. Some of the behaviors that cause obesity are medication use, inactivity, and diet patterns (Parkinson ET AL., 2017). Obesity is a major health issue throughout the world because it has adverse outcomes. Obesity is directly related to the leading causes of deaths in the United States and other parts of the world like diabetes, stroke, and different types of cancer. The World Health Organization estimates that the number of obese people throughout the world has tripled since 1975. As of 2016, an approximated 1.9 billion adults were overweight with 650 million being obese (Michele, 2018). Childhood obesity is also a major health concern. As of 2019, approximately 38 million children under the age of five were found to be overweight (Zhang et al., 2020). Although it is a major health problem, obesity is preventable. It is important for healthcare professionals to work closely with the community and identify factors that cause pollution and how to overcome them. This paper looks at the data collected from a patient with pulmonary heart disease and analyzes how his lifestyle could have contributed to the disease.
Pulmonary heart disease or pulmonary hypertension is one of the leading types of high blood pressure. Pulmonary heart disease is a dangerous disease because it affects the arteries that are found in the right parts of the lungs. Pulmonary heart disease arises when the blood vessels in the right side of the lungs become clogged or blocked, making it hard for blood to flow through to the lungs (Zhang et al., 2020). Difficulties in the flow of blood in the right-hand side of the lungs lead to increased blood pressure forcing the heart to work harder to push the blood to the lungs. Overworking of the heart causes its muscles to weaken and eventually fail (Michele, 2018). Obesity and a poor lifestyle are some of the main factors that cause pulmonary heart disease.
The interview was carried out on a 39-year-old male patient from a different health facility. The patient was suffering from pulmonary heart disease and exhibited all the symptoms of the diseases. For example, he faced difficulty in breathing, chest pain or pressured a racing heart pulse (Arrigo et al., 2016). From the respondents provided by the patient, it became evident why he had developed the disease. The patient responded that he took approximately 6 meals every day and he like eating sweets and other sugary foods. The patient further stated that he takes in sweetened beverages like soft drinks and juices after every meal, meaning that he takes sugary beverages more than 20 times every week. The patient likes barbecued foods, an indicator that he consumes large amounts of greasy foods which increase the likelihood of a person becoming obese (Arrigo et al., 2016). The patient rarely eats vegetables and fruits. Instead, he focuses on red meat and other greasy foods. The patient reported that he never works out and instead prefers watching movies and playing video games.
The responses given by the patient indicates why he developed pulmonary heart disease. Lifestyle is one of the major causes of pulmonary heart disease. Individuals that live a poor lifestyle are more likely to develop obesity problems which lead to the disease. For example, a lack of exercise may cause obesity. Obesity leads to an increase in fat deposits in the body (Parkinson et al., 2017). Poor diets such as a large intake of sugary and greasy foods increase the level of cholesterol in the body, increasing the fat that is stored in the body. Such fats could be deposited in the arteries in the lungs leading to clogging (Parkinson et al., 2017). Clogged arteries make it hard for blood to flow through to the lungs leading to the weakening of heart muscles. From the responses, it is evident that the patient does not work out nor lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, the patient responded to never exercising. The patient also stated that he takes in greasy and sweet foods frequently further increasing his risk of getting pulmonary heart disease (Cyril et al., 2017). The patient further indicated that he rarely eats vegetables and fruits, opting instead to take non healthy foods and sugary drinks which increase the risk for obesity and other lifestyle diseases.
From the analysis of the patient’s lifestyle and dietary behavior, it is evident that there are several coping skills and treatment approaches that he can adapt. Foremost, the patient should change his dietary patterns and eat healthier foods. He should reduce the sugar intake and increase the amount of vegetable and fruits that he eats. Additionally, he should also try to exercise. He should start with light exercises such as walking before moving to more intensive exercises. Exercises help the body to burn the excess calories and prevent them from being deposited in the arteries. Exercises will also improve the body’s immune system helping the patient to avoid contracting opportunistic diseases. The patient should also reduce the intake of sweetened beverages like soft drinks and juices. Sweetened products increase the number of calories in the body. An inactive lifestyle means that the calories are not used by the body. By decreasing the intake of sugar, the body will burn most of the calories thus reducing the fat stored along the blood vessels.
For the patient to effectively cope or manage the disease, he will require the help of his family members. Family members are important for patients that suffer from chronic illnesses because they provide any assistance that is required. Family members are also important because they help patients deal with the stress that comes with managing diseases like pulmonary heart disease. The patient’s family should, therefore, stay close to him and offer any assistance required. By being close to his family, the patient could be more motivated to get better and change his lifestyle and behavior. The support of his doctor and other medical professionals is also required if the patient is to manage his condition. For example, nutritionists provide advice on the best type of food that the patient can take for him to address his obesity problem.
In summation, it is evident that the patient is suffering from pulmonary heart disease due to his lifestyle. The patient eats unhealthy foods like sweet beverages, soft drinks, greasy and fatty foods. He rarely eats fruits and vegetables and never exercises. His life has exposed him to the risk of developing pulmonary heart diseases because he is obese. A multidisciplinary team of doctors his family caregivers, nutritionist, and nurses must work together if they are to manage the patient’s disease.

