Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What To Do To Prevent Heart Attack

Don't Miss

Rapid Treatment Saves Lives

Can Aspirin Prevent a First Heart Attack or Stroke?

Treatment may begin immediately in the ED, even before doctors have confirmed that you are having a heart attack. This may include giving you aspirin or nitroglycerin, oxygen therapy, and/or treatment to reduce your chest pain.

If a heart attack is diagnosed , doctors will act quickly to restore blood flow to the heart. This may include giving you clot-busting medicines that dissolve the clots that are blocking the coronary arteries.

Another treatment is balloon angioplasty, in which a thin, flexible tube with a balloon at the end is threaded through your artery to the blockage. Once the blockage is reached, the balloon is inflated, pressing the clot against the artery walls and restoring blood flow. Doctors also may place a stent in the area of the blockage to hold the artery open and allow blood to continue to flow.

Five Ways To Reduce Heart Attack Risk By 80 Percent

If you could do five things to reduce your heart-attack risk by 80 percent, would you take a step to start on this path?

That’s a challenge posed by Nancy K. Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center and professor of medicine, UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson. She cites a study from Swedens Karolinska Institute, which observed 20,721 healthy Swedish men, ages 45 to 79, for 11 years. The study, published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology, noted that men could reduce their heart attack risk by 80 percent if they made five lifestyle changes. I believe these also apply to women and Americans, said Dr. Sweitzer.

Heart Disease Symptoms In Women

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and heart attack symptoms and signs can be different for women than for men, for example:

  • Chest tightness

Sometimes people having a heart attack experience no symptoms at all. The medical term for this is silent ischemia, commonly referred to as a “silent” heart attack.

If you think you are experiencing signs of a heart attack, call 911 immediately!

Recommended Reading: Mayo Clinic Heart Rate

Make Sure You Maintain A Healthy Diet

The first of the tips to prevent a heart attack is to have a balanced diet. For that:

  • Try to eliminate processed products and replace them with fresh food.
  • Limit your consumption of sugar and any type of artificial sweetener as much as possible. If you want something sweet, choose fruit.
  • Avoid consuming trans fats such as vegetable oils or margarine. Replace them with healthy fats such as avocado, coconut oil or unpasteurized butter.
  • Keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
  • Include in your diet, at least once a week, foods rich in omega 3, such as blue fish, or take a nutritional supplement that contains it.
  • Eat foods rich in vitamins C, E and beta-carotenes . These nutrients help protect the arterial layer from oxidation.
  • They neutralize free radicals, slow down the wear and tear of the heart, and prevent bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries.

What Is A Heart Attack

New guidelines: Healthy lifestyle, managing risks are key ...

A heart attack happens when something blocks the blood flow to your heart so it canât get the oxygen it needs.

More than a million Americans have heart attacks each year. Heart attacks are also called myocardial infarctions . “Myo” means muscle, “cardial” refers to the heart, and “infarction” means death of tissue because of a lack of blood supply. This tissue death can cause lasting damage to your heart muscle..

Read Also: How Accurate Is Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate

Gender Age And Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Generally, men have a higher risk than women of developing CVD in middle age. The risk rises as they get older.

However, the risk of developing CVD is an important issue for women, especially as they get older. It is not clear why women tend to get CVD at a later age than men, although it is likely that hormonal changes after menopause, combined with changes in their risk factors, play a role.

Despite your gender and age, you can reduce your risk of developing CVD if you follow a healthy lifestyle and take medicines as prescribed by your doctor.

What Is Heart Disease

The term heart disease covers many conditions that affect the heart. Most commonly, it refers to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In this condition, you have plaque buildup in either the:

  • Coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.
  • Peripheral arteries, which supply blood to your limbs and brain.

This buildup can lead to a heart attack or stroke. But you can take steps to prevent it. Other cardiovascular diseases heart rhythm and heart valve problems or heart failure may not be as preventable, says Dr. Laffin.

You May Like: Does Tylenol Increase Heart Rate

Take Charge Of Your Medical Conditions

If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, you can take steps to lower your risk for heart disease.

Your health care team should test your blood levels of cholesterol at least once every 4 to 6 years. If you have already been diagnosed with high cholesterol or have a family history of the condition, you may need to have your cholesterol checked more often. Talk with your health care team about this simple blood test. If you have high cholesterol, medicines and lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk for heart disease.

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so have it checked on a regular basis. Your health care team should measure your blood pressure at least once every 2 years if you have never had high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, also called hypertension, your health care team will measure your blood pressure more often to make sure you have the condition under control. Talk with your health care team about how often you should check your blood pressure. You can check it at a doctors office, at a pharmacy, or at home.

