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| Wednesday Mar 10, 2010 |
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| Heart Attack - How to prevent it |
English | 中文 |
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| HEART ATTACK |
Heart attack is the number one cause of death in North America. Its underlying cause,
coronary artery disease, is due to build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries that
supply the heart (coronary arteries) which can block the flow of blood to heart muscle.
The heart muscle gets oxygen from blood brought by 3 major arteries and their small branches.
When there is lack of blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle, the person may experience
symptoms of angina, typically chest pain that is often brought on by physical exertion and
relieved by rest. A person with coronary artery disease may have no symptoms until narrowing
of the arteries become severe.
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| WHAT CAUSES A HEART ATTACK? |
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when a blood clot forms at a severely
narrowed part of an artery and causes total blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle.
Irreversible damage to the heart muscle supplied by that artery results unless the blocked
artery can be re-opened within a few hours.
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| WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK? |
It is important to recognize the symptoms of a possible heart attack, which are similar to
that of angina but are prolonged, and may include:
- chest pain in the central chest, which may be a pressure, squeezing, tightening, or burning
- pain spreading to the neck, jaw, shoulders, upper back, and down the arms, especially the left arm
- other symptoms may be faintness or dizziness, nausea, sweating, and shortness of breath
What you should do: sit or lie down, get help immediately by calling an ambulance.
Delay in getting to a hospital can be life threatening, since many fatalities occur within
the first few hours of a heart attack. (The American Heart Association advises that people
who have never had any signs of coronary artery disease go to the nearest emergency room
after 2-3 minutes of these symptoms.)
In the Hospital: Today, advances in treatments and medical technology have greatly
improved the chances of surviving a heart attack. However, early arrival to hospital is
crucial.
Treatment may include medicine to dissolve blood clots in a blocked artery and limit
the damage to the heart. These drugs, called "clot busters" (thrombolyics) must be
given early, within a few hours, in order to be effective. Sometimes emergency procedures
such as angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery can be performed to open vessels in
a heart attack.
In the coronary care unit (C.C.U.) the patient is monitored continuously while receiving
medications to help stabilize the heart and control abnormal heart rhythms.
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| CAN HEART ATTACKS BE PREVENTED? |
Risk Factors:
A person's chance of having a heart attack is increased if there is:
- family history of heart disease
- smoking
- high cholesterol or triglycerides high LDL "bad" cholesterol or
low HDL "good" cholesterol
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- diabetes mellitus
- obesity (esp. central or abdominal fat)
Studies have shown that controlling or eliminating these "risk factors" reduces
the chance of heart attack. This is extremely important for people who are considered to be
at high risk, e.g. with coronary heart disease or several risk factors.
Low Fat Diet: You can help to prevent heart disease by improving your eating habits.
A healthy way of eating is important for the whole family, since atherosclerosis
(fatty deposit build-up in the arteries) is a lifelong process which begins in childhood.
- Use low fat cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, baking, or microwaving instead of deep frying or pan frying. Use vegetable oils rather than animal fats (e.g. lard, butter). Limit gravies, creamy sauces, salad dressings, mayonnaise.
- Choose leaner meats, fish, chicken, dried beans, and tofu. Remove all skin and fat from meat.
- Eat plenty of dark green and orange vegetables and fruits.
- Choose lower fat milk products (skim or 1% milk, yogurt); limit cream and ice cream.
- Choose more whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice).
- Limit egg yolk, organ meats (e.g liver, kidney), and shrimp to a total of 3 servings per week.
- Avoid high fat desserts or snacks e.g. potato chips, chocolate, nuts, and rich pastries.
For people with heart disease - Some good advice:
- Eliminate risk factors: by improving lifestyle and diet, e.g. quit smoking, follow a low fat diet, control weight.
- Taking your medication: There are many kinds of heart medications that can help to protect a person with heart disease from heart attack, as well from complications such as heart failure (weakness of heart muscle) and abnormal heart rhythms. Stopping heart medication suddenly on your own can be dangerous.
- See you doctor regularly to evaluate the condition of your heart. Worsening of heart disease can be treated with medication or intervention such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery.
- Co-existing medical conditions must be well-controlled, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
- Low dose Aspirin (daily) reduces the risk of heart attack by reducing clot formation, thus "thinning the blood" (discuss safety of use with your doctor).
- Regular moderate exercise (consult your doctor before starting), avoid unaccustomed, strenuous exercise.
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