“This disease is particularly common in developed countries, due to the high standard of living, which is associated with risk factors such as unhealthy diet, low physical activity and high levels of stress. IHD is more likely to occur over the age of 50-60. people, it occurs more often in men already in middle age, and in women, the risk increases significantly in old age – after menopause, due to hormonal changes that affect the cardiovascular system”, says Š. Stankevičienė.
How does ischemic heart disease develop?
CAD is a condition in which the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen due to reduced or complete loss of blood supply through the coronary arteries of the heart. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of most cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease.
It is a systemic chronic disease that damages the walls of the arteries, causing them to harden and narrow due to the accumulation of cholesterol and other substances.
“Atherosclerosis sometimes takes decades to develop, the process can start at a young age, but symptoms often appear in old age, when the narrowing of the arteries becomes significant. It’s true that the disease can progress faster due to certain risk factors – for example, high cholesterol level, arterial hypertension, diabetes, smoking, poor diet or low physical activity,” notes the cardiologist.
Some ischemic risk factors are unmodifiable, such as age, gender, or genetics. However, to slow the progression of atherosclerosis and CHD, many factors such as high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, stress, metabolic syndrome, or low physical activity can be corrected.
Chest pain can be a sign of IBD
The symptoms of this disease can often be confused with other health problems, such as indigestion, muscle pain or anxiety attacks. The severity and nature of symptoms vary depending on the stage of the disease and the level of vascular damage. One of the main manifestations of IHD is stable angina pectoris.
“This condition is characterized by paroxysmal episodes of anginal chest pain. They present as a dull, pressing, or burning pain that may radiate to the left arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, or back. Most often, these attacks occur during physical exertion, stress, strong emotions, and pass after resting or taking vasodilating medications,” says Š. Stankevičienė.
In addition, chest pain may be accompanied by nausea, weakness, increased or increased pulse. It is worth noting that the disease can be manifested only by shortness of breath without pain or decreasing tolerance to physical exertion. In some cases, especially women, the elderly, and people with diabetes, symptoms may be atypical or less noticeable.
Preventive examinations allow to reduce the risk of disease
Preventive examinations are very important even without experiencing the above symptoms, but with risk factors. In such cases, the patient’s family doctor can perform initial tests: determination of cholesterol and glucose levels, blood pressure measurement or electrocardiogram (ECG) at rest. Such tests should be performed at least once a year.
“If the patient experiences mild or infrequent symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath or fatigue, the family doctor evaluates the symptoms, performs the initial tests mentioned above, differentiates whether there are other causes of chest pain and shortness of breath, and assesses whether there is adequate control of concomitant pathologies that may cause an aggravation of symptoms,” says the cardiologist doctor.
If the family doctor, after ruling out other possible causes, suspects symptomatic ischemic heart disease or detects ischemic changes in the electrocardiogram, the patient is referred to a cardiologist for further examination and treatment.
“In order to reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease, it is useful to reduce the amount of saturated and trans fats in food, to consume fiber, fruits and vegetables more often. It is worth eating 30 g of unsalted nuts a day and twice a week – fish, preferably fatty, with a lot of omega fatty acids.
It is advisable to reduce the amount of salt – to consume it up to 5 g per day and to maintain physical activity – spend 30-60 minutes actively, 5 times a week, as well as not to smoke or drink alcohol”, – points out doctor cardiologist Šarūnė Stankevičienė.
It is worth noting that timely preventive examinations and continuous health monitoring help to detect ischemic heart disease early, treat it and prevent serious complications.
2024-09-09 11:55:25