References
Arrigo, M., Tolppanen, H., Sadoune, M., Feliot, E., Teixeira, A., Laribi, S., Plaisance, P., Nouira, S., Yilmaz, M. B., Gayat, E., & Mebazaa, A. (2016). Effect of precipitating factors of acute heart failure on readmission and long‐term mortality. ESC Heart Failure, 3(2), 115-121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.12083
Cyril, S., Nicholson, J. M., Agho, K., Polonsky, M., & Renzaho, A. M. (2017). Barriers and facilitators to childhood obesity prevention among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Victoria, Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 41(3), 287-293.
Michele Cecchini ⨯. (2018). Use of healthcare services and expenditure in the US in 2025: The effect of obesity and morbid obesity. PLoS One, 13(11)http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206703
Parkinson, J., Dubelaar, C., Carins, J., Holden, S., Newton, F., & Pescud, M. (2017). Approaching the wicked problem of obesity: an introduction to the food system compass. Journal of Social Marketing, 7(4), 387-404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-03-2017-0021
Zhang, H., Huang, W., Liu, H., Zheng, Y., & Liao, L. (2020). Mechanical stretching of pulmonary vein stimulates matrix metalloproteinase-9 and transforming growth factor-β1 through stretch-activated channel/MAPK pathways in pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease model rats. PLoS One, 15(9)http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235824

APPENDIX
Questionnaire
The purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain all the necessary information from the Obesity patients to help create a formidable care plan.
How many meals do you take in a day?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4 or more
How often do you eat sweets (cakes, candy, ice cream)?
A. 1 time a week
B. 2 times week
C. 3 times a week
D. 4 times a week or more
How often do you take in sweetened beverages such as juices and soft drinks?
A. 1 time a week
B. 2 times week
C. 3 times a week
D. 4 times a week or more
How often do you eat fried/greasy foods?
A. 1 time a week
B. 2 times week
C. 3 times a week
D. 4 times a week or more
How regularly do you eat salty snacks?
A. 1 time a week
B. 2 times week
C. 3 times a week
D. 4 times a week or more
How often do you eat fruits and/or vegetables?
A. 1 time a week
B. 2 times week
C. 3 times a week
D. 4 times a week or more
How regularly do you use butter, mayonnaise, oil…etc. in your foods?
A. Once a day
B. 1-3 times a week
C. 3-5 times week
D. once a month
How often do you eat out (family functions, party, or socially)?
A. Once in a week
B. 2-5 times a week
C. 3-4 times a month
D. Once a month
How many days a week do you exercise
A. Once a week
B. 1-3 time a week
C. 3- 5 times week
D. once a month
E. Never
How long does the exercise last for each session?
A. 15-30 minutes
B. 30-mins to 1hr
C. Over an hour
D. Never

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