Cardiovascular diseases remain the biggest cause of deaths worldwide. Heart or cardiac disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It accounts for 40 percent of all U.S. deaths, more than all forms of cancer combined. More than 2500 Americans die from heart diseases each day, equaling one death every 34 seconds. Heart disease cost the United States $316.4 billion annually. Age is an important risk factor in developing these diseases. It is estimated that 82 percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 years and older. Multiple reasons are given to explain this statement. The rise in cholesterol levels as one ages, along with loss of vascular wall arterial elasticity causing reduced arterial flow, is one leading factor. Gender, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, stress, obesity, and immobility are other contributing factors, along with family history coupled with ethnic background.
Sun City resident and former cardiac nurse for 25 years, Pat McFarland adds, “If a person has a father, uncles, brothers who have coronary artery disease, it is possible they have it also. I remember patients who came in with heart attacks who said, ‘Why me?’ when several of their family members had already died of heart disease or had bypass surgery.” A person who has a relative who has suffered from heart disease before the age of 60 is nearly 10 times more likely to suffer from heart disease early in life.
Although typically thought to affect men on a greater scale, more women than men die each year from heart disease. Men typically suffer the disease more often, but fatal effects can be more significant for women, who also have a more difficult time surviving heart bypass surgery. When estrogen hormone levels decrease after menopause, women are less protected from heart trouble, as well. One in 2.6 female deaths in the U.S. is from heart disease, compared to one in 30 from breast cancer. More U.S. women (38%) than men (25%) will die from heart disease in a single year.
Ms. McFarland tells us, “Their [Women’s] symptoms may be different from men, more atypical.”
In fact, two-thirds of deaths from heart attacks in women occur in those who have had no history of chest pain. It is critical for women and men to learn the differences in symptoms of a heart attack.
“Most doctors and emergency rooms are aware of this and will not misdiagnose as often as they have done in the past,” continues Pat.
Some older men and diabetics, as well, may not have the classic symptom of chest pain during a heart attack. Along with women, they are more likely to suffer from shortness of breath, nausea, back pain, and/or jaw pain. In all cases of suspected heart attacks, it is critical to get paramedics to the patient and get the heart attack patient to the emergency room as soon as possible.
Time is of the essence.
Heart disease is an umbrella term that includes such conditions as coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiac arrest, congestive heart failure, valvular disease, and congenital heart diseases. More than 79,400,000 Americans have one or more forms of heart disease. The most common of these conditions is known as myocardial infarction, or heart attack, or coronary artery disease (CAD). This occurs when blocked or narrowed arteries that supply the heart with oxygenated blood cannot do their job. This is due to buildup of plaque (cholesterol or other materials). Most heart attacks occur when a blood clot suddenly cuts off the heart’s blood supply, causing permanent heart damage. Cardiac catheterization, stents, and bypass surgery are used in high-risk patients. (PAD, or peripheral artery disease, can occur in body extremities such as the legs). Overtime, CAD can weaken the heart and lead to arrhythmias and heart failure.
An arrhythmia is a serious electrical problem with the heart, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or death unless the rhythm of the heart is corrected immediately. It also refers to any disorder of the heart rate or rhythm. More than 1000 people in the U.S. die daily of this disorder. Symptoms may include skipped beats, fast or slow heart beat, lightheadedness, chest pain, shortness of breath, paleness, and sweating. In milder cases, a longer sleep pattern and change of diet (no caffeine), hormones, and meds are prescribed. In more difficult cases, a pacemaker (for slow, inefficient heartbeat) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (where correction does not occur from aforementioned means) are ways used to correct this disorder. Time, again, is very important, especially depending on the rhythm’s severity.
