In today’s world, the sudden rise in heart attacks, even among those with no prior complaints and normal recent ECG, ECHO, and TMT results, has raised widespread concern.
Videos depicting people collapsing during routine activities like dancing, gaming, or exercising on treadmills have heightened anxieties.
South Africa, being home to many hardworking smokers and individuals under constant life stress, has seen a surge in premature heart attacks and cardiac arrests.
Heart disease has become the leading cause of death, claiming over 1.79 Crore lives annually worldwide (approximately 50,000 daily). Alarmingly, 80-90% of patients reach hospitals after experiencing heart attacks.
Now comes the big question: How do I know my heart is OK?
Blood Pressure: The normal range is usually less than 120/80 mmHg.
Cholesterol Levels: LDL (bad) cholesterol should be below 100 mg/dL, and HDL (good) cholesterol should be over 40 mg/dL for males and 50 mg/dL for women. Total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL.
Heart Rate: It is generally thought to be healthy for one’s heart rate to rest between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Body Mass Index (BMI): A lower risk of heart disease is linked to a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9.
Physical Activity: Maintaining heart health can be aided by regularly exercising for at least 150 minutes a week.
Diet: Heart health can be supported by eating a balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats.
Blood Sugar Levels: Blood sugar levels after fasting should normally be less than 100 mg/dL.
Tobacco Use: Reducing your exposure to secondhand smoke and tobacco products is essential for heart health.
Stress Levels: Reducing stress with exercise, social support, and relaxation techniques can help keep the heart healthy.
Family History: It’s important to be aware of any inherited factors and discuss them with your healthcare provider. A family history of heart disease may raise your risk.
The first & most important thing is to meet your doctor, who will evaluate your heart on multiple factors, including:
1) History
2) Cardiac risk factors (like: smoking, diabetes, hypertension, family history, lipid profile, sedentary lifestyle, etc) & scoring.
3) Blood tests
4) Non-invasive tests (ECG, ECHO, TMT – generally these tests suffice in low risk cases).
Depending on the result, your doctor may want to do a risk assessment of heart disease through Framingham Risk Score, an algorithmic test that estimates a patient’s 10-year cardiovascular risk & the resulting score helps classify individuals into high, moderate and low-risk categories.
In addition to the conventional risk factors, there have been reports indicating an increase in cardiovascular complications, including heart attacks, in both young and elderly individuals due to COVID-19. This is attributed to the virus’s direct impact on the cardiovascular system, which can lead to inflammation and disruptions in the blood clotting system.
How to be ascertained on heart condition?
If you fall under the high-risk category, to ensure proper heart evaluation, it is important to go for further advanced screenings such as CT Coronary Angiography or Conventional Angiography.
For individuals at a high risk of coronary artery disease, the CT Coronary Angiography procedure becomes a viable option, particularly when selected with care. In cases where the results return as normal, there is no need for concern.
A good doctor, through comprehensive history-taking and clinical judgment, or by employing risk scoring methods, can effectively identify individuals at high risk.
In situations where critical blockages are absent but mild to moderate disease is observed, the emphasis shifts to advocating for proper risk modification strategies for the patient, such as:
– No smoking
– Manage diabetes
– Blood pressure control
– Exercise and diet program for achieving an ideal weight – Yoga and stress-reduction activities
This way anybody will get to know whether their heart is Ok or not.
