LOVE YOUR
HEART,
REDUCE
YOUR RISK!
YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
TO A HEALTHY HEART
Collette Devlin met Ann Scanlon,
Health Promotion Officer with the
Irish Heart Foundation to find out
the most common causes of heart
problems and how to prevent them
D-—
— ——
id youknow that
cardiovascular disease is
the number-one killer in
Ireland?Approximately
10,000 people die each
yearfrom cardiovascular
disease including
coronaryheart disease,
stroke and other circulatory diseases.
Approximately 2,500 people die from stroke
each year,accounting formore deaths than
breast cancer, prostate cancer and bowel
cancer combined. Up to 10,000 people
sufferstroke annually and there are an
estimated 30,000 people in the community
with residual disability from stroke.
"There are manyfactorswhich can
increase yourrisk of cardiovascular
diseases," explains Ann. "Somerisks you
can't change such as your ageand family
history but others youcan." Smoking,
alcohol, overeating, lack of exercise and
stress are all culprits, the more of these
youhave combined,the greater yourrisk.
Examine your lifestyle and see how healthy
youare keeping your heart and assess if
there are anyrisks youcan eliminate.
-
REDUCING RISK FACTORS
Stop smoking
The Irish Heart Foundation recommends
that smokers should kick the habit as it's
is a major cause of cardio vascular disease
and people who smoke are twice as likely to
have a heart attack than those who don't.
"It's never too late to stop and if you do want
to quit, prepare. Write down your reasons
and keep the list to hand, pick a date and get
support from family and friends," explains
Ann. If you have cravings and are finding
it difficult askyour doctor or pharmacist
foradvice about aids such as nicotine
-
replacement products. You can also ring
Quitline on 1850 201
the National Smokers
203 or a log onto www.giveupsmoking.ie.
Know your blood pressure
Blood pressure shows the amount of work
that yourheart has to do to pump blood
around the body. Most people don't get any
signs or symptoms of having high-blood
pressure, in factnine out often people
don't actually realise. "We recommend
getting it checked because it's the only way
to find out. If youhave a family history of
heart disease or stroke then have it checked
regularly. It is also advisable for persons over
the ageof 30 to have their blood pressure
checked everytwo to three years," says
Ann. Combined
causes include age,family
history, eating too much salt,not enough
fruit and vegetables, too much alcohol,not
enough physical activity, being overweight,
smoking and high cholesterol. Making
lifestyle changes such as becoming active
and monitoring your weight can help.
Eat a balanced healthy diet
What youeat can either protect youor
increase your chances of getting diseases
like heart disease. The Irish Heart
Foundation advises thatyou use the food
pyramid as a guideline. This will ensure
youeat a wide variety offoodsthat provide
adequate vitamins and minerals. Monitor
the fat intake in yourdiet and cut down on
saturated fat(found in foodssuch as butter,
cakes,cheese, biscuits and chocolate) that
increases cholesterol. "Eat oily fish at least
twice a week because it contains omega
fatty acids that improve blood circulation
and reduce the stickiness ofblood and
stops it clotting," advises Ann. Shealso
advocates eating at least fiveportions offruit
and vegetables a day to control weight and
blood pressure. "Avoid adding salt when
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Become more active
"Physical activity brings many benefitsto
an individual's health and wellbeing. It
lowers blood pressure, keeps cholesterol
at a healthy level and maintains a healthy
weight and controls blood sugar," saysAnn.
The Irish heart foundrecommends that all
adults and older people try to be active for
at least 30 minutes five days a week. You
should also incorporate as much activity
into daily life as possible. For example
walk to work, take the stairs or get off
the bus at an earlier stop. Ten minutes of
moderate intensity (increased breathing
and heart rate) will benefityour heart.
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Manage your weight
Ann points out that when you are overweight
your heart has to work harder to pump
blood around your body. This extra pressure
can cause wear and tear on your heart
and blood-vessel system, increasing your
risk of high blood pressure, heart disease
and diabetes. Sherecommends gradually
losing a small amount of weight (1- albs
a week) to help lower blood pressure.
Drink alcohol In moderation
Men should consume less than 21
units of alcohol per week whereas
women should consume no more
than 14 units of alcohol per week.
Control cholesterol
Having high cholesterol levels in your
blood increases your chances of getting
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heart disease. The level of cholesterol in
yourblood is affectedby the amount of
saturated fatsyoueat everyday. Oneofthe
best waysto prevent high cholesterol is to eat
healthily and get it checked by your doctor.
Manage stress
"Stressis oftendefinedas a mismatch
between the demands placed on us and
the waywe cope with these demands,"
explains Ann. If youfeelstressed,your
blood will produce more hormones.
Although useful in small amounts,
many of these hormones,continuously
and over time, can damage your arteries
and maylead to high blood pressure.
