Posts Tagged ‘ Heart Disease Prevention ’

Caring for Your Heart

Thursday, March 3rd, 2022

What’s your excuse for ignoring your heart’s health? A hectic schedule, a fondness for junk food, or a lack of will to exercise? According to the World Health Organization, India accounts for one-fifth of all deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease. Every year, about 3 million people die from strokes and heart attacks around the world. In Indian men, 50% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 50, and 25% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 40. Indian women also suffer from high mortality rates due to cardiac disease. Indians have a higher genetic risk of heart disease and get the condition a decade earlier than their western counterparts. It is critical to raise public awareness about heart disease and to take preventative actions in order to lower the country’s cardiovascular disease burden.

What is Heart disease?

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions affecting the cardiovascular system and each affect the heart and blood vessels in different ways. The most common ones include angina, heart attack, heart failure, cardiac arrest, congenital heart disease to name a few. Watch out for these heart attack symptoms:

  • Tightness or a squeezing sensation in your chest.
  • Nausea, indigestion or heartburn.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Cold sweat.
  • Pain in the left arm or the jaws.
  • Fatigue.
  • Light-headedness or sudden dizziness.

This is a medical emergency and needs urgent medical care.

Heart Disease: Know your risk

Knowing your heart disease risk and consulting a cardiologist for precautionary measures is the first step towards a healthy heart. Do not wait for any symptoms to show up, regular cardiac health checkup is a must for all. Speak to your doctor at the earliest if you have any of the below risks:

  • Have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
  • Are a smoker.
  • Are overweight.
  • Live a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Eat a poor diet.
  • Have a family history of heart disease.

Heart Disease: Preventive measures

Certain heart disease risk factors, such as age and family history, cannot be modified. However correct lifestyle choices can help reduce your risk of heart disease. The preventive measures include:

  • Get Moving
    Studies suggest that watching TV for two hours a day increase your risk of developing heart disease by 15 percent. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends being active for at least 30 minutes daily. Regular exercise also helps you lose weight faster, which is crucial because obesity raises your risk of heart disease.
  • Quit Smoking
    Cigarette smoking has been linked to cancer, lung disease, stroke, and heart disease, among other potentially fatal health issues. Smoking increases your chance of heart disease by two to four times, even if you have no other risk factors.
  • Manage Stress
    Stress causes strain on the heart, increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. Learn to cope better with stress. Exercising, listening to music, pursuing a hobby, reading and meditating are all good strategies to handle stress.
  • Maintain a Healthy Weight
    Maintaining a healthy weight is critical for preventing damage or fatigue to your heart. When you maintain a healthy weight, your blood circulates more efficiently and necessary fluid levels are maintained, reducing cardiac strain.
  • Eat Better
    Cut out sugary, salty and fatty foods from your diet. Eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains daily to keep your heart healthy. Ensure that you eat home cooked meals and avoid ordering in or using processed or packaged ingredients.
  • Manage Blood Pressure
    Know your numbers. A blood pressure of 120/80 is considered normal, if your blood pressure levels exceed 130, you should see a doctor.
  • Reduce Blood Sugar
    High blood sugar damages the lining of your blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to plaque formation. Control your diabetes levels by making healthy lifestyle changes or take medications if prescribed.
  • Manage High Cholesterol
    The “bad” cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein (LDL), whereas the “good” cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Plaque can build up on the walls of arteries if there is too much bad cholesterol and not enough good cholesterol. This can lead to heart disease. Control your cholesterol levels with the help of your doctor.

