Dr Bimal Chhajer, Director, SAAOL Heart Centre
Heart attack is a cause of blockage of blood flow through the blood vessels due to plaque buildup that breaks down into clots. While the heart has to work harder to pump the blood throughout, excessive work on the heart muscle causes a heart attack or in severe cases can lead to heart failure as well.
Cardiac Ailments is one of the leading causes of death in India and worldwide killing about 1 in 5 men and 1 in 8 women, According to WHO reports. Heart attacks that were once reckoned to be an elderly problem have now been reflected in the middle-aged population as well. The increasing stress of modern life has exposed even younger people to the risk of heart disease.
While a person’s genetic disposition and family history remain the most common and uncontrollable risk factors, the majority of heart diseases in the younger generation are due to excessive stress and long working hours coupled with erratic sleep patterns, which cause inflammation and increase the risk of heart disease. Smoking and a sedentary lifestyle further accelerate the risk symptoms in people in the age group of 20 to 30 years and ultimately heart failure.
Cold weather causes blood vessels to tighten to preserve core body temperature, which forces blood pressure to rise and puts additional strain on the heart. To stay warm, people often consume more food, including high-calorie options, which can lead to weight gain, increased blood sugar levels, and higher cholesterol, further burdening the heart. Additionally, increased drinking and smoking during winter months can exacerbate these health issues, compounding the strain on the cardiovascular system.
Risk factors such as smoking and diabetes, in particular, provoke inflammatory changes and promote the formation of blood clots, thus obstructing the blood flow. The one factor that strongly predicts both heart and brain health is high blood pressure. Many people are not even aware that they have high blood pressure because it has no visible symptoms, which is why it is called ‘the silent killer’.
Symptoms of a heart attack
Though the symptoms of a heart attack may vary from person to person, angina, commonly known as chest pain may be the most common symptom, accompanied by unusual breathlessness, palpitation, heaviness or tightness in the chest excruciating to shoulder, jaws and arms. The symptoms may vary from being mild to moderate to severe, depending upon individual and their genetics.
While the condition may happen to anybody irrespective of age and gender, certain signs and symptoms should never be ignored –
- Sudden pressure, tightness, or painful sensation in the chest that seems to spread to the jaw, neck and back upto the arms.
- Sudden or unusual shortness of breath
- Cold sweats even at normal room temperatures
- Sudden dizziness or light headedness.
- Sudden feeling of nausea and coughing
When it comes to heart attack, timing is everything and the chances of survival doubles with timely intervention. It is advised to everyone specially those at risk of a heart attack such as diabetics, high blood pressure, smokers, overweight, elderly and those with a family history of heart attack to always keep Sorbitrate and Aspirin tablets ready in car, home and office as heart’s First Aid. Self help may not always be good enough but is the simplest way to prevent damage to the heart in an impending heart attack hence you must seek medical help – call for help and try and reach a hospital.
From the heart point of view they should keep the risk factors like Blood Pressure, Sugar at the best. They should avoid all kinds of non vegetarian food and cut down oil to cut down the lipids. Walking can be restricted at home and they should do Yoga and meditation for half an hour on daily basis. To boost up the immunity they should take extra dose of Anti Oxidants, Vitamin C , Haldi, Amla, Tulsi, eat plenty of vegetables, salads and fruits.