If you have high blood pressure, your health care team might recommend some changes in your lifestyle, such as lowering the sodium in your diet your doctor may also prescribe medicine to help lower your blood pressure.

How To Prevent A Heart Attack

10 Foods That Will Prevent a Heart Attack

Managing your heart disease risk factors and making healthy lifestyle choices can help you prevent a heart attack.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. About 630,000 deaths each year stem from heart-related causes, including those from heart attack and stroke.

The economic burden of heart disease is also enormous, totaling about $200 billion in healthcare costs and lost productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Many of these deaths could be prevented and the healthcare costs reduced through medication and changes in health habits, the CDC notes.

Reducing major risks for heart disease can help prevent future heart attacks.

Key modifiable risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and being overweight or obese.

Don’t Miss: Does Tylenol Increase Heart Rate

Limit Salt And Sodium

The American Heart Association recommends that most Americans consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day for optimal heart health.

The biggest source of sodium in most peoples diet is processed foods. Canned soups, sauces, deli meats, frozen dinners, packaged snacks, and bread are often very high in salt.

How To Prevent Heart Disease

To help prevent heart disease, Dr. Laffin recommends cultivating heart healthy habits in these four areas.

1. Nutrition

The Mediterranean diet continues to be the crème de la crème of the heart health world. It involves eating foods that are traditionally consumed in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. This translates into a diet loaded with:

  • Fruits.
  • Whole grains.
  • Healthy fats, such as olive oil.

A 2018 New England Journal of Medicine study showed that this way of eating goes beyond improving your cholesterol and blood pressure. It also lowers your risk for stroke and heart attack, Dr. Laffin notes.

Other diets, such as a whole food plant-based eating style, may also lower your risk. But theres less data suggesting theyre helpful in reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks, he adds. A heart-healthy diet also has to be sustainable. Think 30-plus years into the future. It doesnt help to go on a restrictive diet, and then two years later, go back to eating junk.

2. Physical activity

The heart is a muscle that needs exercise. Getting the heart rate in an aerobic training zone maintains that heart pumping, or systolic, function, says Dr. Laffin. But more importantly, regular physical activity can lead to lower blood pressure and weight stability.

Dr. Laffin recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. Moderate intensity means you can have a conversation while in action so a brisk walk or light jog counts.

3. Smoking

Read Also: Gerd And Heart Flutters

Be Physically Active Every Day

Be physically active every day. Research has shown that at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity can help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and keep your weight at a healthy level. And something IS better than nothing. If you’re inactive now, start out slow. Even a few minutes at a time may offer some health benefits. Studies show that people who have achieved even a moderate level of fitness are much less likely to die early than those with a low fitness level.

Visit Physical Activity and Fitness.

Heart Disease Risk Factors

The Top 3 Tips for Preventing Heart Disease in Adults ...

According to a 2015 Annals of Internal Medicine study, about half the deaths from heart and vascular disease in the U.S. could be prevented. Reducing your risks for heart disease is the first step. These heart disease factors include:

  • Obesity: A body mass index above 30 puts you at risk for developing heart disease. Body fat distribution matters, too. That central adiposity, also known as a spare tire, increases your risk, notes Dr. Laffin. Those fat cells may lead to future cardiovascular disease and problems such as high blood pressure and blood sugar.
  • High cholesterol and high blood pressure: Too much LDL cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in your arteries, pinching off the flow of blood to your heart or brain. Hypertension also increases risk for heart disease. Its called the silent killer because many people dont know they have it, says Dr. Laffin.
  • Diabetes: Making sure that diabetes is well controlled helps prevent plaque buildup and atherosclerosis , notes Dr. Laffin. Plaque buildup restricts blood flow to your heart and other organs, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
  • Alcohol consumption: Dr. Laffin says that drinking too much alcohol increases the risk for heart disease. If you have three or more drinks in one session, your blood pressure will be higher the following day. So its best for women to drink no more than one drink a day and men to stick to no more than two.

You May Like: Does Tylenol Increase Heart Rate

How To Prevent Heart Attack At Home Best Preventions:

In fact, heart attack is totally not too difficult to prevent and treat. However, not many people know exactly what they have to do and what the necessary thing to know about this dangerous disease is. Many people do not want to go to the hospital because they have the fear of going to see doctors or simply, they do not want to lose a lot of money. This is very dangerous because severe heart attacks can become the second most dangerous killer, just behind cancers. Heart attack can be the last point of a persons life. Therefore, people definitely should learn how to prevent heart attack at home before everything becomes too late.

Making lifestyle changes is one of the most efficient ways to prevent the risk of heart attacks .

There are 3 main tips on how to prevent heart attack naturally that you should apply to reduce and eliminate the risk of a heart attack :

  • try to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level
  • avoid smoking
  • eat a healthy, balanced diet In this article, I would like to introduce 10 best tips on how to prevent heart attack effectively for people at all ages. Therefore, everyone should focus on the following information for good!