Heart care at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

Wondering if your heart is healthy and strong? Meet our highly efficient team for preventive cardiac care, prompt diagnosis and world-class treatment options. One of the pioneering medical institutes in western India Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is equipped with a top notch Centre for Cardiac Sciences. With highly trained cardiologists and cardiac surgeons our specialists have the know-how to identify heart ailments early and take action as required. Our experts have performed more than 3700+ Coronary Angioplasties and 8500+ Cardiac Surgeries in the past. Please find below the link for our website details: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

Heart Disease Prevention

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021

Cardiovascular diseases claimed the lives of 17.9 million people worldwide in 2019 and caused 32% of all deaths. According to the Indian Heart Association, cardiologists have witnessed an upsurge in young adults suffering heart attacks in the last decade. In Indian men, 50% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 50, and 25% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 40. Cardiovascular disease is also a leading cause of death among Indian women.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common one being coronary artery disease (CAD), which affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack. While heart disease can be fatal, an estimated 80% of all heart diseases can be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

What are the Different Types of Heart Disease?

Several diseases and conditions fall under the umbrella of heart disease. Types of heart disease include:

  • Arrhythmia
    An arrhythmia is a heart rhythm abnormality.
  • Atherosclerosis
    Atherosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries.
  • Cardiomyopathy
    This condition causes the heart’s muscles to harden or grow weak.
  • Congenital heart defects
    Congenital heart defects are heart irregularities that are present at birth.
  • Coronary artery disease (CAD)
    CAD is caused by the build-up of plaque in the heart’s arteries. It’s sometimes called ischemic heart disease.
  • Heart infections
    Heart infections may be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

Difference in heart attack symptoms for men and women

Research suggests that there are significant differences in how men and women experience a heart attack.

Warning signs in men

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men. Men exhibit the following symptoms during a heart attack:

  • Chest pain/tightening
  • Upper body pain in the arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw
  • Rapid heartbeats
  • Indigestion
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Cold sweat

Warning signs in women

Most women don’t experience the classic symptoms of heart attack like chest or arm pain. Here are the symptoms women experience:

  • Unusual fatigue lasting for several days
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Light-headedness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Indigestion
  • Upper back, jaw or shoulder

If you experience any of these signs or symptoms, seek emergency medical help. Try to stay as calm as possible and take deep, slow breaths while you wait for emergency care.

Prevention of Heart Disease

Risk factors of heart disease like age, gender, family history and ethnicity cannot be changed. However, there are many other risk factors that can be controlled. Follow theses heart-healthy steps to reduce your risk of heart disease:

  • Quit smoking
    You’re more than twice as likely to have a heart attack if you smoke than if you don’t.
  • Improve cholesterol levels
    It is important to manage your cholesterol levels and keep your LDL, HDL as well as triglycerides in control.
  • Control high blood pressure
    Adequate exercise, dietary changes and limited salt intake will help control your blood pressure levels. Take your medication regularly if prescribed.
  • Exercise regularly
    A minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of strenuous physical activity each week is recommended. Staying fit can help you manage your weight, lower your cholesterol, control your blood sugar, and reduce stress, all of which are beneficial to your heart health.
  • Say “No” to alcohol
    Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. It also adds extra calories, which may cause weight gain. Both of those raise your risk of heart disease.
  • Follow a heart-healthy diet
    Try to limit saturated fats, foods high in sodium, and added sugars. Consume a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to keep your heart healthy.
  • Watch your weight
    It is beneficial to your heart to lose excess weight. It can also aid in the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes, factors that increase your risk of a heart attack.
  • Get a good night’s sleep
    Sleep deprivation has been linked to a range of heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and heart failure, as well as a sleep disorder known as sleep apnoea.
  • Learn to manage stress
    Being stressed all the time due to professional and personal commitments is unhealthy for your heart. It raises your blood pressure levels and increases your risk of heart disease. Find ways to cope better with stress.
  • Be regular with Health checkups
    Track your health numbers by regular preventive checkups. This helps manage any risk factors of heart disease with lifestyle changes and medications.

Treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

The Centre for Cardiac Sciences is equipped with cutting-edge technology, world-class infrastructure, and a highly skilled team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. We offer a comprehensive programme for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of heart disease in people of all ages, from infants to adults. The team also conducts high-end treatments that include minimally-invasive surgeries, beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting and awake cardiac surgery. Please find below our website link for further details: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html