The old belief that heart disease occurs only in older people It is no longer true nowadays. that around the world found that more and more young people
There are many types of major heart diseases, including coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, and myocardial dysfunction. arrhythmia and congenital heart disease
The causes of heart disease come from many factors. both uncontrollable factors such as heredity, age, gender, and controllable factors such as exercise, overweight and dietary habits
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tossaphol Limpichankit Department of Cardiology Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University Explained in the meeting with Dr. Rama. On the RAMA CHANNEL YouTube channel that the most common heart disease and cause of death for both Thais and the world is coronary artery disease or blockage.
coronary artery disease or blockage It can be found in middle-aged people up to the elderly. Very few cases are childhood. But it can be found, for example, mild cardiovascular disease. Rupture or deterioration of the walls of coronary arteries. including infection in the walls of coronary arteries infrequent Most of them are caused by the arteries having fat, calcification or blood clots. which is an artery that feeds the heart muscle
A medical professor from Rama said that there are many risk factors for coronary artery disease or obstruction, the first being age. But now it’s getting shorter and younger because people in our current generation are at increased risk in many ways.
“Both obesity, high fat, high blood pressure, diabetes Smoking at a young age, excluding heredity Those who have family members with heart disease need to be careful,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tossapol said.
Why heart disease is becoming more common in younger people: from Rama, US and UK physicians.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thosaphol said that part of it came from smoking. from a young age
“As I have met, people who smoke a lot since they were young have a chance of having heart disease. From the age of 30-35 years, the coronary arteries are clogged. not counting other diseases such as abnormal heart muscle disease, Lai death disease, arrhythmia This is caused by abnormal electrical circuits in the heart. cause the heart to stop beating can die.”
Medical professor Rama also said that Being an athlete is also at risk for heart muscle disease. Especially professional athletes or those who use heavy physical activity should have a heart check every time to see if they can play sports or do strenuous activities or not.
“Most of the time, the thickness of a human heart is about 1-1.5 millimeters. Normally, if there is high blood pressure for a long time, it will automatically thicken the heart muscle. Simply put, it’s like lifting weights. if high pressure muscles must be lifted There is compression to push the blood to the hard arteries, so the muscles have to thicken.”
“Athletes who exercise a lot It may be a thick heart muscle. Exercise is a good thing. But if you exercise too much can cause a thick heart muscle It can affect the work of the heart in the future.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also says heart disease continues to affect young people, in part because young people have more risk factors.
“Heart disease and factors that cause heart disease. It can happen at any age,” the CDC website says.
The CDC also noted that high rates of obesity and high blood pressure in young people ages 35 to 64 put them at an early age risk for heart disease.
In addition, nearly half of the American population There are often at least one risk factor for heart disease, including high blood pressure. high cholesterol and smoking
A study presented to the American College of Cardiology in 2019 also indicated that in a study of two age groups of heart attack survivors: 41-50 and those under 40, it was found that among patients with symptoms Heart attack at an early age overall, 1 in 5 is 40 or younger.
In addition, over the 16 years of study (2000-2016), the proportion of young people experiencing heart attacks increased by 2% per year over the last 10 years.
UK part A study by charity Cardiac Risk in the Young found that 12 people under the age of 35 in the UK die each week. with undiagnosed cardiac causes
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ischemic heart disease The 4th leading cause of death in Thailand
Thailand’s public health statistics in 2021 revealed that ischemic heart disease It is the fourth leading cause of death of Thai people after cancer. cerebrovascular disease and pulmonary edema caused by ischemic heart disease Kills about 20,000 Thai people per year, or about 33 people per 100,000 people, while deaths worldwide are caused by ischemic heart disease as high as 16%, or about 8.9 million people.
However, a condition that people may be familiar with is heart attack.
In November 2020, the news of the death of Dr. Asadang Ruayajin, Deputy Director General of the Department of Disease Control with acute heart failure While participating in a marathon event in Sing Buri Province after losing consciousness during the run Causing the Institute of Chest Diseases, Department of Medicine to come out to educate about acute heart attacks at that time that It is common from the age of 40 years and over.
Dr. Somsak Ankasilp, Director-General of the Department of Medical Services stated at that time that The cause may be caused by acute myocardial ischemia. that is caused by coronary artery stenosis or acute obstruction As a result, the patient has chest pain in the left hemisphere. There may be a fracture to the left arm or a fracture to the jaw. Along with sweating, cold hands and feet, dizziness, fainting, exhaustion, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath.
acute cardiac arrest can happen without warning
The Director-General of the Department of Medicine explains that sudden cardiac arrest (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) is a sudden loss of heart function from abnormal electrical systems in the heart. This causes the ventricles to have a serious arrhythmia or flutter. which happened immediately without alarm causing the heart to be unable to pump blood to the body normally
Patients will experience blackouts due to a lack of blood supply to the brain. There may also be convulsions and convulsions. the patient is not breathing and unable to feel the pulse, which is considered an emergency that requires immediate resuscitation In order to have enough oxygen from the lungs to feed the brain until the heart’s function returns to normal beating. using an automatic external defibrillator (AED)
“The longer the delay, the lower the chances of survival, and if the ischemic stroke lasts too long, the patient may recover, but with subsequent aphasia.”
Anek Kanoksilp, M.D., Director of the Central Chest Institute Ministry of Public Health also explained that acute cardiac arrest found in all ages But it is more common in middle-aged adults between the ages of 30 and 40. It is twice as common in men than in women.
In addition, sudden cardiac arrest can occur anywhere. And at any time, it is often found while exercising. without alarm
However, Dr. Anek explained that acute cardiac arrest It is different from acute heart attack (Heart Attack), which usually means acute myocardial ischemia. Generally, there will be early warning signs, such as chest pain, sweating, palpitations, shortness of breath. But the occurrence of acute heart attack It can lead to sudden cardiac arrest as well.
What is heart failure like?
Another heart disease that we often hear about is heart failure (Heart Failure).
Article by Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Working Group Heart Center Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, said that Physical manifestations that indicate Heart failure symptoms include feeling tired easily, having trouble breathing, feeling like you’re drowning. inability to lie down Having to use pillows to support your back all the time, swollen legs, swollen abdomen, and unusually high weight gain caused by the retention of water in the body This condition is commonly known by other names, including pulmonary edema or enlarged heart.
Dr. Ekarat Ariyachaipanich Doctor from the Heart Center Chulalongkorn Hospital said that this syndrome is not a disease, but a condition in which the heart is weak and unable to pump blood to the different parts of the body normally.
In addition, heart failure It is also the final condition of all forms of heart disease such as heart valve disease, coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, etc.
“When it’s called a chronic condition So it can be treated but not completely cured. It is necessary to take a variety of medications to treat patients with this condition, including diuretics to help flush excess fluid from the body. Proper use of cardiac medications increases the likelihood that the heart will contract better and stronger. by reducing the pressure or causing the heart to squeeze more slowly, reducing Using energy, the patient will feel less tired. Also, the dosing must be adjusted according to the condition at all times.”
warning signs of heart disease
According to the above information from the Institute of Chest Diseases, sudden cardiac arrest can occur without warning. But most heart diseases have warning signs of observable risks.
Article from Siriraj Hospital Specify about the warning signs of heart disease as follows.
- Have chest pain, such as squeezing in the chest as if something heavy is pressing on it chest pain radiating to the jaw, jaw, neck, arms, shoulders, back
- There are also symptoms that are easy to get tired. Decreased ability to exercise Heart failure, palpitations, irregular heartbeat and fainting
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news BBC Thai published on the website Prachachat Business It is a collaboration between two news organizations.