Top 10 Ways To Avoid A Heart Attack

A sad event may leave you with a heavyheart. If youre a cold and callous person, youre described as having either a hard heart or no heart at all. The 1980s music group Quarterflash tried to harden their heart, and Bruce Springsteen says that everybodys heart is hungry. There are a lot of words you can attach to heart to describe a wide variety of human conditions and emotions. But heres a sobering thought the three words most often used to describe a real cardiac event are arrest,attack and failure.

Your ticker is a pretty simple organ. It brings blood in by way of arteries and then pumps it back out to the rest of the body. A waxy substance called plaque can build up on the inside of these arteries, which makes them narrower, and it becomes more difficult for the blood to take the ride into and out of the heart. Over time, the buildup of plaque deposits can rupture and cause total blockage of the blood flow to the heart. This is called a heart attack and its the No. 1 killer of both men and women each year in the United States .

The bad news about heart attacks is that there are many factors that play in to whether youll have one, including your genes, what you eat and how much you exercise. The good news is that theyre preventable. If you take steps now, you can greatly improve your chances of not having a heart attack. Weve compiled a list of 10 things you can do to help you avoid being a heart attack statistic.

Contents

Read Also: Does Tylenol Help With Heart Attacks

Here Are More Unsettling Facts:

  • Heart disease causes 1 in 3 womens deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute.
  • 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
  • Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease and the gap between men and womens survival continues to widen.
  • The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women vs. men, and are often misunderstood.
  • While 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, 1 in 3 dies of heart disease.

Family History And Cardiovascular Disease Risk

How to Stop Heart Attack, Prevent Heart Disease (Treat with Breath Exercise)

A personâs family history of disease can increase their tendency to develop:

  • Diabetes.
  • A particular body shape.

Although having a family history of CVD is a risk factor you canât change, it does not mean that you will develop it. However, if you do have a family history of CVD, it is important to reduce or remove other risk factors. For example, adopting healthy eating patterns, do not smoke, and lead an active, healthy lifestyle.

Recommended Reading: What Causes Left Sided Heart Failure

What Are The Heart Disease Risk Factors That I Cannot Change

  • Age. Your risk of heart disease increases as you get older. Men age 45 and older and women age 55 and older have a greater risk.
  • Sex. Some risk factors may affect heart disease risk differently in women than in men. For example, estrogen provides women some protection against heart disease, but diabetes raises the risk of heart disease more in women than in men.
  • Race or ethnicity. Certain groups have higher risks than others. African Americans are more likely than whites to have heart disease, while Hispanic Americans are less likely to have it. Some Asian groups, such as East Asians, have lower rates, but South Asians have higher rates.
  • Family history. You have a greater risk if you have a close family member who had heart disease at an early age.

Preventing 4 Out Of 5 First Heart Attacks In Men

Based on their findings, the researchers predicted that all five healthy behaviors could prevent four out of five first heart attacks in men.

Even those men who practiced only some of the five lifestyle factors reduced their risk for heart attacks. With each added factor practiced, the risk was reduced further. Those who just avoided smoking reduced their risk by 36%. Those who ate a healthy diet and drank moderately had a 35% lower risk.

Research predicts that all five healthy behaviors could prevent four out of five first heart attacks in men.

Also Check: Dehydration Increased Heart Rate

What The Study Examined

Men between the ages of 45 and 79 were recruited in 1997, and surveyed about their eating and activity habits, along with data including their weight, family history of heart disease, and level of education. A total of 20,721 men without any history of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes were then tracked over an 11-year period.

Five diet and lifestyle factors were examined: diet, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, belly fat, and daily activity level.

How To Help Prevent Heart Disease At Any Age

Heart Attacks

Youre never too young or too old to take care of your heart.

Preventing heart disease means making smart choices now that will pay off the rest of your life.

Lack of exercise, a poor diet and other unhealthy habits can take their toll over the years. Anyone at any age can benefit from simple steps to keep their heart healthy during each decade of life. Heres how:

You May Like: Fluticasone Heart Palpitations

What Can I Do To Prevent A Heart Attack

5 Healthy Behaviors Slash Heart Attack Risk by 86%, Study Finds

An 11-year study of 20,721 Swedish men aged 45 to 79 may look like heard-it-before news. It tells us that a healthy lifestyle reduces heart attack risk. What is surprising is how drastically the risk dropped due to five healthy behaviors, states Dr. Agneta Akesson of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and lead author of the study.

Research continues to affirm how powerful lifestyle factors like a Pritikin-style diet and regular exercise are in fending off heart disease.

More articles

Popular Articles