Heart failure is the weakening of the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently throughout the body. An enlarged heart may be a sign of this disease, along with tiredness and shortness of breath, buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles, and legs (edema), and blood and fluid that backs up into the lungs. Leading causes are diabetes, high blood pressure, and CAD. About 5 million U.S. citizens have HF; 300,000 deaths occur each year. Heart transplants are sometimes used as a remedy, plus new pumps now available on the market can relieve the heart of some of its work. These pumps can be as small as a catheter the size of a pencil tip that can be put through a small hole in the leg of the patient. The catheter is then advanced into the patient’s left ventricle. The goal here is to prevent the heart muscle from increasing its damage, and even possibly aiding in the heart’s recovery. This same tiny pump can be used with CAD and viral/inflammatory diseases of the heart.
Valvular heart disease occurs when one of the four heart’s valves (aortic and mitral valves on the left, pulmonary and tricuspid valves on the right) becomes damaged and blood is no longer pumped efficiently to each chamber or may leak back into the wrong chamber. This can be caused through genetic inheritance, through congenital (birth) or disease (rheumatic fever) occurrences. Mitral valve prolapse or heart murmur is the most common (5 to 10% of world population) of the less serious valve problem. Characterized by fatigue, heart palpitations, anxiety, and migraine headaches, most people need no treatment at all. Antibiotics might be introduced when possibility of infection might take place, as in dental work, etc. Beta blockers and other meds can be used here and for irregular heart rhythms when helpful. For more serious cases, surgery replacing the damaged valve with an artificial or pig valve is often required.
As you can see, the heart is not like other muscles that can rest when injured. That is why it is so important to be proactive on the health of your valentine, your heart. Besides keeping an active sex life (especially helpful for men’s hearts), brushing and flossing your teeth regularly (to prevent germs from entering your body and attacking your heart), practicing an abundance of laughter (which can cause the lining of blood vessels to relax, increasing blood flow for as long as 45 minutes), here are Mayo Clinic’s 5 MEDICATION-FREE STRATEGIES TO HELP PREVENT HEART DISEASE:
1) DON’T SMOKE OR USE TOBACCO and AVOID SECOND-HAND SMOKE Smoking can lead to narrowing of the arteries or atherosclerosis.
2) EXERCISE
Or find ways to move your body for at least 30 to 60 minutes daily most days of the week. You’ll be able to control your weight better; increase blood flow to your organs; raise your HDL, or good cholesterol; lower your LDL, or bad cholesterol; reduce your stress and depression moods; and lessen chances to get diabetes; as well as lower your blood pressure.
3) EAT A HEART-HEALTHY DIET
Or the DASH (lowering hypertension) diet: foods that are low in fats, especially cholesterol, and salt. The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, which can protect your heart. Beans, other low-fat sources of protein, and certain types of fish also can reduce your risk of heart disease. Learn to identify the different kinds of fats on food labels, especially those dangerous to the heart. Our Sun City nurse, Pat, adds that we should restrict fats and increase foods rich in omega 3s, which promote heart health. Heart-healthy foods include salmon, ground flaxseed, oatmeal, black or kidney beans, almonds, walnuts, red wine, tuna, brown rice, and blueberries.
4) MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT
Many of the same reasons given under EXERCISE can be applied here. Ask your doctor if you are uncertain as to what is an ideal weight for your body structure.
5) GET REGULAR HEALTH SCREENINGS
Because many heart attacks are not diagnosed until an ECG (electrocardiagram) test is administered to the heart, it is critical that you have periodic blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, triglycerides, carotid artery, and PAD tests performed (as well as other heart tests, when necessary).
Pat McFarland concludes, “There are specific blood tests now that an ER can run to show if a person has or is having an acute heart attack. Most hospitals have a protocol to follow, which gets a person having an acute heart attack into the catheterization lab quickly to open a blocked artery with angioplasty or a stent. If a person has a heart attack, it is usually treatable, and most people can eventually return to a useful [and] sometimes better life. Cardiac rehab, to include smoking cessation, exercise, diet, and information on medication, and healthy strategies like reducing stress can assist people in their recovery.”
Here’s one for the ladies: The Women’s Heart Foundation informs us that women’s hearts tend to respond better than men’s to healthy lifestyle changes.
Remember: YOUR HEALTHY HEART IS JUST A HEARTBEAT AWAY!
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