Report from The New Straits Times (Malaysia) dated 12 March 2012 :-
Are you a ticking time bomb?
Dr Yap Yee Guan shows how you can protect yourself from getting coronary heart disease
If you have mild high blood pressure, you can possibly control it through exercise and having a healthy diet
According to the Framingham Heart Study, approximately half of men and more than half of women who died suddenly from heart attack never had any prior symptoms of the condition.
Coronary heart disease is due to the failure of the coronary circulation to supply adequate blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle and surrounding tissue as a result of the accumulation of atheromatous (fat) plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply the myocardium.
Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself from getting coronary heart disease.
KNOW THE RISKS
You are at risk if you smoke (Fact: 54.4 per cent of adult male Malaysians and 2.8 per cent of adult female Malaysians smoke), have diabetes (Fact: one in seven Malaysians is diabetic), have an unhealthy cholesterol level (Fact: 28 per cent of Malaysians above the age of 40 have high cholesterol) or high blood pressure (Fact: 43 per cent of Malaysians over the age of 30 suffer from high blood pressure).
LOWERING the RISKS
When it comes to lowering the risks, you will need to make serious lifestyle changes, particularly if you already suffer from cardiovascular disease.
If you smoke, you need to quit. If you can’t, there are effective smoking cessation programmes and medicines that your doctor can recommend.
Get some exercise every day (talk to your doctor about an exercise programme that is appropriate for you before you begin). Generally, try and maintain aerobic exercise of at least five times per week, 30 minutes each time.
Eat a healthy diet, reduce your intake of salt, sugar and saturated fats. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Avoid animal fat or vegetable oils with saturated fat when cooking.
If you are overweight, exercise and having a healthy diet can help reduce your risk of getting hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, which, in turn, reduce your risk of getting heart attack and stroke.
Monitoring your stress may also be helpful.
OPTIMISING RISK FACTORS
If you have diabetes, you must discuss with your physician on how to achieve the best blood glucose levels, with sufficient medication and dietary control.
If you have mild high blood pressure, you can possibly control it through proper diet and exercise but in the majority of patients, antihypertensive medication is necessary.
In the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia, lifestyle changes are not always enough. Research shows that lowering LDL cholesterol reduces the risk for a subsequent adverse event, even in low- to moderate-risk patients.
RECOGNISING AN ATTACK
Too few people recognise the signs of a heart attack — only one in four, according to a recent survey.
The five most common symptoms are:• Chest pain, discomfort or tightness
• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back
• Feeling weak, lightheaded, or faint
• Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder
• Shortness of breath
• Sweatiness
• Pallor
If you have these symptoms, don’t wait. Call for an ambulance. Leave the driving to the emergency responders, who will take care of you along the way and deliver you into the hands of physicians specially trained to stop a heart attack in its tracks.
This point cannot be over-emphasised: The faster the heart attack patient gets into expert hands to receive treatment, the better the chance of his survival and avoiding major debilitation and injuries from a heart attack.
The author is consultant interventional cardiologist at Prince Court Medical Centre.