heart attack: The country has seen people like Raju Srivastava, Satish Kaushik and Siddharth Shukla losing the battle of life due to sudden heart attack. In this post-Covid era, healthcare has become essential and we all must maintain it. There are two ways that COVID-19 is known to affect the heart. One occurs when the disease is active, and the other is what physicians refer to as long-lived COVID syndrome.
You can learn more about your heart health through a heart disease test. You can monitor your health and modify your lifestyle by being aware of your data for important elements.
Zee News Digital spoke to Dr. Mohit Tandon, Consultant Non-Invasive Cardiologist, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Okhla-New-Delhi about the rapid increase in the number and frequency of heart attacks among people of all ages. Track the health of his heart.
How to identify heart disease?
Arrhythmias, valve diseases, and congenital heart defects are just some of the conditions collectively referred to as “heart diseases” that damage the heart. Coronary artery disease, the most prevalent type of heart disease, damages blood vessels, restricts blood flow to the heart, and increases the likelihood of a heart attack.
Heart disease is often not treated until symptoms of heart failure or heart attack occur. To prevent various health concerns, it is necessary to get regular check-ups for heart disease.
What are the causes of heart diseases?
Depending on the situation, different factors can cause different types of heart disease. Any age can be affected by heart disease. Congenital heart disease is a condition that can develop at birth. Sometimes, it gradually gets worse throughout our lives as plaque builds up, like coronary artery disease.
Coronary heart disease is caused by genetics, smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In short, your heart needs to work harder because obstructions are in the way, putting unnecessary stress on the organ. Under severe stress, your heart may only continue to beat for short periods of time.
When should you go for a screening test for heart disease?
The American Heart Association recommends routine screening starting at age 20. Although it sounds young, heart disease can also affect people who are younger. Your doctor can establish a baseline for your body and track changes over age by starting frequent screenings when you are 20 years old.
At this point, it is important to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and lifestyle factors through family history, physical exam, and blood tests, even if you are not at high risk.
Main tests for heart health checkup
Earlier it was believed that heart attacks occur less frequently in people under the age of 40, but now 1 in every 5 heart attacks occurs in people under the age of 40.
Following are some of the key tests recommended by the American Heart Association to monitor your heart health:
blood pressure– One of the most important tests is BP, high blood pressure has no specific symptoms and if undiagnosed for a long time, the chances of heart attack, stroke and kidney injury are greatly increased. If you are healthy from the age of 20 then you should get your BP checked once in every 2 years, if your BP is high or out of range then you will be tested again and again.
lipid profile—Starting at age 20, your lipid profile, which measures your total cholesterol, good (HDL) and bad (LDL), and triglycerides, should be checked every 4 to 6 years if you have a strong risk of heart disease. This duration will be shorter if there is a family history or risk factors like obesity, diabetes. At the age of 40 parameters like BP, and cholesterol can be used to calculate your risk for stroke and heart attack.
body weight—Tracking your body weight should be a part of an optimal health routine. The doctor will track your weight and use it to calculate a BMI which helps determine if you are overweight or obese which can determine your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and a future heart attack. Increases.
blood glucose—Another important test is blood glucose, monitoring your blood sugar especially if you are overweight or have a family history of diabetes helps identify diabetes in the early stages allowing optimal management which Lowers your future risk of heart disease and other major complications. Tests such as fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), which measure your average blood sugar over the past 3 months, may be used.
Specific tests like ECG, 2D ECHO, Stress Echocardiography and CT Coronary Angiography are prescribed by the doctor for people who have specific symptoms of heart related diseases with few common symptoms.
1. Chest discomfort in and around the central chest, radiating to the left arm during rest or exertion
2. Heartbeat becomes very fast in the absence of exercise or when sitting quietly.
3. Dizziness, loss of consciousness or profuse sweating with chest pain.
4. Very strong family history of premature heart diseases in first-degree relatives.
5. History of unexplained sudden death in a family.
Also Read: High Blood Sugar Due To Poor Sleep? Better Sleep Tips, Control Diabetes
Ways to avoid heart diseases
Although serious, heart disease is largely preventable and treatable, especially with regular tests. You are more in charge of your heart health than you may realize. To lower your risk of heart disease, consider incorporating these daily routines into your life:
Eating foods that nourish your body
– Monitor your health at home between regular doctor visits
Do physical activity for 30 minutes daily
Quit smoking and drink alcohol in moderation.