If youare worried about anyaspect
of heart disease or stroke call the
Helpline service 1890 432 787.
ADVANCES IN
CARDIOLOGY
Professor David Foley,
Consultant Cardiologist
at The Hermitage Medical
Clinic talks about the
advances in interventional
(keyhole) cardiology
TECHNIQUES for treating Cardiac
problems by the interventional (keyhole)
approach continue to develop at an
exciting pace. Coronary angiography and
stenting are now routinely performed via
the radial artery, on completely ambulant
patients and same-day discharge is
becoming more common. For the past five
years I have been carrying out day-case
stenting in selected 'low-risk' patients at
Beaumont Hospital verysuccessfully.
It is planned to hold a 'live
demonstration and educational course' in
the coming months at the Hermitage to
provide a continuing medical education
exposure to modern invasive cardiac
therapies and diagnostic procedures.
♦ The Hermitage Medical Clinic has a
comprehensive cardiology programme
providing botfi diagnostic and
interventional services as well as noninvasive cardiology services. These clinical
services include diagnostic angiography,
angioplasty, electrophysiology, cardiac
CT,cardiac MR,ECG,stress ECG,
echoes and holier monitoring.
*J^^
OaaleiTOrt Cardiology has been
provicfng a ocrisultant-led canJiotogy'
servlcefcjrthepasttvventyyßars.lt
specialises In assessing the risk of future
heart disease,and in the assessment
HEART CHECK
Collette Devlin visits Charlemont Clinic, Dublin
and discovers what causes heart attacks and
what tests can confirm if your heart is healthy
people, heart attacks
don't just happen. They are
the result of hardening ofthe
coronary arteries, (the pipes
bringing the blood into the
heart muscle) which usually
has definite causes. Professor
lan Graham, Professor
of Cardiovascular Medicine in the
Charlemont Cardiology clinic describes
how this happens: "If the coronary artery
is narrowed it can cause angina, which is
a chest pain that occurs where the heart
speeds up, for example, on exercise. If
the coronary artery becomes completely
blocked,this can cause a more severe
and prolonged chest pain, which can
develop into a heart attack, which requires
or most
_____
immediate admission to hospital".
The hardening ofthe arteries
(arterosclerosis) causes angina. Heart
attacks are very rare in people in
their teens and twenties and become
increasingly common after that. The main
causes are cigarette smoking, a high fat
diet leading to a high blood cholesterol,
high blood pressure and being overweight.
"Thus, one can have a fairly good
idea about one's own risks straight
away. A more detailed health check
involves taking a careful history and
examination, discussing dietary and
smoking habits, and measuring weight,
blood pressure, blood cholesterol (blood
fat) levels," explains Professor Graham.
"In young people, and in those
arxirnanagerneritc^ heart arid crciiatory
problems. There are numerous tests
avatebte to check your heart.
Bectrocurtnognph (ECQ): Each time
the heart beats a smalelectrfccjjrißrit is
made. This is recorded on paper when
an ECG is taken. The shape of the tracing
can be helpful in cfegrosing coronary
cfceaseard other problems.
Exercise ECQ: an ECG is recorded
before, during and after exercise on a
treadmill. This can bring out changes
of earty heart disease that are not
detectable on an ordinary ECG.
Hotter Monitor: the Hotter monitor
records an ECG over a full 24-hour
period. It is a small box about the size
of a walkman that Is worn. This can
be useful in diagnosing heart rhythm
disturbances that may only occur
occasionally.
that have a very strong family history
of coronary disease,we sometimes
measure rarer risk factors. These include
blood fat called Lp(a), and we test for
clotting and for inflammation."
The good news about risk factors is
24-Hour Blood Pressure Monitor:
some people's blood pressure is only
high when they see a doctor! A 24-hour
blocxd pressure monitor is again a small
machinethatiswomfor24hours.lt
records the Wood pressure on a regular
basis so that doctors can ted whether
the bkxxi pressure is high all of the time
or only occasionally. This may help plan
mere effective treatment,
Echoc*vdk>grarn: an echocardiogram
machine uses a high-frequency sound
wave to make a picture of the heart. A
small probe is held against the chest
and this generates the picture. This
Is particularly usefulIn seeing if the
heart is enlarged, how weßthe heart is
pumping, and in looking for problems
such as a leaky heart valve.
*»
••■
♦ Charlemont Cardtolomr,
Charlemont Clinic,
Charlemont Mad, Dublin 2
Ph: (01) 4188420. Email:
c^iartemontcanilologyAelrcom.net
that very many of them can be modified
and the risk of future trouble can
be verymarkedly diminished. Part
of a comprehensive risk assessment
is also helping a person develop a
life plan to reduce their risk.