Power your life

Dr Sushil K. Sharma
World Heart Day is an annual event which takes place on 29th September every year. Each year’s celebration has a different theme reflecting key issues and topics relating to heart health. 2016’s theme is Power Your Life.
This World Heart Day, we want everyone to understand what they can do to fuel their hearts and power their lives. We are sending out the message that your heart is at the heart of your health. And it’s easy to give it the care it deserves. Just a few simple steps such as eating more healthily, take moderate amount of alcohol and shun smoking can improve heart health and overall well-being.
Symptoms of Heart attack
The five major symptoms of a heart attack are-
* Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
* Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint.
* Restrosternal Chest Discomfort.
* Pain or discomfort in arms or shoulder.
* Shortness of breath.
A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, occurs when a section of the heart muscle dies or gets damaged because of reduced blood supply. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the main cause of heart attack. A less common cause is a severe spasm of a coronary artery, which also can prevent blood supply from reaching the heart.
It is important to seek treatment for a heart attack immediately.  Otherwise, further damage to the heart muscle can occur and an irregular heart rhythm may develop. The time is important in heart patients. The more time is wasted the more muscle damage occurs. The time is muscle in heart patients.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest-the stopping of the heart-occurs when the heart stops completely. Unless treated, a person whose heart has stopped can die within minutes. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is again the main cause of sudden cardiac arrest
Treatment
People who experience a heart attack need emergency care such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or electrical shock (defibrillation). That’s why you need to act quickly once you notice the signs and symptoms of heart attack. At the hospital, we can perform tests to determine whether a heart attack is occurring and decide on the best treatment. Doctor will decide as per the condition of the person if PTCA (implantation of stent inside the artery to restore the blood circulation) ,or operation called CABG(Bypass operation)
Treatment Options Include
* Anti Ischemic Drugs
* PCI Angioplasty
*Surgical revascularization- CABG.
* Remember, the chances of surviving a heart attack are greater when emergency treatment begins quickly.
* At least 80% of premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases(CVD) could be avoided if four main risk factors – tobacco use ,unhealthy diet , physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol – are controlled. Modern society can expose children to risk factors such as diets with too few calories, diets high in “bad” fats and sugar; activities such as computer games that discourage physical activity; and in some countries, tobacco advertising that encourages tobacco use or environments filled with secondhand tobacco smoke.
Heart Disease Prevention
You can help prevent heart disease by making healthy choices and managing any medical conditions you may have.
* Follow a Healthy Diet. This can prevent or reduce high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and help you maintain a healthy weight.
* Exercise Regularly. Regular physical activity can lower many atherosclerosis risk factors, including LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess weight. It also can lower the risk of diabetes and raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol, which helps prevent atherosclerosis. The Exercises which are good for Heart are Running, Jogging, Swimming, Cycling and Brisk Walking .
* Maintain a Healthy Weight. Maintaining a healthy weight can lower your risk of atherosclerosis. A general goal is a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25. BMI measures your weight in relation to your height and gives an estimate of your total body fat.  A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. A BMI of less than 25 is the goal for preventing and treating atherosclerosis.
* Quit Smoking. If you smoke or use tobacco, quit. Smoking can damage and tighten blood vessels, raising the risk of atherosclerosis.
* Manage Stress. Research shows that the most commonly reported “trigger” for a heart attack is an emotionally upsetting event-particularly one involving anger. Also, drinking, smoking, or overeating to cope with stress is not healthy.
* Limit alcohol use. Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which causes high blood pressure.
Wish all the readers a Very Happy Heart Day
(The author is HoD Cardiology, GMC Jammu)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

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