The human heart pumps on average, about 100 beats per minute. It’s a machine that tirelessly works to allow for blood circulation and ensures the oxygenation of every cell in the human body. Its work starts just mere days after conception and it will only get a brief rest in between rest in a human average life span of 80 years or so. Being a medical student, I’m aware of the things that could go wrong - from congenital anomalies, arrhythmias, valvular stenosis and regurgitation. All these things might seem Greek to the non-medically inclined, but one term would definitely connect to most people - heart attack.
A heart attack (or myocardial infarction for those who love watching House, MD or Grey’s Anatomy) happens when the blood supply to the heart is compromised secondary a narrowing of a blood vessel (atherosclerosis) or the impaction of a vulnerable plaque (embolism). This causes a condition called ischemia - a state wherein tissue is unable to get enough oxygen from the blood. Sometimes, this condition does not present with clinical symptoms and unfortunately, these silent ischemia can be silent killers. My father (quite young at 50) had an artery that was 95% occluded but he did not present with any symptoms! Luckily, the pathology was detected via electrocardiogram and through confirmatory angiography, my Dad was soon on the fast track to angioplasty - an invasive procedure that entails the dilation of narrow vessels for greater oxygenation.
It’s pretty hard to understand in technical terms, but to put it simply (as conveniently discussed by the linked page), our hearts need oxygen and that could only come from circulation. If the plumbing system of the heart becomes clogged, this could lead to the death of cardiac cells - and the patient’s as well. Given the sedentary lifestyle of most of us - and the fact that cardiovascular disease continues to be among the leading killers in the world — it’s to our advantage if we actually get to know the various risk factors and preventive measures.
Risk factors
- pre-existing cardiovascular disease
- angina
- arrhythmia
- advancing age
- history of a previous stroke or heart attack
- diabetes
- obesity
- high triglyceride levels
- high LDL levels (the so-called bad cholesterol)
- low HDL levels (good cholesterol)
- hypertension
- chronically high levels of stress
Preventive measures
- Exercise! Keep yourself fit.
- Eat healthy and stick to a low fat diet.
- have yourself checked if you have any of the risk factors.
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This policy is valid from 04 April 2008
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